By Trevor Clark
Vicki Bennet’s Wool Products
Fairview fiber artist Vicki Bennett says that crafting with wool is not only a creative choice, but also one that addresses her concerns for environmental sustainability and the preservation of traditional techniques. Under the business name Tangled Up in Wool, Vicki transforms locally sourced materials into intricate, comfortable wool wares.
Vicki discovered her passion for textiles in her early 20s, when she worked with fiber arts in her spare time. In the following years, however, her hobby took a backseat to her profession as a psychologist and professor at the University of Michigan. After 32 years, Vicki retired and took up fiber arts once more, soon finding her niche with wool felting.
“There’s something very appealing about the organic and ages-old aspect of making wool felt,” says Vicki. “You don’t use anything but wool, soap, water, and muscle. There’s no sewing involved. People have been using wool for centuries.”
After moving to Asheville in 2010, Vicki says she felt compelled to reach out to a community of fellow textile artists. Combining her passion for wool as a medium with her belief in its properties as a renewable material, she began working with Local Cloth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing the fiber industry within a hundred miles of their headquarters in Asheville. Vicki currently sits on the board of Local Cloth through which she also sells her flagship product, the three-season hiking hat.
Lightweight and versatile, the three-season hiking hat makes a great cap for both men and women. “I’ve been making this hat for quite a few years,” says Vicki. “Most of the wool comes from local farms, or from the annual Southeast Animal Fiber Fair,” an event that takes place each fall at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. “I’ll buy fleeces there and take them up to Echo View Fiber Mill in Weaverville to get them processed. The process involves cleaning it and turning it into nice, soft wool.”
Tangled Up in Wool also specializes in coasters, which Vicki often adorns with botanical prints, made by extracting dyes from local plants. The result is a dazzling organic design.
“Whether it’s a hydrangea leaf or a wildflower, it gets directly printed onto the wool,” says Vicki. “People are used to coasters being glass or wood, but the advantage of wool coasters and table pads is that they protect from heat and moisture, and they’ve got a very nice texture.”
In addition to the hats and coasters, Vicki also makes sculptures from wool, which she displays and sells at the Florida CraftArt in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she lives part of the year. To help inspire and educate others, Vicki also offers workshops and classes for those interested in fiber arts. She works with Local Cloth to host a monthly textile study group, and in April, she will teach a class at the John C. Campbell Folk School titled “The New Landscape of Three-Dimensional Felt.”
For more information on Tangled Up in Wool products, including where to find them, visit tangledupinwool.com. Trevor Clark is a writer who resides in Asheville. Contact him at trevorclarkwriter@gmail.com.
