In the Fall 2018 issue of Spin Off, we featured handspinning teacher and Certified Public Accountant Terri Drouin-Guerette in the “I Am a Spinner” department. Terri, a former SOAR (Spin Off Autumn Retreat) scholar and upcoming Interweave Yarn Fest instructor, told us about how spinning satisfies her creative side.
Tell us about your day job. I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and for the past 33 years, I have worked as a governmental accountant and auditor. My work revolves around monitoring grant activity to ensure that state and federal funds are spent properly by our grantees.
How did you become a spinner? About 20 years ago, our five-year-old son decided that he wanted to join our local Junior Fife and Drum Corps. Through our involvement with the drum corps, we met other people who participated in living history, specifically Revolutionary War reenacting. In 2004, we joined Ye Olde Lebanon Towne Militia (www.lebanonmilita.com). Since I’m not one to sit in camp and twiddle my thumbs while my guys were out in the field going “Bang!,” I started knitting in camp during our living history events. When I began to run out of things to knit in camp, my husband suggested that I take up spinning as a “period-correct craft.”
Terri spinning on her wheel. Photos By Susan Dziedzic
Do accounting and your fiber/spinning hobbies ever overlap? In the accounting and auditing fields, creativity is not generally a desirable quality, so fiber arts have always been my creative outlet. I have often said that accounting and auditing are my profession, but fiber arts are my passion!
How does spinning fit into the rest of your life? I spin almost every day, and I am never more than an arm’s reach away from a spindle. Demonstrating spinning and other fiber arts at fairs, schools, farms, and other venues has become a big part of my life. I have always been eager to show someone how to spin or help a new spinner who is having difficulty. I look forward to being able to devote more time to teaching spinning and demonstrating during my retirement.
What is your favorite thing about spinning? I love the community we have and the way that we tend to take care of each other. We are always willing to share our fiber secrets with other spinners. I have rarely met a spinner who wasn’t eager to help a newbie get started and share different techniques that they have discovered or that make spinning easier. I also love keeping history alive and seeing people’s reactions to the different ways our ancestors produced the textiles in their lives.
Do you know someone whom we should feature in “I Am a Spinner”? We’re especially interested in spinners with unusual careers, locations, and perspectives. Drop us a line at [email protected]. If we use your suggestion, we’ll send you a treat from our stash of fiber goodies! Because of the volume of submissions we receive for this feature, we will only notify you if your nomination is selected.
—Elizabeth Prose
Featured Image: Terri’s Lily of the Valley shawl, knitted with handspun bombyx silk yarn, earned first place and the People’s Choice Award at the Eastern States Exposition in 2010.
Indulge in your favorite hobby!