Estate Planning for Fiber Artists

Article by Catherine Hollingsworth

These days greater numbers of younger people are learning to knit and crochet. The magazines are full of designs for their young, slim figures. There are very beautiful “fad” yarns appearing on the market, too. Youth is certainly one slant to this industry, but there are others, as well. After all, the community of fiber artists is a well-balanced community: both young and old.

Most Guilds are very proactive about bringing in younger members. Just as young people are joining the Guilds, there are mature members that are, sad to say, passing away every day. Yet, most needle workers avoid the topic and do not want to speak about this certain and inevitable ending. What does her/his family do with all that yarn? No doubt the lifetime’s worth of needles, in every size imaginable, are too valuable to just throw away. Heaven forbid!

Over these recent years, I have been aware of several estates that included a rather large collection of needlework supplies: yarn, needles, unfinished projects, looms, spinning wheels, and all of the supporting equipment. One local Guild was gifted the bounty from an estate to sell in order to raise revenue to fund their Guild. How thoughtful of the family to realize their dear one would love to leave this type of legacy, one which can help to keep her passions alive, along with her memory.

I think it’s time to speak of these things. We all need to plan for our own death and the large, overwhelming task we will leave for our families. They must decide what to do with that stash, or working studio, we have spent our whole lives and all of our pennies accumulating. Our bank accounts might not include a large inheritance; however, this equipment and fiber might be worth a huge sum. We need to plan thoughtfully and carefully for its distribution. I know I’ll want my studio to be lovingly cherished, just as I have cherished it, myself. If that can’t happen, I’ll want to know that the funds from it will be put to proper use in support of my passions for the needle arts that I love so much.

An estate could be given or sold to the Guilds and to the individuals who will value it, and who will continue to cherish and use it. Some methods of estate planning can include a donation of the whole works, such as that which the local Guild received. The members of that Guild will know the value of the items and can benefit greatly from the equipment they receive or the revenue they’ll be able to get from a sale. Some of the equipment can be gifted to non-profits, such as the Girl Scouts or Camp Fire girls, or to the local senior center. The Alaska State Yarn Council (ASYC) can also handle donations of this type, and is in a unique position to reach out to the appropriate member Guilds, who will know exactly where the donations can be utilized to the best advantage. One day in the near future, the ASYC hopes to be able to archive and display heirloom needlework, such as lace and quilts, needles, buttons and books.

How about establishing a scholarship. The mission statement of The Alaska State Yarn Council is to promote education in the needle arts. One way to do this is to allow individuals to set up a scholarship fund in the name of a family member whose passion was the needle arts. One family has already created such a scholarship in memory of their Grandmother. They established the fund with a modest donation and stipulated the educational purpose that the money may be used for. The scholarship is then awarded by the ASYC who can be mindful that the worthy recipient is truly going to need and value the gift.

Thoughtful donations of materials or funds are another form of creating. Creating a legacy is to create a continuous and honorable way for someone’s name to live for generations to come. The generations to come are the very same young people the fiber industry is thinking about right now. It brings it all full-circle. Creative ideas about establishing these legacies can become a topic of discussion in your local Guild, knitting group or yarn shop. A legacy is something worth planning for, and it’s a lovely way to keep the passion and the memory alive.

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From Catherine Hollingsworth-

 

My love of knitting began when I was a 10-year-old.  My grandmother gave me a “learn to Knit” book, plastic needles and Red Heart yarn while I was visiting her one summer in Nebraska. She didn’t knit, by the way.

 

Since I have always had a one-track mind, and the challenge was probably better than being bored the whole summer, I picked up those needles.  The rest is history, and I have now been knitting for over 46 years.

 

I studied art and architecture in college.  I have a degree in interior design, and I studied at Parsons School of Design.  I thought architecture was my passion. 

 

In 1989, I became disabled when multiple chemical sensitivity, or environmental illness, required me to keep away from building materials and began to keep me in bed with horrible migraines, muscle aches and “brain fog”.  Creative through and through, I needed a new, safer, outlet for design, so my knitting became my new art and the yarn my favorite medium.

 

I have designed for yarn companies and for our local knitting guild charity projects. I knit professionally and write a weekly column, called Two Sticks, for The Anchorage Daily News. I have lived in Alaska for over 18 years.