Lynne Rule of the Healing Fibers Foundation is on a mission to bring fiber arts to everyone, especially people with serious health issues. In 2014, Lynne transformed her personal challenges into the Healing Fibers Foundation located in Boulder, Colorado. Our Roving Reporter, Kate Larson, tells us more about her outreach.
“Serenity in fiber” is a phrase I’ve heard from handspinner and knitter Lynne Rule on a number of occasions. Each time, I’m struck by how quietly profound this message truly is. Lynne, who has struggled with a rare neurological disorder since 2007, has not only found personal serenity in fiber arts, but is actively helping others to discover the same path.
Lynne and her family started a non-profit called Healing Fibers Foundation in 2014. They have developed a range of fiber arts kits designed especially for those with a wide range of chronic illnesses. As part of her own journey in learning to spin from her wheelchair, Lynne has fine-tuned her spinning practice. She now shares her love for spinning and teaches using Skype. Healing Fibers offers spinning, knitting, and crochet kits free of charge for those interested in fiber arts as non-medical therapy. Contact [email protected] for further information.
Lynne and her husband Josh recently moved from Texas to Colorado, and Healing Fibers is settling into its new home in Boulder. Lynne is starting to schedule fiber arts classes in the local area. I can’t wait to see where the future takes them! You can join the conversation about fiber arts and living with chronic illness in the Healing Fibers Facebook Group and Ravelry group.
Healing Fibers is based in Boulder Colorado. Image: Josh Rule.
Lynne speaks eloquently about how her fiber journey and health challenges intertwine. She shares this about her handspinning practice:
“Having been an active person, suddenly becoming someone who couldn’t walk and needed help just going to the bathroom, it was nice to actually produce something of use again. Knitting didn’t just help me focus my mind away from the pain, it helped me mentally deal with my new situation in life.
“The more proficient I became in my knitting, the more I expanded. I had just begun to spin before I became ill, so I waited eight long years until my legs were able to move enough to make the wheel turn and I could begin to spin again. I wasn’t going to be defeated and I knew with work, I could one day use my legs enough to fulfil my dream. As of Christmas of 2014, I began spinning daily on my Ashford Kiwi 2 Wheel. I may not be able to walk, or even stand, but I can spin!
“The fiber arts have given my life dimension again. Our family knows what a help they have been in my life and our goal is to bring traditional fiber arts to others who are struggling. No matter what your disability, there is a fiber art you can enjoy! There is no physical limitation that cannot be worked around so you can enjoy fiber in some way!”
Fiber art is about process; it transcends a finished project. Lynne proves that the act of making is good for you–mind, body, and soul. Read more about her amazing journey in Spin Off Winter 2017 issue.
Featured Image: Healing Fibers. The Rule family is excited to see their nonprofit growing and bringing joy to as many lives as possible. (From left: Victoria, Ben, and Lynne Rule.) Photo: Healing Fibers.
Originally published July 18, 2016. Last updated January 21, 2017.