What will the Fashionistas do this year?

Around our farm, Amy is known as one of the two legged fashionistas, but there are quite a few four legged fashionistas as well.  Meet WoodsEdge Bright Ilumina, one of our best dressed suri llamas!

Last year Amy and WoodsEdge Causin’ A Commotion placed second in the largest adult Shepherd's Lead class to date. This year Amy and WoodsEdge Bright Illumina will be back to strut their stuff! With the help of fellow fiber aficionado, Ginger Clark, and WoodsEdge’s in-house fiber aficionados, this year's garments will surely impress the judges! Come cheer on these fashionisitas this Sunday around 1pm at the Garden State Sheep and Fiber Festival. The Shepherd's Lead is a crowd pleasing class you won't want to miss. 

Click here to learn more about the Shepherd's Lead class.

Yakkity Yak - All About Yak Fiber

Our three Imperial Tibetan Yak cows pictured here, although true black to look at; actually produce a warm milk chocolate brown fleece. The yak fiber is short stapled, and ultra-fine like cashmere, but often compared to quiviut. They shed this precious downy fiber annually, with the shed complete usually by fall.

It spins into a fine soft yarn; making a lovely lace weight yarn. Depending on your preference you can spin yak on a light weight top whorl spindle or a supported spindle, or a high ratio spinning wheel.

Yak blends very nicely with other fibers. If you are going to blend by hand, use a similar staple length fiber like cotton, cashmere or camel down. Commercially combed tops are also a great way to try yak for the first time, and spin quite easily. My personal favorite is a 50/50 blend with Merino or Cormo, which changes the color to a lovely pearlescent grey with a rich patina. Perhaps the most surprising quality of yak fiber is the soft luster.

This coming weekend at the Garden State Sheep and Fiber Festival, held at the Hunterdon County Fairgrounds on Rt 179 in Ringoes (directions -http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/rutgers/2011-4HFair/directionsandmap.pdf) you will get an opportunity to purchase both the Imperial Yak down and white Royal Yak down, as well as the pewter colored yak/merino top. We are in Barn 3 – just look for the 10 ft Yak banner! Perhaps best of all, you will see Ginger spinning lace weight yak yarn on her top whorl spindle, and hear yak stories from Linda. For you knitters, we will have the first few skeins of yak/alpaca yarns for sale.

Come see us at the Festival and yakkity yak with us!