
In an increasingly intangible world, 3 dimensional art work is becoming more and more compelling. Accordingly, we have been witnessing an explosion in the creation of textile-based works, some of which we share here. From artists working with reclaimed fabrics, to a cleric inspired to find a meditative way to create sustainable products, the act of creation with the humble elements of everyday materials is finding a higher calling.
First up, we meet Brother Adian, a Holy Cross monk who discovered knitting when cold weather forced him inside, away from his first passion, gardening. Soon, it became all consuming. “It connected so many of these various threads in my life because I was really plugging into the ecological aspects of spirituality,” he explains. “I had my Christian spirituality, I had the ecological stuff, and then I had creativity and making things. And it all came together in knitting because you’re literally clothing yourself with stuff from the earth.” He also believes that it creates an appreciation for the slow labor of craft, and the appreciation of simple beauty, which he sees as the core of any authentic spirituality. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘men of the cloth’.
Read on for more hand knit stories of spiritual devotion.
Next, meet Trish Andersen

A self-proclaimed ‘tufter’, Andersen, a native of Dalton, Georgia (aka the carpet capital of the world), was initially attracted to the process of tufting as a means to reconnect with and explore her roots. Now, as a fine artist who paints with yarn, she’s developed a signature style that embraces color and texture in bold strokes. Her advice to budding artists: Inspiration is everywhere and is everything!! Be a sponge!!