Bonnie Feld has been knitting, crocheting and sewing most of her life. In more recent years, spinning and tatting have entered her realm of expertise. This has been an added joy. Since retirement she has been able to teach young girls and boys to knit as well as demonstrate spinning and carding. At the local Senior Activity center Bonnie has been able to help ladies refresh their knitting and crocheting skills and teach them to be more advanced knitters.
Katherine Hughes by day is a process development scientist in biotech, which pays enough to keep her in beads, wool and soap supplies. She started off knitting, which led (inevitably) to learning how to spin, along with an unreasonably large stash of fiber. She's always loved the skills that were necessary parts of life not long time ago: canning and preserving, spinning, making soap, etc. So Katherine does them for herself and teaches them to anyone interested.
Accomplishments? Ummmmmmm… she raised a really marvelous son who recently married an equally marvelous woman. She kind of thinks that’s enough for a lifetime.
Kathy Krause - The Krause’s started the family’s llama farm, Pine Knoll Llamas located in Clintonville, back in 1988. Kathy has been herd manager for several camelid farms in Wisconsin and has also shown throughout the U.S. The passion for fiber started with a llama outing where Kathy saw llama fiber being combed. An “internal switch” was flipped on that she says changed her life forever! She now shears around 50 llamas a year and processes about one half of those fleeces, so she always has fiber on hand. Kathy states that she loves every aspect of wool and all levels of processing, saying “There’s no greater joy than to take a fleece and to work with it to see the finished product.” She is one of the founders of “fiber thing”, an event that was held annually in Shawano, Wisconsin and still remains a committee member of the current “fiber thing” event now called “Winter Weekend Warm-up”. Kathy, and her husband Dick, have opened a retail yarn/spinning shop called The Copper Llama. The shop is located on their property in an old restored 1300 sq. ft. shed which offers a full line of yarns and accessories, rovings and fibers for the spinner/felter. Kathy is also a member of the Shawano Knitting Guild and Saxony Spinners. http://thecopperllama.com
Joyce Peterson - Joyce grew up in a creative home and finished her first ski sweater before high school. Her grandmothers from the old country taught her many techniques and styles in knitting, crocheting, tatting, and other crafts. Creating things with her hands and teaching have been her passion for many years. She enjoys teaching and growing herbs to use in homemade soaps and lotions.
Dorothy Rose - Dorothy has been retired for 7 years and can now devote more time to her creative projects. Besides glass etching and beading, she enjoys sewing, knitting and art.
Cheryl Stegert has been knitting, crocheting, weaving, spinning, tatting and teaching for well over 25 years. Passing on these traditional crafts is a passion for her and she hopes that her students will continue to pass it forward. Through her work in genealogy, weaving seems to be in her genes! She lives with her husband John and cats, Dexter and Woodrow in Appleton and spend the summers at their cottage near Crivitz. When not having yarn in her hand, Cheryl enjoys reading, walking, fishing, kayaking and canoeing. cstegert@new.rr.com
Carol Wagner - Carol Wagner has been spinning since 1988. She is passionate about all aspects of fiber....beginning with the animal, to washing, dyeing, spinning and finally knitting the yarn. She and her husband Paul raise Coopworth sheep and have a flock of 150 ewes. They also own Hidden Valley Woolen Mill near Valders where the goal is to assist the customer in the creative process. Carol is one of the founders of "fiber thing". http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com
