Weaving a Life, with clay and fiber.

So you have probably been noticing I have changed my name from Shanks Ceramic Studio to Weave and Wobble. Here's why...
After many years of interest in fiber arts I have made the decision to add that to my business. When I ran off to college for my MFA I was not offered a local fiber degree in my area colleges, so my next favorite as many of you know is clay, but I have been a winter crocheter thanks to my Grandmother Shirley since I was a child.  Mostly crocheting washclothes and blankets in the beginning. When I was in my early 20s I looked for classes to learn to weave on a floor loom. I searched high and low and did not have success. I actually had people laugh at me when I asked if their college offered a program in weaving or fiber. After much reserach and no means to pickup and move to the coast I gave up the search to learn and carried on with crocheting. I eventually learned knitting which wasn't my top favorite, but I think it is important to learn about all the tools offered in a medium. I stuck close to my crochet work for many years, even into college. 
After graduation I went out into the world to sell my ceramic work. One October morning on a Friday after I set up my art booth up at a local event. I went and introduced myself to my neighbor art vendors. I met a few people who have become lifelong friends that we boat and chat with on a daily basis. When I got to the booth diaganol from my own I saw a little fuzzy haired lady who smelled of cigarettes sitting behind a table weaving a small table loom. I was so excited I forgot to introduce myself and asked if I could try! She as excited to show me and I sat down and started weaving away. I got her business card and found out she only lived about 15 minutes from my house. A few months later I was sitting in Jill's dining room weaving my first scarf. 
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After that I just kept on trying!

I have always found it interesting when you think something isn't going to work out, it just "not meant to be", then the universe brings it to you when you are not even looking for it. That cool Friday morning in October brought me the weaving I had been looking for 10 years earlier. Strange how that works, but that isn't where the story ends. It was only the beginning. 
I started teaching drawing in a college in southern Illinois deep in the country. I showed up to a room packed full of art supplies and tool. I started cleaning for days and days I organized the room and closet/office space. One day I was digging back into a closet and found a long cardboard box with brown writing on it. covered in dust. I picked it up getting ready to toss it in the trash. I read the brown writing...

HOLY MOLY! IT'S A LOOM! 
I got permission to take ownership of it and started weaving every extra minute I had! There were of course a lot of things to learn, and I had moments were I needed to step away from frustration, but two years later I was just as hooked as ever. I kept making little things. Bag, towels, scarves, and so on. 
Then one day while sitting on my sofa with my husband found a floor loom on Facebook marketplace and I was so excited I almost couldn't contain myself. We met the lady and I couldn't give her my cash fast enough to get that sucker home and start weaving!

And that is exactly what I have been doing. After a while some of my clay students starting asking questions about the weaving process and art I was making. I starting doing small teachable projects with people one-on-one and it slowly started to evolve, as life does. So here I am. "Weave and Wobble" teaching clay and fiber art!