FIBER ARTS DON'T GET THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE. And I'm not just saying that because my wife is knitter.

OK, maybe I am.

Still, if you learn more about these weavers, jewelry designers and knitters, you too may see the beauty of this art form.

Although we've only been collecting stories from our Ampers members here on mnartists.org for a few months, our reporters have created five funky fiber arts stories.

In "Dyed in the Wool: Kim Christensen," you'll meet a Minneapolis woman who collects plants and weeds in her neighborhood alleys to make uber-local dyes.

This collection also includes stories on fiber artist Kristen Anderson of Marcell, Minnesota - she creates purses from venison! - and Saori weavers Chiaki and Dan O'Brien of Chaska. Saori weaving is a radical form of Japanese weaving; those who practice the art form never create the same thing twice. Ever.

And we also have a cool story on knit tagging, which is also known as yarn bombing or knit graffiti.

Happy listening. Feel free to pull out the yarn (or venison) and work at the same time.

--Todd Melby

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Click "Start Tour" above to listen to the following programs:

• KFAI/"Dyed in the Wool: Kim Christensen"
• KAXE/"Fiber Art of Kristen Anderson"
• KFAI/"Saori Weaving"
• KAXE/"Jewels-in-Fiber with Marion Hunzinger Larsen"
• Radio K/"Knit Tagging"

(Full disclosure: My wife, Diane Richard, produced the stories "Dyed in the Wool: Kim Christensen" and "Saori Weaving." Hey, a guy's got to get his fiber education wherever he can.)
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About the organization: Ampers is a network of 12 independent public radio stations in Minnesota. Each station is locally managed and programmed by and for the local communities they serve. Ampers is the second largest public radio network in the state of Minnesota and one of the largest public radio networks of its kind in the United States. From Grand Marais, and Thief River Falls, to Mankato and Winona, and just about everywhere in between, we've got Minnesota covered. Our combined audience is about 250,000 devoted listeners. Ampers has no affiliation with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and receives no financial support from MPR.

Ampers
Visit the Ampers website to browse through many, many more arts and culture programs produced by the variety of Minnesota's public radio stations.

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