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shearing

Making Podcast Woolful Podcast

Episode 78: Emily Chamelin-Hickman – Shearing life, Wool business, Controversy and Targeted grazing

April 26, 2017

Sponsor: Sunday Knits has quickly become one of my new favorite yarns to knit with. Started in 2008 by Carol Sunday, Sunday Knits is a collection of 4 merino and merino blend yarns and beautiful patterns designed by Carol. From the 100% extra-fine Australian merino to the French Angora, all their fibers are humanely sourced and then milled in Italy to Carol’s meticulous and caring specifications. Aside from this yarns obvious qualities, they’re a dream to knit with…so soft yet sturdy and the breadth of colors are beautiful and perfect for color work…I have yet to move beyond swatching, as there are so many great uses for this wholesome yarn. And if you enjoy knitting shawls, make sure to take a look at Carol’s latest patterns, Windfeather and Water Hyacinth, featuring lacework and texture…a little warmth and a lot of style makes these beautiful shawls a wardrobe staple, and an enjoyable knit in any of Sunday Knits’ yarns. You can also find kits for these designs on their website. Visit Sunday Knits at sundayknits.com or if you can make a trip to Roscoe, Illinois near the Wisconsin state line, make an appointment to visit Sunday Knits gorgeous studio. You can follow on Instagram @carolsundayknits

Fiber folk: I first met Emily at the 2016 ASI convention, where I was introduced by our mutual friend Brittany Cole Bush. Brittany’s first words were, ‘You need to get to know Emily. She is the most incredible shearer you’ll meet.’ And she was right. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Emily more and watch her journey on Instagram. Her passion and love for sheep, their care and the wool industry is inspiring. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as she tells her story. You can find Emily at chamelinshearing.org and on Instagram @gypsyshearer.

Sponsor: Located in Historic Downtown Laramie, Wyoming, Cowgirl Yarn is a fiber-lover’s paradise. Their unique collection of scrumptious yarns, luxurious needles, fashion-forward patterns, one-of-a-kind accessories, and oodles of inspiration provides the ideal home for any and all knitters, crocheters, weavers, and spinners. They are proud to offer a large and exclusive selection of yarns and fibers that are produced in Wyoming. They also represent over 25 brands that are made in the USA as well as stock goods from 6 out of the 7 continents. Enjoy a taste of the world, of the United States, of Wyoming at Cowgirl Yarn. Make sure to visit cowgirlyarn.com for a list of their gatherings and classes, including their community gathering every Monday evening. And follow along with their fiber exploration on Facebook, Instagram, the Cowgirl Yarn blog or join their Email list.

Man on the Street: For this week’s “Man on the Street” I asked the question, “What are some of your favorite farm or breed specific yarns these days?”. We had a great reply from Beatrice @threadandladle, mentioning Wing and a Prayer, Hinterland and Lana Plantae

I’m looking for more fiber appreciating folks to join the Man on the Street team…if you’re interested, shoot me an email at hello@woolful.com

Giveaway: The winner of last weeks episode giveaway is Adrienne Simmons. You’ve won the Constellation Bandana Embroidery project kit and No. 2 FAUNA from Making Magazine. 

This week’s giveaway is sponsored by Your Daily Dose of Fiber and they’re giving away a skein of their handspun Alpaca worsted weight yarn. To enter leave a comment on this post. 

Music by Jónsi.

Knitting Making Podcast Natural Living Woolful Podcast

Episode 4: Matt Gilbert & Melody Hoffman – Nomadic knitting, self-sustainability, shearing and building a fiber mill

December 16, 2014

I’m very excited to share the fourth episode of the Woolful podcast. Today we get to meet two fiber folk that have inspired many of us in many different ways. Matt Gilbert a shearer and founder of the Mendocino Wool and Fiber Mill and Melody Hoffman of Mandarine’s.

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Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Yarn, a charming online and local yarn shop based in Eureka, California. Yarn was created by Sunni Schrivner who has a dedication for natural fibers and supporting local yarns. Make sure to visit Yarn in person when on the coast in hum bolt county and online at yarn-fun.com.

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Fiber folk 1: Melody is a passionate knitter and maker, with new aspirations as a knitwear designer. Originally from France, she now lives is Latvia where she focuses her days on knitting and self-sustainability. You can follow her journey on her blog at bmandarines.squarespace.com and on Instagram @bmandarines.

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Man on the Street: For this week’s “Man on the Street” I asked a handful of fiber enthusiasts to answer the following question, “If you could raise a flock of sheep in the breed of your choice, which it be?” We had many amazing replies from Melissa (@hey_lady_hey), Jennifer (@jaykay_knits), Andrea (@dreareneeknits), Madeline (hollertree.tumblr.com), Nikki (@woolenviolet) and Sonja (@atreebytheriver)

Fiber folk 2: When it comes to gumption, tenacity and spirit, I’m not sure many come close to having as much as our next guest, Matt Gilbert. For over a decade Matt has been a shearer in Northern California, witnessing parts of the area that very few ever see, while gathering a lifetimes worth of wooly knowledge. A couple years ago he began building the Mendocino Wool and Fiber Mill of which he hopes to launch very soon. You can find and follow Matt’s journey on Facebook at Facebook.com/mendowool.

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Giveaway: The winner of last week’s giveaway, is….Charlene, grandknit on Ravelry. You’ve won 3 skeins of Snoqualmie Valley Yarn, naturally dyed with black walnut. Congratulations!

The giveaway this week is another special one, our first guest Melody’s Pinecone and Mulberry hat pattern along with two skeins of Quince and Company’s Owl Tweet. To enter this giveaway, visit the giveaway post on Instagram @woolful and tag a friend in the comments. You can also enter by leaving a comment below.

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Awhile back I had an idea, to help bring the focus back to smaller producers, those concentrating their efforts on building domestic production (to whichever country they belong) and trying to do so consciously in regards to the environment, animal welfare, economy, and more. This is a lot of why I started this podcast, to give these people a platform to simply share their stories, and by doing so, inspire others to both support and take action. Whether that be as simple as buying a skein of yarn from a place they could trace the source to, becoming a shearer or even building their own mill. As a pairing to the podcast, I opened an online shop that focuses on supporting single farm and small producer yarns. We started with Cormo from Ton of Wool and then introduced a variety of handspun yarns, bred, raised, shorn, scoured and spun by an incredible sheep shearer and someone who happens to be my neighbor in Idaho. I’m humbled to be working with these amazing fiber folk and am excited to  introduce a handful of new yarns in the shop over the next few months, all with their unique story and purpose. If you’re interested in taking a look or getting involved, please visit woolfulmercantile.com

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Music by Jónsi

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