Left: Millersburg-based professional photographer Rose Martin used her talents to shoot photos for Carol Leigh's two books. Right: Carl Spriggs spends most of his time in his Rocheport workshop filling orders that come through his Etsy store for handcrafted weaving looms. dyes, showcasing plant materials, extraction methods and dyeing formulas for each color source. Within walking distance of her studio, Carol Leigh can find plants that provide more than 80 colors for her fiber. She uses mineral salt baths to help bring out these colors. Her favorite is pokeberry, which has been used since Colonial times and yields a spectrum of red hues. Decades since Carol Leigh wove her first potholder, this item now constitutes a significant part of her sales. Hillcreek's potholders stand out because they are wool and the studio is one of the only purveyors of naturally dyed wool loops in the country. Demand for potholder sets surged during the pandemic as people sought multigenerational, useful handiwork projects. The family has come full circle with three of Carol Leigh's grandsons weaving potholders by the age of five and her granddaughter stirring dye pots shortly after her second birthday. The matriarch and master in her trade says she enjoys the satisfaction of sharing and teaching. It must be in the genes as her modern-day family is thriving in synergy and good fortune under their adaptation of a time-honored, traditional work model. Visit Carol Leigh Brack-Kaiser's Hillcreek Fiber Studio online at www.hillcreekfiberstudio.com or call 573-8742233 Visit Bex and Eric Oliger's Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe at www.hillcreekyarn.com or call 573-449-5648 for current business hours. Carl Spriggs' looms are available online at www.etsy.com/shop/SpriggsCreations or call 573-808-2945. Columbia For more information or to book photography with Rose Martin, visit www.rosemartinphoto.com or call 561-531-3160. Joplin is a freelance writer from Loose Creek. MARCH 2023 | RURAL MISSOURI 51http://www.hillcreekfiberstudio.com http://www.hillcreekyarn.com http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpriggsCreations http://www.rosemartinphoto.com