Olivia Hochstadt
Olivia is a knitwear designer, yarn spinner, and natural dyer using plants she forages for locally. She makes freehand, custom knitwear and colorful dyed yarn to celebrate the colors of the seasons. Olivia works with small farms and reclaimed secondhand wool to maintain the sustainable circular economy between farmer and fiber artist. In 2021, she studied regional knitwear and wool practices in the Faroe Islands, Shetland, and Chile as the first-ever Colby College Global Fellow. Inspired by indigenous educators, she teaches fiber arts classes to expand the hands-on connection with how our wool is grown, dyed, and spun. Olivia has cared for sheep as an Artist in Residence at the natural dye farm Junction Garden and as an Apprentice at A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm. In addition, Olivia is a founding member of Inside Vision where she has taught art classes and organized exhibitions for artists incarcerated in Maine. Altogether, Olivia’s work with local artists, dye plants, sheep, and farmers is an ongoing act of care for local people, regional wool, and the natural world. At North House, Olivia is excited to get her hands messy with dye plants and wool living in Grand Marais!