About Me, Diane Braun
I was born and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. I got my B.A. from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. I received my M.A. and am A.B.D. for my doctorate in medieval history at the University of Arizona. I learned to spin the summer before beginning graduate school and taught myself to knit that fall. The following summer I took weaving lessons, bought a used loom, and have been hip deep in fiber and yarn ever since.
For many years, I had wanted to raise sheep (to the disbelief of my family) and finally fulfilled this desire in 2003 with the purchase of a house on four acres in Wilhoit, Arizona, near Prescott, and four Cotswold sheep (two white and two black). The flock has grown (which will happen when you mix boys and girls) to 12 sheep, including lambs.
I am a past president of the Mountain Spinners and Weavers Guild in Prescott, Arizona, and a former member of the Arizona Desert Spinners and Weavers Guild in Phoenix, Arizona, and the KAW Valley Fiber Guild in Lawrence, Kansas.
I maintain a deep commitment to the preservation and perpetuation of traditional crafts. I have taught knitting to all skill levels and have now added spinning and weaving classes to my repertoire. I’m also interested in dye plants, historical cooking (particularly baking), organic gardening, sustainable agriculture, and the preservation of rare breeds.
My Philosophy
The past has always captivated me. When I was 12, I pursued archaeology by excavating my backyard with a spoon and an old toothbrush. In high school, my interests shifted from ancient Egypt to medieval Europe, ultimately resulting in a master’s degree and doctoral work in medieval history.
Throughout, I have been drawn to the elemental foundations of living: food, animals, and clothing. I’ve made recipes from classical Rome, medieval England, and colonial America. I raise Cotswold sheep, a breed likely brought to Britain by the Romans 2,000 years ago. And what touches me most deeply, at a level I can’t explain, are textiles and the fiber and yarn from which they are made.
Cloth and its creation form a continuous link with the past, through millennia and across the globe. The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century marked only a very recent change in how yarn was spun and fabric woven and knitted. But despite its relative newness, industrialization has weakened our connection with the people of our past and of our present, devaluing essential elements of our daily lives.
Textiles were once valued so highly that they were itemized in wills and passed from generation to generation. They had meaning. They gave meaning. They were part of tradition.
Handmade cloth and the items fashioned from it retain that significance and worth. The time, skill, and attention to detail I put into my work represent the passion and love it’s imbued with. From me to you.