Merino Wool Batt NEW YEAR SPECIAL

Many of us who love working with fiber will spend the New Year's weekend planning for more projects in 2012. We certainly want to encourage more felting and spinning activity. We created 2 SPECIAL Merino Wool Batt with a very special price, only $16.50 for 8 ounces of fluffy soft fiber. The batts are a blend of natural white merino and dyed merino, the first with dyed green has a minute amount of natural white mohair in it.

The second batt is a blend of natural white merino and dyed black. The blend has been carded so you can separate it in layers or divide in strips to get more of a solid color. Of course, the blending gives many shades of pure white to dark and in between heathers. Our web page shows a larger picture and you can order from there with our secure shopping cart.

We hope you have a very Happy New Year and that we may serve you often in 2012.

New Merino solid and multi colored fibers.

All the fibers are fully restocked with 2 new merino solid color additions, Lime and Dijon. Yes, more greens...I do like green. The 4 new multi colored merinos have such color nuances that was a challenge to photograph. Even more of a challenge to descibe in words so following are their pictures.

Merino multi color Fernwood, rich earthtone shades of brown.

Merino multi color Granite, more natural shades from the skys to waters and earth.

Merino multi color Laurel, subtle blend of greens, browns and red

Merino multi color Primrose, soft blue shades with a hint of pink.

Merino Rambouillet Roving from 2011 Shearing is here.

One big lapful of fresh roving.

This is just one bag of wool roving that was processed for us at Pufpaff's Fiber Processing in Nashville, Michigan. After our wool is shorn and skirted, I deliver it to Suzanne Pufpaff''s mill where she washes it using organic soap. The water is heated using an outside, wood fired hot water boiler system fueled from trees on the family farm. The wool is then air dried on racks in a dedicated drying room making the entire cleaning process extremely eco-friendly and better for the wool.

When dry, the wool goes through a machine called a "picker" to open the fibers. Next the wool is carded ( a combing like step) by a machine called a "carder" which organizes the fiber into roving or batting form. The final step is my next few days work, weighing the roving into smaller amounts for you to enjoy as you spin or felt with it.

New Merino and Silk Fibers for the Shop

The past few days I had the enjoyable and exciting task of preparing new fibers for felters and spinners. Enjoyable because who doesn't like putting their hands into a big ball of soft, fluffy merino wool. Exciting because even though I know what is coming, it is sometimes hard to determine from a picture or even the little tuft of actual fiber, exactly what the color will be. Several of the names of these new colors shout Spring and Summer; how about Hyacinth.

This color turned out to be a deeper sky blue shade, one you can really use alone or highlight. It will replace the current fiber called Sky Blue.


Then there is Garden Ivy. A soft shade of green that will compliment so many floral designs or stand alone easily.

Two other very exciting solid color merinos are Magenta, sure to spice up any fiber art. Also Purple, this is going to be my 'go to' color in that series. These are shown on the webpage with all the solid color merino.

Sandal wood is the new multi colored merino with shades of nature to blend with nearly all the solids and certainly will be a standout for later season designs. It is on the webpage with the other multicolored merinos.

This is one of the two new merino silk blends; called Rose as there is a rosy overtone to the many blended earthtones The other new merino silk is Concord, think juicy grapes. They are both shown on this page.

The standards and successful trial colors are all back in stock and ready for busy fiber work.

Merino Rambouillet Roving Fiber Special

It is time to weigh and package this year's shearing for your spinning or felting creations. Our flock's fiber blend of merino and rambouillet breeds spins quickly for me even though I am definitely not a good spinner. I prefer to wet felt the fiber into thin, flowing fabric or sometimes with several layers make it heavier and hard enough for water to bead on the finished piece. Suzanne Pufpaff washes our fleeces and cards them into roving or batts at her fiber mill so this is another "All Michigan Made" item from our farm shop.

Some of last year's roving is still available and to make space, the 2009 roving is now on special at $4.00 for a 2 ounce bag. When you go to the web page of our natural roving and top, you will see a box labeled Coupon Code; enter 2009 before you click on the button to Add Roving to Cart and you will get the special price of $4.00. If you don't enter the code, you will receive the 2010 roving at the regular price of $5.00.