Ranching Tradition Fiber

Plus, The Quest for Local Linen: Chico Flax ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Ranching Tradition Fiber By bringing sheep back to her family's Montana ranch, Kami Noyes has connected with knitters across the country through her yarns, fiber, and wool festival. By: Karen Elting Brock

A conversation with Kami Noyes of Ranching Tradition Fiber in Whitehall, Montana, brings to mind those determined pioneer women who made a life for themselves in the rugged American West. Though clearly thriving in the twenty-first century, Kami is a self-made woman—a sheep and cattle rancher by birth, deeply committed to caring for the land; a self-taught organizer of a successful and growing Copper K Fiber Festival; a fiber artist who taught herself to spin, dye, knit, and crochet; and a fiber entrepreneur who sells a variety of her hand-dyed yarn and fiber online and in local stores. Continue Reading

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE The Quest for Local Linen: Chico Flax If cotton is the king of cellulose fibers, then linen is the queen. In Northern California, farmers are working to bring back local sources of this fundamental fiber. By: Jacqueline Harp

Harvested and processed from the hardy yet temperamental flax plant, linen yarn has long been a treasure to knitters with a taste for fashionable, summer-friendly knits. Yet the more miles a yarn travels to reach our needles, the less earth-friendly it becomes. In the United States, there is a notable lack of domestically produced linen yarns. Most linen yarns available at your local yarn shop are imported from Italy or China. Fortunately, there are fiber producers who are solving the lack of local linen yarn. Expert weaver Sandy Fisher and her partner, Durl Van Alstyne, are at the heart of Chico Flax, an organization located in Chico, California, that seeks to bring sustainably produced linen products to North America and beyond. Continue Reading

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE Knitting Yarn—the Inside Scoop Mary Jeanne Packer of Battenkill Fibers on wool, farms, fiber blends, festivals, and how knitters can save small farms. By: Anne Merrow

Between the fiber farm and your needles lies a wonderful, necessary step: the mill. Whether your fiber comes from a single small flock or a herd of thousands, a fiber mill has had a hand in preparing, twisting, and finishing every yard of yarn that passes through your fingers. A former yarn store owner, Mary Jeanne Packer has seen knitting yarns from every angle. As the owner of Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill, she has seen the good, the not-so-good, and the positively sumptuous pass through her spinning equipment. Continue Reading

More Stories & Patterns You'll Love Explore your new digital source for knitting expertise, fiber stories, farm explorations, and more. Join us in exploring the world of natural fiber, must-knit designs, and the essential community of knitters.

Navajo Wool, Diné Stories From traditional Navajo-Churro wool to finewool fleeces prized by industry, sheep and yarn are inseparable from the Diné lifeway. Continue reading.

Donegal Tweed and the Magic of Color Donegal tweed yarn consists of a unique blend of dyed-in-the-wool colors and contrasting flecks, or neps, of partially felted colored wool. Continue reading.

Entrelac, Basic & Enhanced From the stacked-diamond look of basic entrelac to lace effects, the zigzag path of this knitting technique leads in delightful directions. Continue reading.

Explore the Farm & Fiber Knits Library

Thank you sponsors:

Long Thread Media serves content for the handspinning, handweaving, and traditional needlework communities online, in person, and in print. The company was founded to publish Handwoven, PieceWork, and Spin Off, as well as offer information, education, and community to crafters in those fields.  From the bottom of our hearts, thanks for being part of this venture with us.  To make sure you keep getting these emails, please add support@farmfiberknits.com to your address book. Not interested in knitting? Unsubscribe. 1300 Riverside Ave, Ste 206, Fort Collins, CO, 80524