SO…. Google had a tribute to “womens work” today citing Distaff Day as a day when the women returned to the essential work of spinning yarn to make the family clothing which marked the end of the celebration of the holidays.
Obviously this was back in time and most likely in the global north where colder temperatures required wool and women had to spin their own and weave or knit into garments.
Thankfully here in North America, we can still honor wool with our own spinning and wide variety of techniques to create our yarns. We have a wealth of spinning wheels and ever growing processes of using them. I recently had the opportunity to spin on a “Babe ” spinning wheel manufactured wholly of PVC pipe. It was adream to spin, well balanced and smooth… but Im such a traditionalist, I just couldnt takeone home, also being the proud owner of [ … ]
Thank you Michigan Fiber Festival for a well done Sheep and wool show, You folks are the best!!
The Gwenyth Glynn Team walked off with THREE Championships!
AND…Premier Breeder Award.
In an uncertain world it is comforting to know that in nature life proceeds according to the ageless plan.
Flowers bloom, lambs are born and fleeces are being sheared.
Wooo Hoo!! Driftless Tannery girls have done it again.
Our latest tanned pelts are spectacular!
They are clean, uniform, & whole (no cuts)
The curl is amazingly open and dense with none of the matting we have seen in other tanneries.
The huge bonus is they used an all natural process which I can confirm after seeing the results from other tanneries which often leave bit of debris
that are mysteriously used in the tanning Process. (??? like sawdust or chalk).
Resulting in a safe, soft wooly wonder.
What a delight to snuggle up with one on a favorite chair or in front of the hearth.
We have only two white wensleydale pelts at present, but many colored wensleydales and a few long teeswaters.
We will be snapping photos and uploading each one to the pelts page ASAP.
Sumptuously soft, clean and dazzlingly lustrous white Teeswater lamb fleeces have all been separated washed and ready for your unique creations.
They will be a joy to spin. Would be exceptionally lovely tail spun or lock spun or even into lace.
Teeswater readily dyes into deep vibrant shades and these little gems would be a rare beauty in a dyers hands!
Now offering appx 20 lbs. at $45 per lb
We wont have any more of these beauties until next year after the spring lambs arrive
Even though fall is here, we still enjoy many warm days. This girl got her fleece very dirty and needed a bath. Much like kids who like to play in the dirt, but don’t like baths, she was not thrilled.
I don’t want a bath
Fall shows us letting go is beautiful.
The verdant summer shades of green covering the woods and pasture tree lines change to fiery orange and red, yellow and gold, before the trees let them go to cover the cooling ground. Bright berries and smooth, brown shelled nuts fall to earth, gathered up by furry woodland creatures. The horses coats, bleached by the summer sun, turn dark and lush as the fading light tells them to let go of summer and prepare for cold winter days.
There is stunning beauty all around us as summer lets gi and nature prepares for winter. The release of vibrant growth. The letting go of one season for the next.
Here at Gwenyth Glynn, we are also preparing for winter and perhaps letting go of some of our ewes. We have several beautiful registered Teeswaters who would make a valuable contribution to any shepherds flock. These ewes are [ … ]
The Autumnal equinox is behind us, the days are getting shorter, the nights longer and cooler. Good sleeping weather they say. Good sheep weather, I say.
Fall is here. Time to go down to the cellar, count all the sparkling jewel toned jellies and jams. Gaze upon summers bounty of pale green beans resting in their jars. Ruby red tomatoes carefully picked and chopped and bathed in hot water await a winters meal.
We no longer have a cellar, nor put up jars of summer to sustain us through the long winter. We did when I was small, a long time ago. This time of year brings to mind sustainability and preserving for the future. Warm fires and thick sweaters. The best sweaters are made with wool and love. Handmade treasures knitted of wool from small flocks that are a labor of love, not a labor of capitalism. Flocks like ours here [ … ]