Yarns from the Farm

A Special Feature Section

 

Yarns, yarns, yarns!  There are so many choices of yarn out there, something for every taste, style and project.  Gone are the days with acrylic knitting worsted was the only yarn of choice for the dedicated knitter.  Acrylic has its place and is often the best choice for some projects, of course, but today's artisans are looking further afield for quality yarns and fibers for their special projects. 

 

And sometimes it's to the field that they go, straight to the farms that produce the fiber and spin the yarns themselves, or have their fibers specially spun by small specialty mills.  There's just something about knowing that the fiber in the yarn you're working with came from a carefully raised sheep, goat or rabbit that is often appealing to the fiber artist.  Becoming part of the magical process of creation, from caressing the fleece just off the an animal's back to using the yarn in a carefully made garment, adds to the pride we share in our accomplishments.

 

Hidden Meadow Farm and Rainbow Yarns Northwest

 

Terry and Susan of Rainbow Yarns Northwest have combined their love of Pygora goats and fiber in what they call a tiny fiber arts venture in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  Each is a spinner, dyer and knitter, and Terry is also a weaver.  Susan is their specialist with the goats and each contributes a great deal to the business, along with being active in the Northwest Regional Spinners Association and caring for their animals.  Susan is currently President of the Pygora Breeders Association.

 

Quality animals produce quality fiber, and there are some prize winning herd sires at Hidden Meadow Farm.  Pygora fiber is a very fine, soft fiber that is pure luxury.  Like some other fibers, raw Pygora fleece has guard hairs that must be removed to realize the wonderful softness of the fiber.  For this reason Rainbow Yarns Northwest does not sell raw fiber, but they do sell wonderful spinning fibers that have been prepared for spinning, in natural colors as well as hand dyed. 

 

The handspun yarns at Rainbow Yarns Northwest are each as unique as the spinner who created them.  The colors are bold in one skein, subtle in the next, and the textures range from delicate sportweight to beautiful novelty yarns made from locks of pygora or mohair.  Hand painted yarns also have individual characters, with names like "Carnival", "Sauvie Island Harvest" and "Purple Sunset".

 

From high in the Pacific Northwest, Terry and Susan of Rainbow Yarns Northwest are producing a quality product, "Yarns from the Farm" with the fiber of their beautiful Pygora goats. 

 

Thistle Cove Farm

 

Sandra Bennett of Thistle Cove Farm raises Romney, Shetland, Merino and crossbred sheep on a no kill, low stress farm in beautiful Tazewell, Virginia.  She also raises American Curly Horses, using their wool spun with other fibers to create novelty yarns.  Sheep Shearing Day is the third Saturday in April, weather permitting, with the public invited.  Hands on experience with the fleece is always enjoyed by fellow spinners who attend!

 

Sandra sells the raw fleeces from her sheep to other spinners and works with a small family owned and operated mill to have the rest of the fleeces processed into yarn or roving.  Sometimes the wool clip is processed into blankets or lap rugs, depending on the needs and demands of the business.

 

Sandra's yarns, both hand spun and "farm spun" from the fibers she produces, are hand dyed, often with natural dyes straight off the farm.  Her quality yarns have character resulting from the unique nature of the fleeces the sheep produce.  Woven, knitted or crocheted, the Romney, Shetland or Merino are all special, with different qualities to suit every project.

 

Greenberry House

 

The German Angora and German Crossed rabbits at Greenberry House in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia produce quantities of gorgeous soft fiber for the hand spinner as well as wonderful yarn for knitting or crocheting.  Leslie Shelor, resident bunny wrangler, spins the wool from her rabbits and from other local producers to create soft, lightweight yarns that are hand dyed and hand painted with acid dyes and occasional natural dyes.  The rabbits are sheared every three months and often seem to enjoy having the heavy wool removed!

 

Angora wool is very soft and spins up into a beautiful yarn that features a halo for luxury garments.  Many of the Greenberry House yarns are hand spun on a specially designed Reeves wheel and are fine sportweight yarns.  Once a year a carefully chosen merino or other fine wool fleece is sent off with prime angora to a specialty mill to be spun into a wool/angora blend two-ply yarn for dyeing.  This 'farm spun' yarn is usually hand painted with colors that are inspired by the farm in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains where the Greenberry House rabbits thrive.  Green fields, snowy woods, flower gardens and the brilliant hues of autumn all provide ideas for Leslie's dyepots.