Thanks for Stopping on Memorial Day!

 

Wild Rose Farm @ Green Valley Country Store
Memorial Day Market

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Hookstown, PA Memorial Day Parade. About a dozen vendors set up by 8am outside of the Green Valley Country Store. The fire trucks use the road out front as their staging area, so we had to be in, unloaded and out early!  The parade itself was just over a half hour long and was complete with small planes flying overhead.  

Green Valley Country Store Bulldogs Heading to their Float!

The streets started to fill up around 10:30 and that old Western PA tradition of putting out chairs in your spot in front of the house was in full swing!  After the parade, we were busy and there was also a big crowd at the car show on the Hookstown Fair Grounds.  We sold lots of wool yarn AND someone grabbed up that antique butterfly wing serving tray in the background of the previous post!  

American Legion Color Guard Leads Off the Parade

I couldn't leave the booth, but here's a shot of the American Legion leading the parade. That's one of the older historic brick homes in Hookstown ... 

Skirting Fleeces for 2021 Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest!

 

Wild Rose Farm #119 Dorset Fleece

Here are a couple of fleeces that we skirted today - warm weather is perfect for this job!  The lanolin is great for your hands ...

Wild Rose Farm #151 Dorset x Rambouillet Fleece

Stay tuned for more skirted fleece pics tomorrow.  We're bringing these fleeces to the 2021 Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest this weekend.  The festival will be a "streamlined" one day event this year on Saturday May 22nd at the Greene County Fairground in Waynesburg, PA just off of the I-79 Waynesburg exit. This is in Southwestern PA folks! :)

Finally after a year without fiber festivals, you'll be able to actually GET YOUR HANDS on wool & wool yarn!

Wild Rose Farm - Three Lambs Resting!

The great part about skirting fleeces is that I get to enjoy watching - and listening to - the ewes and lambs in the barn!  

A Great Weekend!

Wild Rose Farm Naturally Dyed Yarn

We had a great weekend at the Old Economy Village "Christmas At The Village" event.  It was good to see old friends and customers and to meet some new folks!  Our new Rambouillet wool yarn spun at Mill At The Meadowlands was super soft and popular with the knitters who stopped & gave it a squeeze ...  Many of our collection of vintage woolen sweaters, scarves, hats, & blankets found new homes too. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the historical site and the wonderful food and entertainment.

Rambouillet Ram & Ewes

The rams have been in with the ewes for almost 2 weeks now. Most of the ewes have been marked since they have an approximately 17 day cycle. We'll have to get an updated picture of the ewes in the next few days to post on the blog. It goes without saying that the sheep love this colder weather!

We're Dyeing Now!

Wild Rose Farm Indigo Dye Vat & Our Yarn

We started to do some natural dyeing over the weekend with our new yarns. The indigo dye bath is working out nicely. We've done some of the 2-Ply Bulky Art Yarn in 2 shades of blue so far. The foam & bubbles, aka the "flower" that you see on top is a sign of a healthy indigo dye vat. The bath is yellow-green under the flower.

Indigo Yarn & Goldenrod Dye Bath

Next up is the goldenrod dye bath. The goldenrod flower tops are soaked for 24 hours, simmered for and hour, and then the yarn is added to the bath and also simmered for an hour ...

Rambouillet Wool Yarn Entering the Dyebath

Here's the result!

Wild Rose Farm - Naturally Dyed Goldenrod & Indigo Wool Yarns

More Rambouillet Yarn Arrives!

News Flash! Yarn Arrives At Wild Rose Farm!

We've been hanging out & waiting for our next batch of yarn to arrive from The Mill At Meadowlands.  Here it is! A box of 2-ply, 200 yard skeins of our own 100% Rambouillet wool yarn arrived on Monday.  Now it's time to get serious about dyeing, lol. Three different types of yarn have been weighed so that I can start the natural dyeing process.

Now, out to clip some goldenrod ...

I Brake For Wool!

Auction Find - Drawer Box of Wool Tapestry/Needlepoint Yarn - "Before"

Many of our followers know that Wild Rose Farm has a little vintage or "up-cycling" wool goodies sideline.  It started several years back when folks were asking for wool fabric or blankets for felting or crafting. I occasionally found wool items at auctions or estate sales and offered them for resale. A sideline was born and now it seems that I see wool everywhere ... yes, I brake for wool!  One woman even gave me two Norwegian wool sweaters knowing that I will find a good home for them ...

Auction Find - Sorted By Dye Lot - "After"

 This big box of wool yarn came from an auction last weekend ... it was in a large closet full of acrylic yarn and scads of cotton crochet thread stashed in plastic tubs. Guess who won the bid & choice of boxes? :)  Seems that the Amish ladies at the sale were after the sewing & crochet thread ...
But there's more!  My travels over the last 2 months yielded these lovely finds:

Eastern Pennsylvania Stash of Wool Yarn & Corriedale Sliver!

Central Ohio Thrift Shop Collection of Wool Yarns!

I've even stumbled across some G.C. Murphy's wool yarn recently at a random yard sale. You just never know what's hiding in a nest of acrylic yarn. Granted, I've picked through stacks of yarn and found no wool, but here's a funny one ... a mothball scented chest full of acrylic yarn ... uh, what's up with that?!?