Morrow County Hospital physical therapy assistant, Lori Ann Hunt has an artistic side that few of her co-workers and patients may know.
She has a hobby of making yarns and fiber art from alpaca and llama wool and that hobby has grown into a passion.
Hunt has enjoyed painting and other art forms for a long time. She said her parents wanted her to attend Pittsburgh’s Art Institute after high school.
However, she chose a different route for a career as a physical therapy assistant and says, “I wanted my art projects to be fun.”
Now her “art projects” with fiber and wool are both fun and a big part of her life’s work.
Hunt’s husband, Jim said Lori’s new found work with llamas, alpacas and fiber art has been a surprise. They started with just three animals to “get their feet wet” and now have more than 20 alpacas and llamas. The care of their animals is time consuming, but something they enjoy.
Lori says her love of working with alpacas, llamas and their wool began in 2011 when they moved to their small farm in
Franklin Township in the northeast corner of Morrow County. They gradually increased the number of animals and she taught herself how to shear, wash, card, spin and weave the wool yarn.
Her enthusiasm for the art and craft of spinning and fiber art is apparent as she talks about the rainbow of colors in her yarns. The Hunts’ goal now has shifted from breeding to maintaining a healthy herd and producing quality fiber.
In addition to yarn, she makes many items for sale including: felt pins, dryer balls, scrunchies and head bands.
It’s been Lori’s dream to have a separate building for her crafts and yarn work. She presently washes, cards and spins yarns in her home. She is delighted that Wengerd Construction Co. will be building her a small building to do her work this summer. It should be completed in September.
