I recently became a virtual farmer in support of Sweet Tree Hill Farm in Virginia. The farm has Shetland sheep, angora rabbits, and cashmere goats. I was excited to learn where the the funds I provided would go. They helped pay for 1 month’s worth of hay for the fiber animals. I’m glad I can contribute in…
Tag: fibershed
Excerpt from Sheep Farm Literature
I began to read the book “The Improbable Shepherd: More Stories from Sylvia’s Farm” by Sylvia Jorrin, 2013. She has a sheep and goat farm in the foothills of the Catskill mountains in NY. This is a passage I especially enjoyed: “…Other islands of dark green emerged and disappeared. Parts of the hills that surround this…
Embracing Local Cultures of Dress- Small Exhibit
Local production of clothes has been integral to several cultures throughout time. This exhibit focused on comparing Navajo traditional, local cultures of dress and textiles, with the American Fibershed project that is creating “local” cultures of dress as part of the larger sustainable fashion movement. The Fibershed project in Northern California was established in 2011 by…
Amazing Fibershed Symposium 2013!
I went to the Fibershed Annual Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium in Point Reyes Station, CA last weekend Sat Nov 16. I was very excited to see a wide range of people from different professions including University professors to fiber farmers and artisans. Presentations can be seen here. If you are interested in agricultural sustainability, or care…
Mapping NY Fiber Farms
I’ve been creating a map of fiber farms throughout New York to contribute to discourses about regional Fibersheds. I inserted all of the addresses and identified the specific fiber animals that are one the farms. The map shows that there are extensive Alpaca farms, much more than sheep farms. This is because I was able…
Finished Cashmere Sweater and Memories
I finally finished the cashmere sweater that I mentioned in a previous post. The stitches in this sweater have so many memories and I am so happy that I can reflect back on the time I spent preparing the yarn and knitting. I began working on it in June and finished in August 2013 and it…
Worth of Wool
Visiting the Fingerlakes Woolen Mill was great, especially since I’ve had some contact with people who process their fleeces here. I learned about the steps involved in turning a fleece into yarn from washing to spinning steps. It was very interesting to see the large scale equipment. I was surprised that it takes about 2 weeks…
Re-Visiting Laughing Goat Fiber Farm
I previously visited the Laughing Goat Fiber Farm in January when it was snowy. Visiting in Summer is beautiful and it was great to see and interact with the fiber animals again. I’m currently hand-knitting a cashmere sweater from cashmere fibers of this farm. The cashmere is grey, a mix of black and white fibers from…
Hand-Spinning with Meaningful Fibers
I am very excited about this post because it contributes to my interest in New York’s Fibershed. I am taking a spinning class and am very excited to make my first yarn from Spot Hollow Farm roving, which is in Trumansburg, NY. I think it is especially charming how Shepherdess Marie comments about the sheep’s names on her Facebook page and states…
Local discoveries for sustainable fashion design
In conducting preliminary research for my Masters thesis in Apparel Design, I was excited to find that there are several local fiber farms in Tompkins county. I found farms in Ithaca, Groton, and Prattsburg NY that produce yarns from the soft, fluffy hairs of sheep, goats, and alpaca (ie “exotic” animals). Learning about these local…
HELEN TREJO 