The less-considered component of agriculture
Supermarkets make it easy to take our food for granted. It’s easier still to forget the hands behind the fabrics we wear against our skin. Long before machines and synthetic materials became part of our daily existence, we relied on animals not just for food, but for fiber. Equally important were the people who knew how to convert it into something useful.
Diane Braun, owner of High Castle Traditional Crafts, is a student of history—specifically medieval history. “I’d always been interested in spinning,” Braun says. A serendipitous moment involving a demonstration at a Tucson spinning and weaving store turned Braun’s interest into practice, and then a profession.
“When you are in a shop that also has looms, and you’re me, you get attracted to that, too. The following summer, I learned to weave. I’ve basically been spinning, weaving, and knitting since my mid-20s.”
In 2003, Braun chose to raise Cotswold sheep. She was attracted to the breed for multiple reasons. “I wanted a rare breed,” Braun says, “one that needed help, basically, and I wanted a breed that was known for being able to lamb successfully on their own, so my own ignorance would not endanger them.” Cotswolds are generally mellow, naturally without horns, and also considered the softest of the long-wool breeds. “Their wool has a special sheen to it,” Braun says.
At one point, her flock numbered 20, but the cost of feed and lack of time slowly reduced the flock to two. Braun found herself with less time for spinning. Instead, she sells the washed wool to spinners, felters, and doll makers and focuses on weaving and knitting.
The breed was once considered a staple of the medieval economy, but almost died out during the Industrial Revolution because modern machinery couldn’t handle their long fleece.
Watching Braun weave is more than witnessing history in action. From countless threads stretched through what resembles racks of needles, cloth comes into being. The wooden Baby Wolf loom that she uses rattle-clacks as harnesses are raised and lowered. The pattern draft she follows for that particular piece of cloth is relatively simple, but the work is anything but brainless.
“There’s a fair amount of math involved, but it’s not complicated,” Braun says. Watching the loom operate and looking at the arithmetic, an idea starts to form. “As weaving developed, there was something called a Jacquard Loom. They had sheets of cardboard or light metal with holes in them. The holes would allow some of the harnesses to go up while others stayed down.” Early computers used punch cards to convey instructions. “A lot of scholars say the Jacquard Loom is the prototype of the punch-card computer, because it’s really the same thing.”
In many ways, her work of weaving, knitting, and creating patterns calls on Braun’s skills as an engineer, architect, artist, and entrepreneur. “Any handmade textiles are time-consuming, so you really have to enjoy the process,” she says. “There’s a fine line between making a reasonable amount of money. Some people charge just enough so they can buy the yarn. That’s nice, but that’s not sustainable for people who seriously want to be fiber artists.”
The parallels between food and fashion become more clear as Braun explains her craft. “I often use the analogy of a chef,” she says. “If you’re putting all that work in, you’re going to use the best ingredients—whether it’s yarn, dyes, or the fiber itself. Just like with food, it doesn’t matter how good a chef you are, if the ingredients are mediocre so is your result. With textiles, you may be spending more, but it’s going to last ten times as long.”
The value was evident centuries ago. “Clothing and linens used to be itemized in wills,” says Braun. And like slow food, slow fashion is gaining popularity. As a member of two different guilds, Braun participates in spinning and weaving events, occasionally giving demonstrations. “One of the most frustrating things is when you’re out there weaving or spinning and a parent tells their child, ‘Look, no one does that anymore!’ but I’m, like, ‘Yes, we are! We’re doing it right now! It’s not dead.”
Braun is a member of the Mountain Spinners and Weavers Guild in Prescott and the Arizona Federation of Weavers & Spinners Guilds. She sells her handmade clothing, home decor, bags, accessories, and original knitting patterns at local farmers markets and online at highcastlecrafts.com.
