This textile is made of a variety of animal fibers in New York. I was surprised by the variety that I ended up including such as wool, curly horse hair, alpaca, angora rabbit, and  mohair. The fiber that I was most intrigued by was the curly horse hair, which I blended with mohair, and is integrated into the honeycomb diamond patterning. I got it during the Washington County Fiber Tour when I visited Crazy Legs Farm in Fort Edward. The orange-brown curly horse hair comes from Ginger, a mare who is 30-years old, and lives in Four Feet Farm. Ginger is very smart and truly a ‘right off the range’ curly horse, according to Joellen who raises curly hair horses. 

The abstract flowers are an invitation to feel the central “rigidity” and peripheral “softness.” The “rigid” central section is made with the wool, mohair, and curly horse hair. I love how there are slight variations in the diamond patterning based on the yarn. The peripheral “softness” is made with a beautiful Buttercup alpaca batt from Quarry Ridge Farm in Salem New York. It was fun to grab a chunk of fiber, twist, and attach it to the textile. Each one is different and is meant to give a playful sentiment.

The textile also hangs diagonally to mimic the honeycomb diamond pattern knitted in the center. It is also raises the question if the textile is “ordered” or “disordered” for unconventionally hanging on the bias. I will use this textile as future fashion design inspiration.