Carolyn Smith of Vashon Island, WA

Carolyn Smith of Vashon Island, WA

We met Carolyn four years ago when she created a tam for us out of multi-colored alpaca fiber.

Ever since we have been awestruck with her creativity, knowledge and love of fibers.

Whether working with raw fiber or processed roving her yarns have a beautiful consistency. The yarns are breathtaking, whether as a blend of several natural shades or as dyed brilliant colors. She makes truly unique quality yarn.

From the artist...

My interest in fiber arts began nearly 40 years ago when I dropped in to visit a friend, a Coast Salish woman from Canada, who was working with a newly shorn fleece. (She told me that her people, with a long tradition of spinning and weaving, had been taught to knit by missionaries in the 1800s.)

During that magical afternoon I saw her first skeins of handspun, learned how to make a spinning wheel and actually spun her first yarn!

Eventually I opened my own yarn shop, Creature Comforts, and one day a customer asked me to spin up a cap from her dog's combings. After both dog and cap won blue ribbons on the same day, I realized that I had something here and began a custom pet fur spinning service.

I got the surprise of my life when the phone rang one day; the Wall Street Journal was sending a reporter. I appeared on the front page on December 6, 1996! I have since done 5 local and national television shows-which still run occasionally on the Discovery Channel-as well as numerous magazine articles and talk radio programs.

My love of animals then led to the next step, when I began developing luxury yarns spun from precious fur combings, the Vivayarns line. Clients can now enjoy the warmth and beauty of chinchilla, silver and Arctic fox furs without harming the animal that produced them!
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Carolyn is available for custom creations using your unique fiber or her own. Contact her viavivayarns@centurytel.net or contact PurelyAlpaca on her behalf.