I’d like you to meet Farm Genevieve.
Just hanging out watching the grass grow.
Cassie Moon has a textiles degree, but “all the theory I studied never prepared me for the reality of raising a spinner’s flock of Shetland sheep, Angora goats, and a guard llama. I shear and spin our wool to make lovely, local yarns with a name. I like to say that at FARM GENEVIEVE we raise handspun yarn!”
In 2011, Cassie made a commitment to be a full-time, stay-at-home farmer. With 55 animals in residence including an assortment of cats, dogs, chickens and ducks, I’m pretty sure it was already a full time job whether she stayed at home or not! Her blog chronicles farm days filled with feeding, watering, herding, hugging and cleaning up after all the residents as well as dying and spinning their fiber into yarn.
SO relaxed.
At shearing time haircuts are given with scissors! Cassie says, “I do have a pair of very expensive electric shears with special camelid and mohair combs and blades, but I almost took my finger off…I figured I could survive without a finger, but if I ever took off a tail or an ear, I could never live with myself.” With fiber like this, scissors are worth the patience: many of the raw fleeces have year-long waiting lists!
There’s no wait for January’s yarn of the month! It’s already here at the house. I got both of the available skeins – one for me and one for one of you!
Girl Power – 50% shetland/50% mohair – 100% scrumptious
This is a wonderful bittersweet chocolate brown from a Shetland sheep named Comfrey (Sommarang Farm) combined with mohair from Farm Genevieve’s gray girly goat, Catie. Catie is a rescue Angora goat who came to the farm malnourished with a broken jaw. She has recovered beautifully if her fleece is any indication. It blends wonderfully well with Comfrey’s wool creating a wealth of texture and interest in this heavy worsted yarn.
See?
***THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED TO ENTRIES. STICK AROUND FOR FEBRUARY’S MINDFUL FIBER***
This is a generous 260 yard skein – plenty for a scarf or a Moss Circle Scarf Cowl. (Ravelry links)
The PDF pattern by Jessica Stone is included in this giveaway. (Etsy link)
Perfect for fighting January’s chill. To get your hands on this Mindful Fiber, just leave a comment on this post. The random number generator will take it from there. For more chances to win, refer your friends and have them mention your name in their comment. January’s Mindful Fiber Giveaway will be open for two weeks (until Tuesday, January 24).
***THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED TO ENTRIES. STICK AROUND FOR FEBRUARY’S MINDFUL FIBER***
You can find Farm Genevieve at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market. If that’s a bit of a drive, try the Etsy shop. There are some tempting yarns available, including some spun from corn fiber. Cassie promises more “yarn with a name” in the spring, including 100% mohair selections!
All critter pictures are the property of Cassie Moon and are used with permission. The Moss Circle Scarf Cowl is designed by Jessica Stone, image used with permission.
That farm sounds like a wonderful place and the yarn is lovely.
This is amazing! I’d love to have yarn that I could point to and say “The sheep this came from is named !” I wish I could say that I know where my yarn comes from. This year, inspired by you, I’m going to make the effort to keep my yarn mindful. (:
What BEAUTIFUL yarn! I LOVE seeing where the fibers come from (and those cute faces) and knowing that this wonderful yarn will become a beautiful piece with my cowl pattern 🙂 SO excited to be a part of this project! Thanks lots, Emily!!!
The animals and the farm look beautiful! Happy animals make happy yarn, I’m sure. Thanks for the chance!
How wonderful! I work in an ice cave and that yarn looks so insanely cozy — as do the beautiful animals. My niece is looking at attending grad school in Iowa City and a farmer’s market with such lovely yarns is just another plus for U of I!
This looks very soft, warm and cozy–and very appealing as I sit in a drafty room typing away! Thanks for the chance to win this great giveaway!
What an ab fab giveaway! AND with a pattern! AND a lesson on wool! I am right next door in Nebraska! Will be sure to pop over! Emily, thanks for a great lesson and giveaway!
Sheila
beautiful yarn- sounds like a wonderful life.
Emily, THANK YOU for featuring FARM GENEVIEVE this month. I am so happy that we connected because you do great things with your stuffed animals and raising awareness about humane treatment of animals.
Sadly, most of the wool industry is not cruelty free, and I, too, have to make an concentrated effort to use and purchase humane fibers. You have inspired me to make that commitment this year.
Raising happy, healthy animals in a stress free environment while socializing them is a lot of work; however, it is worth all of our time and effort. Even our chickens live out their natural lives here. Thanks again.
Thanks for hosting such a fun and informative year-long project!
Beautiful yarn – can’t wait to see what else you feature!
As always Emily, you are inspiring us to do the right thing 🙂
I do know where some, I said some, of my yarn originates but sadly the some is a minor sum!
Looking forward to learning with you and others throughout this year. At one point in my knitting life, it was about finding “good” yarn cheap and unfortunately, most of the time I got what I paid for….disappointment. Thankfully I have moved beyond just dollar signs, don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a great “deal” but I think more about the finished garment, the care, and the longevity of the gift I give.
Love the post Emily and what a great idea! The farm sounds so heavenly and the yarn is delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Gorgeous yarn, and local to me in Iowa!
Those all look like such happy critters! And the yarn is absolutely lovely.
This series is such a wonderful idea. Thanks for doing our homework for us!
What beautiful yarn! I look forward to reading more.
It’s gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Wonderful! Cassie posted about your blog on our facebook group page and it’s a gorgeous piece and a wonderful idea! She is a member of TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List. We have quite a few members who are ethical and green suppliers, and a few others, who like her, raise sheep, alpaca and llamas for their fiber. Such a wonderful service they provide all of us!
TAFA is in the process of launching its new website. You can preview it at http://www.tafalist.net. We are currently at 400 members from over 30 countries, all textile and fiber related. The members are now loading their new profile information and we will transfer over to our regular domain, http://www.tafalist.com soon. Come visit!
I really enjoyed this post, Emily. Farm Genevieve looks like an awesome place to visit, and I can only imagine the amount of work involved in keeping it going. The idea of knitting with yarn that that originated from an animal whose name you know makes it so very personal an experience. I love that! The “so relaxed” picture is too cute.
That yarn is pretty enough to eat! I think Genevieve Farm needs to come to the January Spin-In in Destin in a couple of weeks!
What a wonderful company!
lovely yarn and lovely shop..the merlot handspun romney wool is gorgeous!
I loved reading this post and seeing the animals. Catie the goat is beautiful and looks like she makes nice yarn too!
Yummmm…. I agree with Elizabeth :). Now off to stalk the farm blog…
I want to win! Im in it to win it. Beautiful yarn from a beautiful animal
an d we have an airedale named Genevieve!!! That should count for something right??? (and she has curly hair 🙂 ) The yarn looks amazing! Thanks so much for your post….
I was shocked to read about Catie and her injuries. I feel so bad for her. I’m glad she’s in a happy place now. Her fleece made a beautiful yarn! Now I’m off to hug our rescue dog Ruby. I feel the need to let her know she’s loved after being reminded how cruel people can be to animals. 🙁
What lovely yarn from a lovely farm! Emily, thanks for sharing this with us.
Enjoyed this post very much and wishing I lived close enough to visit the farm. Beautiful yarn and pattern.
Thanks for the education in fibers. I have much to learn and admire. Please continue to show us these beautiful yarns and the fabulous animals they come from. Pat
I am so happy about the growing interest in understanding fibre and where it comes from. As novice shepherds and fibre enthusiasts we are also exploring the wonderful world of slow fibre and the joys of creating beautiful things from homegrown fleece. Thanks for spreading the word — I am a big fan of Farm Genevieve and I look forward to reading about more mindful fibre producers here.
Very cool Blog! It is nice to be able to read all about different fibers and the animals that produce them. I was referred to your site by Jennifer Crawford (Jennipurr on Ravelry.)
My Rav name is Lesleyluu.
I was already a HUGE fan, having previously purchased some of the beautiful yarns from this wonderful farm. So happy to see that Farm Genevieve is the January feature. It is greatly deserved! Very inspirational!
I would love to work with this wonderful yarn!
Awww:-) This yarn is special. And the animals…
Beautiful! Handspun yarn is my favorite to work with, and chocolate is one of my favorite colors. LOVE the pic of the angoras lined up on the roof top! Such wonderful animals.
The animals look so happy and peaceful in this post. It makes me want to use some of that special yarn to make something beautiful and be reminded of this beautiful farm while I am creating my “something”. Thanks for sharing Emily. You do a lot to help us all be aware of things that we might not have even thought of. Good work!
Thanks for this series and the link to her etsy shop. I see she also has T-shirt yarn!
Me, me! What a great idea this is – thank you.
Your work sounds fascinating; I’m so glad my daughter Beth McMaster referred me to this blog!
Such a lovely review of a wonderful small business. I wish I were close enough to shop in person, but etsy will have to suffice. Thanks for pointing out Farm Genevieve
To riff on another ad campaign, happy wool comes from happy sheep, and those beasties all look quite blissed. Cool idea to feature the small and local producers, I’ve been amending my ways with food, yarn is another good place to change for the better.
What an amazing commitment to the animals! And am I the only one fascinated by goats’ eyes?
Thank you for introducing me to this delicious new yarn opportunity… and thank you for the giveaway – I’ll this a win-win… lol.
That yarn looks wonderful! I think it wants to come to Texas…just saying’. Thank you for the info and a new place to shop.
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What gorgeous animanls. I would love to win this awesome prize.
Emily – thank you for making us all aware consumers of a product that is dear to us!
What a wonderful and generous opportunity you are offering. And the yarn is beautiful!! Thank you for showcasing such a wonderful farm.
I speny my first 3 decades of yarn-crafting working only with what could be acquried at Woolworths, where there was very little wool, and what there was wasn’t worth much! I have since experienced many wonderful fibers, but none are as satisfying to work with as those from small producers. I hope this segment of the industry continues to grow and prosper. Thanks Cassie, for being one of the good guys, and thanks Emily, for bringing this farm to our attention.
i would love to enter.
i would also love to test this alabama yarn….
x
chocolate brown… sounds delish! and a farm like that sounds like a great place to be….. love this!
And people always say how they would love to have my job! I’m sorry but your job is the best. If I could be surrounded by happy animals all day i would be in heaven! And to get to make your own yarn from your own furry friends…..that is just so cool! Now don’t get me wrong I like what I do and if it was not for what I do I would not know about you. But because of my travels and the wonderful women I met in Iowa I do! but I still want your job!!!!!!
What a pretty farm and the animals seem to be smiling. Gorgeous yarn!
Love Farm Genevieve! Bought their rhubarb yarn and it made a super-warm scarf and hat! 🙂
Looks yummy !
LOVE those happy sheep (they kinda look like goats ?)
The yarn is so pretty, and so are all the animals!
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