Friday, April 3, 2009

Yarn & More Yarn

It is interesting how something simple like raising sheep can develop into such a multi-faceted hobby. Up until a couple of years ago we had a local wool pool where we sold our wool in bulk with other producers from around the region. By blindly following the KISS principle we took our meager returns and some years barely earned enough to pay the shearer.

Today we ship handspinning fleeces coast-to-coast. However we never developed a specialty market for the blackface wool from the wetherdams. When the wool pool ceased to exist a couple of years ago and the blackface wool started piling up in the barn, we decided to act before we were buried in wool. Last fall we took matters into our own hands and skirted some of our fleeces to send to the processor.

We recently received the yarn and it is beautiful!!!
After having all of the natural colored sheep, I am like a kid in a candy store with the dyes. So it didn't take long for me to grab a jar of dye, heat up a pot of water, and drop in a few skeins of yarn. I ended up with a very unique variegated color pattern which I quickly decided to knit into my favorite beanie hat pattern while travelling over spring break. The variegated color combined well with the natural textural variations to create a very homey hat that received rave reviews from many at a fiber festival last weekend. In fact we sold several skeins of yarn that day.
For more information about purchasing a few skeins of yarn for your next project or if you have an idea to share feel free to email me at ktjones@crestviewcable.com.
Kristie Sheep Farm
Home of great Lincolns, Montadales, Romeldales & NCWGA Registered Sheep
Prineville, Oregon


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