The Turbulent History of the American Wool Industry

Presentation Description
Where does your yarn really come from? Join Evie from JillianEve to take a clear and
grounded journey through three centuries of American wool. We will look at
Indigenous weaving traditions, colonial homespun, the rise of the mills, the labor
struggles that shaped the industry, the counterculture spinning revival of the 1960s,
the collapse of U.S. wool infrastructure, and the global forces that shape the yarn in
our hands today. This talk is for anyone who cares about yarn crafts, community,
and the future of fiber arts.

Bio:

Evie, the creator behind the popular YouTube channel JillianEve, is a fiber artist, educator, and content creator with over 83,000 subscribers across platforms and 4.4+ million views on YouTube. She specializes in diverse fiber art topics, from historical spinning tools to creating a handmade wardrobe. Evie presents workshops to guilds and fiber festivals both online and in person. A regular contributor to PLY Magazine and Spin-off Evie also enjoys writing about her fiber arts projects and explorations. Her unique blend of whimsy, historical knowledge, and practical skills has established her as a prominent figure in the fiber arts world.

What’s your favorite thing to knit?
My favorite thing to knit is anything with cables. I haven’t done much lately, but I
find it so satisfying. I love working through a complicated chart and seeing all the
symbols translate into my fabric.

What other fiber arts interests do you have?
My main fiber art is spinning. I call myself a spinner who makes stu􀆯 with yarn. I also
weave, knit, crochet, and do some nalbinding. I also have lace on the horizon.

What project is on your needles now?
My current knitting project is Alpine Bloom by Caitlin Hunter. My current weaving
projects are a linen plain weave on my rigid heddle loom and a 13-pattern thread
Baltic Pickup on my inkle loom. My current crochet project is a doily style table
runner. I work in a rotation, so they all get finished eventually.

Social Media

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/jillianeve

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jillianevefa/

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/jillianeve