My name is Brenda Dunse and I live in a small Wisconsin town, outside the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. Across the St. Croix river into Wisconsin, officially a cheese head and a Packer fan (although not an obsessed one).
I took up knitting because it is portable, fits my on the go lifestyle and is an end use for some of my hand-spun yarn. I am a forty something, empty nester, with two marvelous adult children, Amber and Mike, with fascinating lives of their own and a wonderfully talented singer/songwriter, musician husband, Brad Dunse, who keeps me running.
Why Fiberbinder? In search of a name that encompasses all areas of my fiber world (spinning, knitting, and crocheting to date). I am trying to resist the strong pull of weaving, I feel as though I will cave soon and it will win the battle.
How the fiber fetish took over my life…
About four years ago while strewn about on the living floor sorting out the junk drawer watching a public TV animal program featured the alpaca. By the end of the program I fascinated by this unique animal. I began searching the internet and reading every bit of information I could find on alpaca’s and camelid’s. Farm visits became my weekend addiction. I fell in love with the very first touch. I was ready to buy my very own alpaca cria except the covenants of our subdivision do not allow livestock. How can this wonderful fiber animal be a part of my life?
This is where my research lead me on my quest for a spinning wheel to meet Detta at www.dettasspindle.com and the purchase of my Louet S-10. I thank Detta for her wealth of knowledge of the various spinning wheels and the patience as she allowed me to try them all. Detta you are awesome! I am also very thankful for the mundane work experience from years ago when I worked in a factory balancing plastic fly wheels for shopvacs. Little did I know then that I was honing the skills, hand/eye coordination and treadle rhythms, that are essential to spinning.
My hunger for the knowledge of all things fiber have led me to become a member of the (HGA) Handweavers Guild of America, MN Knitting Guild and MN Weavers Guild. Having attended my first fiber show “Shepherds Harvest” a couple of years ago I was introduced to an array of fibers such as Icelandic sheep, Angora, mohair and silk.
As I continue on my fiber journey I invite you to share in the adventure through this blog “The Journal Of My Existence” which barrows its name from a line from the first verse in a song my husband Brad wrote: “In The Margins Of Life”; We journal our existence through the life that we lead, Each page is a day we fail or succeed, Sentences exhale the hopes we breathe, Decisions that we make are what we write, In the margins of life (for the rest of the words and to hear the song visit (www.braddunsemusic.com).
