In this episode of our podcast Curious Objects, host Ben Miller speaks with knit maven Heavenly Bresser, founder of the store Heavenly Knitchet and devotee of ye olde spinning wheel. The pair gets into the mechanics of spinning wheels, the form’s centuries-old history, and the largest wheel in Bresser’s extensive collection, which is also her favorite: a pendulum wheel manufactured by Justin B. Wait in the 1800s, whose drive wheel is 46 1/2 inches in diameter.
Heavenly Bresser is an award-winning hand-spinner, spinning wheel restorer, and international fiber arts instructor. Bresser is a faculty member at an art center in St. Charles, Illinois, and has many years of teaching experience including having led hand-spinning courses for various organizations and fiber events including the SOAR retreat, Wisconsin Sheep and Wool, New York Sheep and Wool, Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (online), Vogue Knitting Live, and Stitches Events. Some of her passions include working with color, working from fleece, and researching historic information for antique spinning wheels. Her published works can be found in Spin Off, PLY, tinyStudio, CreativeLife, and Surface Design Journal. Bresser has made it her mission to help fiber artists of all levels to expand their knowledge about their craft and to try new things.
