Teacher Feature: Jill Draper

There are many great people who have left Brooklyn for the wilds of upstate New York and Jill Draper is definitely high on that list. 

Fun, open-hearted, and ready for any kind of creative adventure, Jill is bringing her teaching mojo to squam next week as well as having her gorgeous hand-dyed yarns for sale at the Squam Art Fair.

Of course, we were thrilled last February to have Jill's scrumptious hand-dyed yarn featured in the store and are looking forward to seeing all the yummy hand-knits (no doubt loads of fingerless gloves) that will be on display next week that have been made from her yarn.

She and Cal have a lovely partnership with double-knot studio-- (the dynamic duo pictured above) if you haven't seen it-- check it out!  

Without further ado-- let's meet Jill!

:: :: ::

Where were you born?

Upstate NY, about 120 miles North of where I live now, to an amazing, gentle, kind mom. 

Describe yourself in 5 words...

Trying the best I can.

What sounds calm you?

Picked out guitar like Jack Rose or John Fahey, my partner's voice, a cat purring. 

What kind of flowers would be in the perfect bouquet for you?

Anything wild, local, found. Apple blossoms or lilacs in the Spring, wildflowers in the Summer, rosehips in the Fall.

Describe your ideal vacation.

Being somewhere new. Eating lots of local specialties I've never tried. Not using the computer. 6

What colors are carried throughout your home?

Have you seen my yarn?! Seriously, my house is pretty colorful. I like color & lots of it. The house I live in now is a craftsman bungalow so probably the one color that's most predominant is the dark wood of the moldings & pillars.

What is something you would like to learn to do?

That list is so long, if I lived 150 years I could fill every minute. Most, I think I'd like to master a few languages. I love words, etymology and language. I am frequently in awe of European friends that are fluent in four or five!

What is something you are really good at?

Keeping secrets. Also, I make a pretty good pie crust.

What song or cd has been getting some serious play time at your house?

That's the hardest question! I love music. Lately, Breaks in the Armor by Crooked Fingers but I could listen to The Essential Porter & Dolly almost every day and not get tired of it.

When you were younger, what was your favorite candy/snack at the movie theater?

My grandmother would take my brother & me to the movies a lot as kids and she'd always bring in food she made, so probably the leftover over 'fancy nuts' from her bridge parties.

What was the best part of your day?

It's a dead tie between: the first sip of the first cup of coffee out of the pot & in the Spring/Summer the moment I stop working, open a beer and sit on the porch to soak up the last bit of sun while the man starts the grill for dinner.

fabulous!  oh Jill--- what a beautiful life you lead . . thank you for sharing it with us.

bisous, e