Welcome

I live on a smallholding in rural Cumbria and keep a small flock of manx and gotland sheep and angora goats. Much of my fleece is spun into knitting wools, which I sell as natural colours or hand dye.

The majority of my hand-woven scarves and shawls are made from fine yarns, including silks, linens and wools. These are all hand-dyed in small non-reproducible batches in gentle colours which reflect the changing colours of the landscape here in rural Cumbria. I concentrate on simple weave structures as complex patterns detract from the beauty of the yarns and the colours.

My artwork tends to be landscape based, and usually combines a range of techniques and media. I like to work with a range of textile techniques, including dyeing, hand weaving, felt making - wet, dry and needle felting techniques - and hand and machine embroidery.

Jan Hicks