12 Months of Mindful Fiber: March with Bloomindale Farm
**THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. CHECK BACK FOR APRIL’S MINDFUL FIBER!**
The angora goats, sheep and angora rabbits of Bloomingdale Farm in Ohio (with the help of Jeanette and her family) produce a variety of natural yarns, rovings, batts, and fibers.
If they aren’t stirring dye pots, turning carders, warping looms or spinning at wheels, you’ll find the family in the barns with the animals. Jeanette says “In our spare time, we take care of horses, kids and stray cats. We believe in a natural style of living, and have great respect for God’s creation.”
She also reassures people about the kindness and care given to her
animals. “People sometimes ask us if we have to hurt our animals to remove
their fur. The answer is NO! Angora rabbits and goats need to have their hair removed regularly, just as sheep do. Leaving the coat of fur or wool on a fiber animal is detrimental to its health. In addition to the fact that an overgrown coat becomes dirty and matted, it can also hide underlying skin problems. Angora rabbits groom themselves daily and in doing so ingest a large quantity of hair. If the hair is not periodically removed, the animals will develop hairballs in their intestines—a condition that can be fatal.” For these reasons, fiber animals are shorn either with scissors or with electric shears.
The fiber harvested from the animals at Bloomingdale Farm is processed into yarn, batts, doll hair and roving. All of the handspun yarn is produced at the farm studio with fiber from their own animals. Occasionally, a bundle will be sent to the mill to be professionally spun or processed into roving, though Jeanette explains “sometimes I have to buy wools and fibers
from others, mostly here in Ohio, to make up enough to do a mill run.”
Janette’s Etsy shop is known simply as angorayarn. Most of the fiber Boomingdale’s herd of German and French angora rabbits produce is sold in bulk to some of the best natural fiber vendors in the U.S. But she saves enough to offer exquisitely soft, fuzzy, fluffy and delightful skeins to her direct customers.
Hand Dyed, hand painted and natural shades (including grey from Commodore, Edward and Stu) are available. Spinners can asks about locks or rovings. Don’t let the softness fool you into thinking that this is a delicate flower of a fiber: angora yarn is seven times warmer than wool, strong as anything, and only gets better with age (halo halo halo).
This simply splendid angora yarn is our featured yarn for March! I’ve put together some Itty Bitty Bunny kits to give folks a chance to try something new and make something fun all at the same time.
Handspun angora yarn, organic cotton stuffing, blue and brown eyes, pink nose and a printed pattern.
**THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. CHECK BACK FOR APRIL’S MINDFUL FIBER!**
I’ve got a kit each for TWO lucky winners this month! To win these Mindful Fiber treats, just leave a comment on this post. The random number generator knows what to do. For more chances to win, refer your friends and have them mention your name in their comment (this is to raise awareness after all). March’s Mindful Fiber Giveaway will be open for two weeks (until Tuesday, March 20). We’re early this month so the winners have plenty of time to knit angora bunnies for Easter!
You can find more luxury yarns from Bloomingdale Farm on Etsy, Ebay or on the blog, Bloomingdale Farm Natural Fiber and Yarn.
Everything but the kit picture is copyright of Jeanette Roberts. Images are used with permission.
March 6th, 2012 at 8:04 am
looks absolutely YUMMY…thank you Emily!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:11 am
What wonderful yarn…. love natural fibers and this kit is delightful!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:15 am
Looks awesome! I love the pics of the bunny n sheep!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:23 am
How cute!! I want one!!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:24 am
I love the bunny’s face.
Almost edible!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Oh how I love the itty bitty bunnies!! I soo want to try out angora yarn!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:31 am
This yarn looks amazing! The bunny is adorable! Will be heading over to Etsy, ebay, and the website to check out more. Glad to learn about this wonderful yarn!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:35 am
That’s so cute! What a perfect little Easter treat!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:36 am
The yarn looks like a soft cloud. The bunny is adorable.
March 6th, 2012 at 8:36 am
I would love to feel the Angora yarn and make this sweet bunny!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:41 am
How gorgeous… would love to be lucky and win a bunny kit … it’s adorable !!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:47 am
That bunny is so cute!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:49 am
How lovely the kit is. I would love to win one so that I can show the children as school how lovely things that are knitted can be. My friend Sharon Holstead says the same.
March 6th, 2012 at 8:52 am
Love the angora yarn. When I was a little girl, my mom made me an angora tam (so soft!!!). The bunny kit is sooooo cute.
March 6th, 2012 at 8:57 am
Oh my goodness, that yarn looks like heaven to knit with! I would love to make that sweet little bunny!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:00 am
I do like the itty bitty bunny fuzzy. I wonder if I could brush ours to get a similar-but-different effect… hmmmm…
Off to drool over her Etsy shop. (:
March 6th, 2012 at 9:01 am
So sweet! I would dearly love to make an itty bitty bunny!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:02 am
Thank you for the opportunity to win one of your kits! It looks yummy and who can resist a a fuzzy little bunny!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:05 am
So sweet! What a wonderful kit, and it sounds like a great business.
March 6th, 2012 at 9:11 am
Thanks for the chance! I’d love to make a sweet bunny with that gorgeous yarn!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:16 am
That bunny is absolutely adorable! And to make it with such natural products makes it just perfect!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:16 am
Beautiful! What a cute little fuzzy bunny!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:17 am
How cute! Love the cupcake paper! Wouldn’t it look adorable on my Easter table?!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:19 am
Love those fluffy bunnies! Both the real ones and yours.
March 6th, 2012 at 9:23 am
Love it, so cute. I enjoyed reading about the goats and the bunnies. (Would love a bunny, but then I’m afraid my dogs would love the bunny too much.) I think my great nephew would enjoy this, but then I might do some selfish knitting for a change!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:25 am
So cute!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:33 am
This is adorable!
March 6th, 2012 at 9:42 am
Those are SO adorable! I loved reading your explanation of caring for fiber bearing animals.
March 6th, 2012 at 9:46 am
I used to have angora rabbits – Sherlock (german), Watson (english – siamese colored), Moriarty (english – siamese colored), Lucy (orange jersey wooley-english angora cross), Duke (a beautiful grey angora cross). I have spin their fur/wool and dyed it with kool-aid.
March 6th, 2012 at 9:56 am
I love the bunny, the yarn look so soft. I think this bunny would like to live in Scotland.
March 6th, 2012 at 10:07 am
How adorable. My daughters dream is to run a farm (She’s 5). I would make it into a yarn farm. She tells me how we could raise alpaca and have a pony for her, of course.
March 6th, 2012 at 10:13 am
Bunny kit is gorgeous! I’d enter a prize draw for your idyllic rural life as well if I could…*sigh*
March 6th, 2012 at 10:15 am
How did you know that I was looking for a nice concise explanation of why the fur needs to be sheared every once in a while?
Thank you for a great post.. and wow… beautiful fibers.
March 6th, 2012 at 10:16 am
Bunny kit is gorgeous! I’d enter a prize draw for your idyllic rural life as well if I could…*sigh*
March 6th, 2012 at 10:22 am
I love bunnies. Done a few in the past, but these are precious.
March 6th, 2012 at 10:24 am
Really adorable! So soft and fluffy
)
March 6th, 2012 at 10:32 am
This litttle guy is tooo cute for words. So soft and cuddly and just the right size.
March 6th, 2012 at 10:35 am
Oh my this little bunny is the cutest.
Teri
Tpasto@comcast.net
March 6th, 2012 at 10:41 am
What a sweet kit–and lovely photos!
March 6th, 2012 at 11:05 am
This looks too cute and I want to learn how to make it!
March 6th, 2012 at 11:08 am
I’m in….I have some light green angora that I bought impulsively last spring. I haven’t figured out what to knit with one little skein….maybe a bunny!
March 6th, 2012 at 11:21 am
Precious! <3 <3 <3
March 6th, 2012 at 11:23 am
I just love angora bunnies!
March 6th, 2012 at 11:52 am
Oooh, I would love to win a kit – what a lovely cuddly bunny
March 6th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
THIS LITTLE FELLA WOULD PUT A SMILE ON ANY CHILD’S FACE FOR EASTER!!
March 6th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Easter is coming! Thanks for the chance.
March 6th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
What a cute kit!
March 6th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
That bunny is so cute. I just love the yarn my hands are itching to touch it!
March 6th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Would love a bunny, thanks for the opportunity! Never tried angora yarn before. I own a very spoiled 100% indoor dutch rabbit.
March 6th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
What a lovely post, and an adorable kit at the end. I think I shall be hanging around this site for a while now I’ve discovered it.
March 6th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
What a cute rabbit the kit makes. I love angora bunnies. I have 5 French angoras.
March 6th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Oh my! That rabbit looks so soft. I love angora but have never seen one of those rabbits. Thanks for the informative post. Love the cute bunny kit.
March 6th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
That bunny is so cute! I’d like to win.
March 6th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
That bunny is so cute! I’d like to win.
March 6th, 2012 at 3:49 pm
Love the bunny…the real one too!
March 6th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
I will have to check out where they are located. We are going to Ohio at the end of the month. I smell a field trip!
March 6th, 2012 at 3:58 pm
So much fun, I need to knit some bunnies for my kiddos.
March 6th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
The little bunny is so adorable, and I would love to try out your yummy yarn!
March 6th, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Beautiful!
March 6th, 2012 at 8:36 pm
I LOVE this bunny (kit) and could definitely find a good home for him/her!
March 6th, 2012 at 10:23 pm
I love angora – yarn and rabbits! I’d love to make a bunny for my grandson for easter!
March 6th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
I hope Ellie can count this high!
I’d love to win the prize, and am waiting to pick up the Yarn Miracle kit in your Etsy store should I not. Enjoying the chance to play with new fibre, the Shadyside farms yarn from last month is lovely to knit with, excellent chooser, you!
March 6th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Such an adorable bunny! Such a talented designer/creator! Such a precious random number generator!
March 7th, 2012 at 9:52 am
That rabbit knitted up in angora wool is really nice. I would love to win a do it yourself pack. I am thinking of getting a couple of the german angora rabbits as pets, for my own wool. I have read that the german rabbit is the biggest and yealds the most wool. I would like to find some german angora baby rabbits. Keep on knitting those cute animals. I love them all.
kind regards
Patricia
March 7th, 2012 at 3:10 pm
The kits are too cute. I’m foaming at the mouth looking at the yarn!
March 7th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
Ooh, I love the bunny kit! So cute!
March 7th, 2012 at 4:37 pm
I love angora and the little bunny in the kit looks adorable, I would love to win this kit. The real angora bunny looks so soft like the real wool.
March 7th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
I love the pattern! So cute!
March 7th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Yummo! Bunnies are so cute.
March 8th, 2012 at 10:16 am
Beautiful yarn! I love the bunny. He looks so soft!!!
March 8th, 2012 at 11:12 am
What’s not to love about this entire post? I adore that bunny kit! I would love to have a little fiber farm! Off to check out some more beautiful yarn.
March 9th, 2012 at 3:23 am
Wonderful yarn, cute bunny.
March 9th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
This is so nice! Thank you for a chance to win Emily!
March 10th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
I love the education I get from each visit to your blog! Thanks for the chance to win a wonderful kit!
Best,
Sheila
March 11th, 2012 at 7:28 am
Almost good enough to eat. Yum yum!
March 11th, 2012 at 11:21 am
Ohhhh…Bunnies!!! Fluffy, fluffy bunnies!! You tempt me every month with these gorgeous yarns. I guess that’s the point. You’re bunny kit is so pretty. Wonder how long it will be until I order one?
March 11th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Cute, cute bunny! I love that some of the fiber is used to make doll hair!
March 11th, 2012 at 11:25 pm
Wow, this gets better and better each month.
March 14th, 2012 at 6:20 pm
Such soft-looking bunnies! And I know a grown-up little girl who would love a bunny to knit!
March 15th, 2012 at 3:25 am
[...] is still time to enter the March Mindful Fiber Giveaway to win an angora bunny kit in time for your spring toy knitting. You’ve got until [...]
March 15th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
That is such a cute kit!! thanks for the contest!
March 15th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
[...] Archives « 12 Months of Mindful Fiber: March with Bloomindale Farm [...]
March 16th, 2012 at 9:16 am
Poofballs!
Angora buns always make me giggle. I look forward to exploring your blog for some other fiber producers, and thanks to sprite writes for the pointer this way.
March 18th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
I found out about your blog from Fuzzy Mitten. I love your Mindful Fiber features! What a great idea. The angora yarn and cotton stuffing look so yummy. And your patterns are just adorable. I look forward to your future features!