This is the updated list of rare sheep breeds, combining those listed by The Livestock Conservancy (U.S.) and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (U.K.). Click here for the list. If you’re interested in watching the shifts in breed status, I have been developing spreadsheets tracking listings of rare breeds of sheep by The Livestock Conservancy … Read more
My apologies for the long interlude between posts. Sometimes we just need to hunker down and focus on the core activities, and that’s the way it’s been around here for a while. The question has been what would impel me to write a new blog post, other than clearing out of the local impediments. Then … Read more
Those of you who, like me, enjoy books on the order of Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Wool and Sue Blacker's Pure Wool: A Guide to Using Single-Breed Yarns have a new collection to check out: Ann Kingstone's Born & Bred: Yorkshire Sheep, Yorkshire Style (the extra links go to Ann's other collections, also … Read more
Now here's a splendid way to start a new year. On the right, treats from Theo Chocolate in Seattle. My daughter and I like to walk to the factory store and pick out a few delights to enjoy after we get home: one per day, split and shared. (The other members of our household don't … Read more
Last week I took a quick trip to Granlibakken, in Tahoe City, California, to participate in a few days of the 30th Spin-Off Autumn Retreat, best known as SOAR. This post will consist mostly of a series of not-too-great but definitely on-the-scene photos, with captions. SOAR began because Linda Ligon, who founded Interweave Press, thought … Read more
Sue Blacker is wise in the ways of wool, especially with regard to making high-quality yarns from special batches of fleece, including many from rare breeds of sheep that live in the British Isles. She has written us a lovely book that features single-breed yarns, specifically those made at her mill in Cornwall. If you … Read more