Heather Lightbody

Heather has been crocheting hats since 2002. Her ideas are like butterflies, transforming thru a metamorphosis of thought and creativity before becoming wearable art. 

Heather uses cruelty free, squishy, curly, silky, wools and fibers in her freeform crochet. Her favorite wool breeds are Corriedale, Merino, Rambouillet, Cormo, Teeswater, Mohair, Gotland, BFL, Finn, and Icelandic. Many of her fibers she buys locally to support her local farms. She is also a dyer and weaver and lives at home with a menagerie of cats and backyard chickens.

In 2015 Heather became the SpinOlution Dealer for the Salem, Portland, and Eugene areas of Oregon. She teaches crochet classes locally and at her home. 

The creative process.

"I create wearable pieces with handspun yarns from the softest fibers. If I am creating a drapey, slouchy hat, I spin finer yarn with minimal texture. If I am creating a sculptural hat, I spin a thicker yarn. The art yarns I spin I use as embellishments for the outside of a piece. I also use crochet stitches to create textures and folds. 

During my creative process, I often try different stitches, undo my piece, then try some more stitches until my work becomes appealing to me. I do not decide the front, back, or top until I'm nearly finished. I may make a hat in one piece, or combine multiple pieces, or sew pieces together - which creates more freedom for sculpting.

I love crocheting on top of pieces I've stitched together. I deeply enjoy the process building and taking apart each piece until it's complete. Finally, when I put a hat on and it feels "finished" - I know I'm done. My process is a balance of thoughts with freedom to change."