Introducing... Fiona
Hello!
It’s my turn to tell you a bit about who I am and what I do.
I’m Fiona, of Fiona Catanach Textiles, a hand weaver living and working on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border. I’ve been weaving for 7 years or so on my two Louet looms, which both have a beautiful view over the hills and moors. Over the years I have tried many variations on a theme of yarn/cloth including knitting, crochet, tatting, dressmaking and pattern cutting, never quite being satisfied with any of them. Once I discovered weaving I knew I had found ‘the one’ and I have not looked back.
I tend to work predominantly in fine threads, be they wool, silk, linen etc, but have been known to produce chunky blankets and rugs using thicker yarns.
Whatever the end product it is important to me that the yarn I use comes from either an ethically sound source or is purchased directly from the producer as locally as possible.
Therefore, I tend to use yarns that were destined for landfill but I have also recently set up a partnership with an alpaca farmer to weave their beautiful yarns, which are a joy to work with and can be linked back to the individual animal the fleece came from.
My inspiration comes from various sources, the stunning surroundings of the South Pennine Moors, the changing seasons and weather, social history and its associated emotions and vernacular architecture.
I am currently experimenting with more reactive yarns to create volume and texture within my work but find myself being drawn back to double-weave due to its design possibilities.
At the moment I am concentrating on completing my final collection for my HNC course, but am excited to put all I have learnt over the past 2 years into practice once the course is completed.
