Jane Erskine Howard

Large Herdwick rug woven with circular motif, using ‘shaft switching’ technique. Small rugs woven with Krokbrogd technique. Blanket woven with hand spun, hand dyed wool.

Biography

Working with natural materials has always had a fascination for me. As a child I learnt to weave on a rigid heddle loom. I used fleece which I found caught on a barbed wire fence while on holiday in Cumbria. I twisted it into yarn and wove it into a small piece of cloth. More recently in 2008, I kept a small flock of Herdwick sheep. After they were shorn, I had their wool spun by the Natural Fibre Company in Cornwall. I dye the wool with acid dyes and also natural plant dyes.

I weave the yarn into floor rugs which are hard-wearing and colourful. The natural grey colour of the wool enhances the dyed yarn and harmonises the colours. I am currently using a Scandinavian weave structure ‘Krokbrogd’, as my design source. This enables me to weave colourful patterns with just three shafts.

I have also woven on a specialist ‘shaft switching’ loom in Jason Collingwood’s studio to weave a circular shape. This would be a very slow process on a loom with conventional shafts.

I also hand spin Romney Marsh sheeps’ wool. I dye this two-ply yarn with natural dyes to weave into blankets. This is a slow and painstaking task, which produces a warm and comforting material, which is ethically produced.

Contact Details
Email:
[email protected]

Media Platforms:
Instagram

Personal Website:
www.janeerskine.co.uk

Phone Number:
07508 222405