Episode 36: Daphne Marinopoulos – West Africa, a Maine fiber mill, creative fulfillment, and The Fibre Company

Sponsor: I want to thank one of our sponsors for this week’s episode, Cast Away and Folk, a modern yarn, sewing & weaving shop in Historic Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, CA. Cast Away and Folk makes their home in a turn of the century large brick loft, that inspires you as soon as you walk through the doors. The three owners, Justine, Leslee and Isla and their experienced team are so welcoming and there to gel you choose your next project or find just the right fiber or fabric you’ve been looking for. They offer a wide variety of great classes and workshops covering sewing, knitting, weaving, felting, embroidery and more. Make sure to visit Cast Away & Folk online at castawayandfolk.com or in person when in Santa Rosa. You can also find them on Instagram @castawayandfolk.

In October, Cast Away and Folk is hosting a very special field trip to one of my most favorite places, Twirl. This is the home of my friend Mary Pettis-Sarley, the creator of Twirl yarn and her myriad of alpacas, sheep, horses, cattle, dogs, chickens, pigs, goats, and of course Zack the donkey. You won’t believe this place…with Napa valley’s rolling hills, indigo fields, and fiber in every which way. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend you join this trip…you’ll leave so inspired by this place and the woman behind it. Snuggles some animals, dye some Twirl yarn and enjoy an included bag lunch…and to register, call Cast Away and Folk at 707.546.9276

Fiber folk: When someone’s name continues to come up in conversations, you start to get the hint that maybe you should get to know said person…well Daphne Marinopoulos is one of those people. After a few months of aligning schedules and rural internet bandwidth, we were finally able to sit down and have a talk, and it spoke to me in a special way…much of that conversation you’ll hear here today. From flight instructor to foreign service officer to fiber mill owner and creator of The Fibre Company, Daphne has had a pretty incredible journey, and one highlighted by a life of fulfilling her creative passion and destiny, something I know many of us seek and aspire to do. I’ve long admired the quality, composition and obvious care that goes into The Fibre Company yarns, but I never realized the story behind it, until now…and as we all know, the story is everything. You can find Daphne at thefibreco.com.

Sponsor: I want to thank our other sponsor for this week’s episode Kelbourne Woolens, a wonderful company built by two passionate women, Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. Kelbourne itself is unique, serving as the US distributor of The Fibre Company yarns, a design house, author of several books, instructors and makers of their own line of tools and accessories. They focus on modern interpretations of classic designs, and the love of traditional knitting techniques. From their shared experiences in fine art, textiles, retail, and knitwear design, they offer an invaluable resource to this fiber community of ours. Look for them this weekend at the Make. Wear. Love. retreat hosted by Amy Herzog in Sebasco Harbor, Maine. And make sure to visit Kelbourne Woolens at kelbournewoolens.com and on Instagram @kelbournewoolens.

Farmyard Tales: This week we have a funny Farmyard Tale from Angie of Kismet Fiber Works.

Giveaway: The winners of last week’s giveaway are, Ann Marie Mullen, you’ve won the mixed BFL fiber from Fiber in the Boro and Rebecca McCoyer , you’ve won 2 skeins of raw silk noil yarn from Shutters and Shuttles. Congratulations!

This week’s giveaway is sponsored by Cast Away and Folk, and we’re giving away 2 skeins of Savannah yarn and the Norie Hat pattern by Gudrun Johnston. To enter this giveaway and be one of the three winners, leave a comment on this post.

Music by Jónsi.