Intereview with Melissa Yoder Ricks of Wild Hare Fiber and Giveaway!

Melissa of Wild Hare fiber was inspired to create a wonderful batt this month for a giveaway- it goes along so well with our "Seaweed Ships and Scallywags" theme! This 'Moby Dick' batt has lots of different fibers including ecospun which is recycled plastic from things like soda bottles.

Melissa is a very inspiring woman and she was gracious enough to sit down for a few and answer some short questions I had for her. I miss doing interviews on the blog, so I hope to bring them back more often. Here is what she had to say:

Where do you draw inspiration for your work?

The beauty of the natural world inspires many of the colors that I choose, although I'm also inspired at times to create colors based on certain moods or feelings. I also loosely follow color trends to keep everything fresh and relevant.

What is your favorite fiber to work with?
I love wool! It is so versatile, and there is such variety between breeds.

Do you have a least favorite?
I love most natural fibers, and tend to steer clear of synthetics.
There is one fiber that I like but which I find difficult to work with because it makes me sneeze, and that is angora (it's ironic, since often people seeing my logo assume that I'm selling angora)

What is it like to be a full-time fiber artist?
Amazing! I feel really blessed to be able to focus on doing what I love to do! This has been my dream since I was young. Having a flexible schedule so that I can adjust to my children's needs is a huge bonus too.

Tell us more about your favorite products you offer.
All the products I carry were chosen because they are my 'favorite' in some way! I search out fibers that I love to spin myself, and create handspun yarns that I would want to use. I recently added hand-dyed yarns, and search high and low to find the best mill spun yarn that I could find as my base. I also carry Spinolution, Louet and Nancy's Knit Knacks fiber tools and equipment - the same brands I use for my own work.

What is your favorite way to use yarn?
To hold it and squeeze it ...? Gosh, each and every skein of yarn is so full of possibilities that it can be challenging to commit it to just one project. I knit, crochet and do some simple weaving, and usually look to the yarn and let it tell me what to do with it. I do more knitting than anything else because it's so portable.

If you were to do a self-portrait in fiber, what would it look like? What
materials would you use etc?

My 'self portrait in fiber' would have to be a mixed-media piece that combines lots of different fiber and techniques -- so it would have perhaps a woven or wet-felted base with knitted appliques, some free-form crochet, and needle-felted and embroidered details. All in a range of rich natural colors (hey, this sounds like a fun project!)

We're giving away "moby dick" today- visit Wild Hare, find something you love, and come back here to write about it in the comments section. We award other social networking pings with extra entries, just let us know you did it!