Mother wants to share craft project with mothers of autistic children
A mother from Strokestown in Co. Roscommon, who cards and spins raw wool as a hobby, is appealing to sheep farmers willing to pass on some of their wool to get in contact with her.
Tracy Poynton who is originally from Cavan, is a self-taught artist who became interested in art and crafts and all things natural and handmade during Covid. She also enjoys making paint chalk pastels from rock and natural pigment, and carding wool which she finds very calming.
Now, she is eager to establish a craft project, which she could share with others, in particular the parents and carers of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Tracy has four children: Cria (19); Seamus (9); Nina (7); and Enola (2). Both Seamus and Nina have autism.
She said: "They attend Roscommon Early Intervention Service (REIS) which is fantastic. I was hitting burnout and craving silence but fell into despair. Being alone became lonely.
“Carding wool was soothing. I found the noise of the carding machine satisfying and about all I could take on.
“I found spinning very liberating and each part of the process is a small step towards contentment. A feeling of peace, calm, and contentment is hardly ever achieved in the mothering life of autistic kids but, with this work, I find a simple sense of achievement in every step of the task,” Tracy explained.
Tracy is after raw sheep's wool, which, when boiled, releases lanolin oil. She said that she wants enough raw sheep fleece so that she can use the oil to mix into her rock pigment and build the crafts out from one another.
“I could just buy lanolin oil but each small step of achievement brings so much peace" Tracy explained.
"I spend a couple of days trimming the fleece, then boiling up the wool, cooling it down and extracting the oil. I later render the oil and keep it for the process of rock pigment paints. Brush carding I can do without ever feeling any frustration.
“It’s a craft project I’d like to share with others, particularly mothers and carers of kids with autistic spectrum disorders.
"I’m relatively new to Strokestown so I haven’t been able to ask around if sheep farmers would be interested in supplying me with some wool. I can offer a payment. I can't collect as I'm housebound with the children," Tracy said.
Tracy's long-term goal is to bring the same level of peace and contentment that she gets from her work, to others.
"As a mother, I would like to bring people together with the same needs and desires to learn a lost heritage skill where we could have good conversations and share skills," she concluded.
