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Jennie Lee Henderson's introduction into fiber arts came as a child,
learning the basics of knitting from her grandmother. Later came sewing
and
dress design. Her interest in weaving bloomed during her sophomore year at
the University of Denmark where she purchased her first floor loom and had
it shipped back home to California.
Her work grew away from manufactured yarns toward hand spun natural
fibers.
After visiting friends on a New Zealand sheep farm, Jennie flew home with
her first spinning wheel and several hand-picked raw fleeces. While
learning
to process her own yarns to include in her knitting and weaving, she
experimented with fibers ranging from silk to dog hair and the use of
natural dyes made from materials she collected in the wild such as
mushrooms, bark, flowers, and lichen.
Jennie likes using the wool of local sheep whenever possible, spinning
from
six to ten fleeces a year. She weaves on several different sizes of floor
looms and in the last year she has started experimenting with a
Navajo-style
loom.
Today, Jennie is concentrating her weaving on hand-spun products such
as
rugs and lap robes and on sensuous chenille scarves in a dazzling rainbow
of
colors.
"For me, the joy of weaving comes from the richness of the colors and
textures of the fibers and the ability to turn them into something
wonderful
for people to enjoy."
Jennie has made her home on the Mendocino Coast for the past 25 years.
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