Spinning Tales

Weaving and writing seem like an incongruous pairing, but as you chat with Jan Doyle, cofounder of the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center, you start remembering metaphors about “weaving storylines” and “spinning tales,” and suddenly it doesn’t seem so weird, after all.

What is somewhat startling, however, is to learn that this is not the first time that these two distinctive forms of expression have been, um, intertwined in South County. In the late 19th century, a local Chautauqua Society based in South Kingstown was likewise dedicated to promoting literature and preserving the historic fiber arts. “There are many connections between weaving and writing,” says Doyle, noting that even the word “text” has its roots in the Latin word for “to weave,” texere.

The founding of the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center two years ago resulted from a happy confluence of interests among Doyle, a URI weaving teacher; writer and educator Grace Farrell, a Charlestown resident who also happens to be a weaver; and local resident John C. Quinn, the retired editor-in-chief of USA Today, who happened to be looking for an expert to inspect a loom he owned. Out of that initial connection came a partnership that saw Quinn arrange to allow Doyle and Farrell to use the historic (circa 1857) Octagon House on Route 112 as a home for their seemingly disparate educational programs.

Doyle went to college for psychology, but her heart always remained in fiber. “My parents always accused me of taking basket weaving in college,” she jokes. “If they had offered it, I would have.” In an era where it’s absurdly easier to buy a shirt for $6 at Wal-Mart than to make your own clothing, a surprising number of people share Doyle’s passion. Not only are classes at the Fiber and Fiction center full, there’s a waiting list.

The school offers basic instruction for casual learners as well as a Master Weaver track, currently being pursued by ten students who must each work their way up from apprentice to journeyman to master over the course of several years. Farrell offers 10-week writing courses using a curriculum based on writing prompts that teaches the writer’s craft while still encouraging creativity.

Writers and weavers often work side by side, despite the noise of a dozen or more looms spinning. All but three of the 17 looms were donated, including a computer-driven 24-harness AVL loom, a “dobby” loom capable of producing 16 or 24-inch wide fabrics.

Weavers at the center work with a variety of fabrics, including sustainable materials derived from soybeans and corn silk. Harking back to the days of Rhode Island’s Industrial Revolution, much of the material comes from mill ends sourced by Peter Patchis Yarns in Central Falls.

Going even further back into local history, some students even use wool from locally raised sheep, a nod to a time when there were hundreds of barn looms in South County households, and itinerant weavers traveled the roads spinning wool into cloth.

Such are the things from which tall tales are spun, but while fiction writing is largely a feat of imagination, working with fiber is about as hands-on as it gets. “When you weave, you touch every thread five times,” says Doyle. “There’s a tactile aspect to the art that you just don’t get with other media.”

For more information or to regiter for one of the programs, email Grace Farrell, Jan Doyle or Ellen Stone.