The wagon travels from the warmth of Southern California to the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Browse through to see where you can find my fiber creations, including handspun yarn, felted bags, hats and scarves. I make everything by hand with traditional techniques. Stop by to learn more about my latest projects and other fun fiber stuff.
Renee LeClaire Wortman
I became interested in the Fiber Arts in 1969 when I began to work with free form needlework then moved on to basketry, spinning, knitting, weaving and felting. I’ve participated in many shows and demonstrated at many events. I have been a judge at several county fairs and taught many people to enjoy working with fiber. At this time I am making hats and felted bags of my own design. I am also selling my handspun yarn. If its fiber, I love it!
Products
Handspun Yarn
Handspun YarnAll my yarn is spun on my beautiful Schacht Reeves spinning wheel. Most of my fiber comes from small spinners flocks. I love spinning animal fiber especially when I know the critter personally. I spin llama, alpaca, angora, mohair, camel, cashmere and of course all kinds of wool. I also spin cat and dog!
Felted Bags
ll my bags are one of kind made from my own design. The beautiful buttons on my bags are handmade by my eldest daughter, Nicole Brown, who is a glass bead maker. By the way, all of these wonderful photos were taken by my youngest daughter, Natalie Brown Norberg, the photographer.
Knitted Hats and Scarves
The hats are my own design, which combined several fiber techniques!
The Treehouse Dad has been writing about his home of Maui for over two decades. When he’s not sharing stories and tips from around the Valley Isle, he’s dreaming up treehouses, adventuring with his ‘ohana, and chasing good waves, good food, and a growth mindset. A lover of travel, surf, food, and art, his work blends local insight with a playful, creative lens on life in Hawaiʻi.
What is the origin of Wortman?
Aloha Dennis! Your surname Wortman is most commonly understood as an occupational name, likely meaning someone who worked with plants, herbs, vegetables, or medicinal roots. The word “wort” comes from old English and Germanic roots meaning plant, herb, or vegetable, so a “Wortman” may have originally been an herb grower, vegetable seller, gardener, or someone who gathered and sold medicinal plants. The name also appears in German and Dutch forms, such as Wortmann, with similar plant-related meanings. In some Ashkenazi Jewish family lines, the name may instead connect to the German or Yiddish word “Wort,” meaning “word,” giving it the possible meaning of a trustworthy person — someone who keeps his word. Overall, the name Wortman most likely began as a practical description of a person’s work or character, with the simplest interpretation being “herb man,” “plant man,” or, in some cases, “a man of his word.”