In honor of a special friend and mentor      Billy Bannerman – Master weaver, spinner, knitter, teacher and friend.

Billy embodied all of the things a good friend and mentor should be. Graciousness, kindness, encouragement, concern, and gentle persuasion.

 She willingly shared her past life experiences to teach others. Billy not only taught us how to spin, but in a sense she taught us how to live.  Her enthusiasm for life and all it held was contagious. Billy was full of stories of past adventures. Rarely do you meet someone who is so willing to share her life experiences and lessons. Billy was always willing to share a story about a trip, a friend, flying a plane, or any topic. We so enjoyed hearing of her “wild tales”. Billy truly enjoyed life and lived it to its fullest.

 Billy taught us lessons that we will never forget about spinning wheels, using different types of fibers, making projects look neat, and how to spin consistently.  She taught us about different types of wheels and how they operated. She taught us history lessons about spinning how they used to do it. She taught us how to evaluate what type of yarn to use for projects. Billy helped my “artisan” eye develop. She made us spinners.

 She helped us explore spinning all fibers - silk from a cocoon, dog from Telia, cotton from balls; flax from the stalk; all manner of sheep and goat; and even “yucky” llama (although we had nice clean llama fiber to spin). She helped us explore different types of wheels – charka, flax, scotch tension. She taught us  how to blend fibers using a drum carder.

 Billy taught us to laugh at ourselves and not take spinning so seriously. With her stories of her past, she encouraged us to be bold and explore life. With her zeal, she taught us  not let anyone or anything stand in my way. 

 I will never forget her sparkling eyes, her zeal for life, her laughter, her “kick in the butt” when needed. We are better spinners and people for having known Billy.

 Billy Bannerman – you are appreciated and missed a great deal.

 Thank you for all you did!