Justin Near is a Nashville (TN) fiber artist and homeschooler who has a passion for sustainability and supporting local and regional communities and economies. Growing up, Justin was surrounded by crocheting, knitting, embroidery, and sewing, and dabbled in many of those as well as closely related fiber arts. As an adult, not long after beginning their homeschool journey, a door into the fiber world was reopened at a young child’s birthday party where wool and spindles were the theme. Fast forward, and Justin is now knee-deep in the fiber community, teaching at fiber festivals, writing about fiber, and developing a soon-to-be regional fiber business. In her day job, Justin builds, manages, and supports websites and has a strong love for learning new technology. This carries into the fiber arts world, which is very closely related to the sciences - dyeing and chemistry, spinning and physics, design and engineering, and weaving and programming - so Justin feels quite at home here and hopes to pass on that love and passion to as many people as possible so that they, too, can experience the magic and beauty of working with raw, natural materials.