Melissa Conroy

We lost someone important. John McQueen did not abide by the term Grandad, but he was family. He survived for almost a year after his beloved Margo passed away. We love you and miss you dearly, John. The baskets he made as a young man were groundbreaking, but I think he did his best work post 70. It was always such a treat visiting his studio.

The Hudson Valley Textile Project Summit was on Wednesday and during the day they announced the inaugural New York Fashion Innovation Center grantees. PhD Candidate Paige Thomforde and I were awarded for our project, Building a Farm to Fashion School Supply Chain. We will work with local wool farmers and to produce New York State yarn that can be easily knit on the type of industrial knitting machines found in college fashion departments, including the one we have .design (pictured above). We’d like to develop a more sustainable production method in collaboration with future fashion designers. We brought some of my knit swatch explorations and student work by and all created with New York wool and yarn. A great bonus to the whole experience was the privilege of meeting Isabella Rossellini who owns where she raises heirloom sheep. Stay tuned!