Meet Olivia Hochstadt
Olivia Hochstadt is a fiber artist and Resident Artisan in the Artisan Development Program. Originally from New England, Olivia writes about discovering new dye plants and traditions in northern Minnesota.
Hello Northern friends! This is your resident New Englander chiming in.
I am a knitwear designer, yarn spinner, and natural dyer using plants I forage for. If you have seen someone clad in knitwear picking leaves or flowers on the roadside, it’s probably me! Coming from New England, the dye plants in northern Minnesota are completely different. One of my goals being here is to explore the breadth of dye plants that root me exactly where I am: hawkweed, Norway Maple, chokecherry, etc (thanks to Theresa Hornstein’s book Invasive Color). In September, I assisted Tasha Miller Griffith’s Natural Dyes and Beyond class and learned how to treat plant fiber fabrics for natural dyeing. Tasha’s recipes helped me expand my application of natural dyes and sew garments from my naturally dyed fabric!
My fiber obsession has long been a lifestyle. In 2021, I apprenticed with master fiber artists in Shetland, the Faroe Islands, and Chile through a fellowship I was awarded by my alma mater Colby College. In Chile, I worked with a Mapuche (the local Indigenous tribe) woman named Paty Ayelef to learn the native way of foraging, naturally dyeing, and spinning wool. Creating a color palette of natural dyes from southern Chile inspired me to learn about the various dye plants in my home. From jewelweed to buckthorn, I discovered a wealth of colors and created my business KO Knits.
My interest in foraging has led to a fascination with harvesting plants to weave baskets. Recently, when some women from the Grand Portage National Monument were at North House demonstrating 18th century crafts, one of them showed me how to use dandelion stems to make cordage. The way the stems twisted and held together while letting their deep golden color shine through was glorious.
I pushed the idea further and twined a basket with dandelion stems which brought out their purple color.
When I accepted ADP, I thought my purpose was to grow my business and experience in fiber. But since then, I have found it’s much bigger than that. I’m really here to build a life in craft. Not just an income, but a way of being deeply connected to the seasons, nature, and making what I need to live on a daily basis. How can I learn the gifts of the plants around me and incorporate them into the way I live? As the year unfolds, I’m excited to learn what the plants have to teach me to ground my life in Grand Marais.