I Am a Spinner: Terry Mattison, Process Control Engineer

How did you become a spinner?

I taught myself to knit as an adult, and I couldn’t find much yarn I liked. One day, while perusing the large magazine stand in Barnes and Noble, I found a copy of Spin Off magazine. I had no idea there was a magazine about handspinning! There was an article about knitting unspun roving into a huge Möbius scarf. The colors of the fibers were so compelling.

Do your job and your fiber/spinning hobbies ever overlap?

I worked my way up the ladder from a shift production supervisor to a paper machine superintendant. I was in charge of a paper machine and the people who ran it. Early in my career, I matched color for a living, monitoring production runs of colored paper on two small paper machines. We made almost all merchandise bag paper for large companies, and I learned much about color theory. I’ve also learned much about troubleshooting both mechanical and electrical problems. When I’ve had wheel (or loom) issues, those troubleshooting skills served me well. Gear ratios on various pieces of equipment remind me of spinning wheel flyer ratios.

Terry performing field device checkout during a paper machine outage. Photo by Ivo Kool

How does spinning fit into the rest of your life?

My job is very fast-paced and highly technical. At the end of the day, my brain is tired, and spinning helps me relax and clear my head. After thirty-one years working in the same place, I’m getting ready to retire! I’ve also run a tiny fiber business, Rainbow Farms Pygora, since 1999. Right now, my spinning herd is down to just two goats, Spanky and Alfalfa, but I’ve had Pygora goats for about eleven years and I love them.

What’s next after retirement?

I am excited about the prospects of having time to delve into deeper levels of knowledge and creativity. I’m looking forward to weaving yardage from my handspun and creating a garment from this yardage. This actually brings me full circle: I grew up learning to sew at a very young age. Spinning will always be a part of my life. Probably the greatest gift spinning has given me, besides maintaining my sanity, has been a large, far-flung circle of extremely talented, creative spinner friends that I keep in touch with.

—Stefanie Berganini

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 spinoff@longthreadmedia.com . Because of the volume of submissions we receive for this feature, we will only notify you if your nomination is selected.

Originally published in the Winter 2016 issue of Spin Off.