We have an opportunity to offer our wares and demonstrate some heritage skills at a brand new, local fiber event this weekend, May 13-14th. We are thrilled to participate in the first Plateau Farmers Fiber Festival at the Buckley Hall in Buckley, WA. We hope this will become an annual opportunity for local fiber folks to share all the goods they've been creating and the fiber their animals have been growing!

We had an opportunity to sit down with the fiber focused minds that brainstormed this event and I assure you, they are working tirelessly to offer the best fiber festival they can! Really! We met up with them just this week (let the count down begin) and I was flabbergasted to hear about these ladies working for days on just a few hours sleep! PHEW!

Their labors of love led them to coordinate this fiber fest to offer an experience not found in the area. Each of these ladies keep fiber animals, from hobby flocks, on up to large herds and the closest event is the Shepherd's Extravaganza in Puyallup - several towns (and lots of traffic) away. We know a lot of knitters, crocheters and general yarn and fiber fans that yearn for a one stop shopping opportunity that is local, fibery goodness and we're pleased that this will 'fill the bill'.

So to all those in Orting, Graham, Eatonville, Sumner, Bonney Lake, Enumclaw, Buckley and more...it's here! Load the buses, haul your friends, grab your Moms and zoom on over to load up on luscious fiber, project supplies, and goodies for you and Mom!!!
(Yes, it's Mother's Day Sunday, what a perfect opportunity!)

To accompany these items we will also offer some of Jr. Farmer's newest creations....
Hand turned crochet hooks!
He has been enjoying several wood working projects and wanted to make special pieces for this event, including his popular wood buttons.
Lil' Miss has been carding more of her beautiful fiber batts with fall flare so you can create in even more color schemes!
Tech, with his Notably Notched creations, is offering some of his carvings that took blue ribbons at the fair, for anyone who may be looking for the perfect enhancement to their craft room or a unique gift!
All of this means you have plenty of amazing options for beautiful, hand-made creations! Everyone is contributing and we look forward to being able to see so many new and known faces to chat and share fiber related fun!

We hope to see you there!



To learn more check out our post here and you can take a peak at last years event with a little video Tech did below:

We often have the wonderful opportunity to share the joy of our animals with others and when we get to bring some fuzzy fun to local Grandpas and Grandmas, it's especially fulfilling. This time, rather than bringing in our spinning wheel, carders, and some of our fiber creations to demonstrate 'fiber to finished product'; their creative Activities Directors planned a Petting Zoo day, complete with a 20 lb cat, mini donkey, mini horse, a lizard, two different types of dogs and we brought a duckling and some bunnies! The weather was perfect and the smiles were broad! You cannot see them, as the photos were edited for their privacy, but we hope you can sense the warmth in these photos.

All the grandparents feel especially satisfied if they are able to have the rabbits fall asleep while they snuggle them close.

Our Muscovy duckling was a last minute addition as their planned 'chicken sharer' was a late cancellation. He was happy to eat their grasshoppers and worms while 'tolerating' doting employees.

While these Grandpas talked rabbits, 'Fat Cat' absorbed some sun rays and shyly stayed in her crate.

Sometimes folks are a bit hesitant to hold any rabbit and often ask, ''Do they bite?'' It's understandable, but we always assure them they do not, they're friendly rabbits. *smile* Once they get comfortable, they're soon snuggling them closer.

These guys are adorable! We have dreamed about our own donkey as a livestock guardian and boy, did this make us love them all the more! Did you know that donkeys have a black dorsal stripe on their backs in the shape of a cross? These boys are definitely chunky, but were both very well behaved.

The rabbits get passed around and snuggled for a good hour or two, never getting irritated or aggressive. Every time we go, we pray for the Lord's work and believe that's why humans and animals always have so much peace during and after the experience!

Yes, this lizard has it's own harness and leash...but he stayed snuggled to her the entire time. He LOVED the sun and heat! It was exciting to see his colors deepen and enhance in the natural light.

We are so thankful to have the resources to bring even a little of God's joy to the hearts and minds of those who value and appreciate the beauty of the Lord's creation. He continues to richly bless us and we gratefully give in the way we can. Too often our seniors are far too undervalued in society but we come away learning several things every time we take a few moments to interact with our elder friends.

For several who have been  asking about our fiber availability and yearning for their very own angora rabbit, it's time to get excited! We have just confirmed an exclusive event for you to harvest your own  bushel of fiber fantasy supplies for your fall and winter projects.

For those not spinning yet, it's not just fabulous fiber, it's natural soaps, it's luscious yarns, it's custom chainsaw carvings, it's beautiful angora rabbits, it's amazing clay creations, it's fun felting kits and SO MUCH MORE!
It's a Harvest of Handcrafts from several happy vendors sharing their talents and time with those attending from Noon to 5 pm on Sunday, October 26, this year!

We were kindly invited to demonstrate our heritage skills and join a spin-in up at the Evergreen State Fair this end of August. We have been quite busy during the summer and determined it was better for our family to take a break from events for August to September and instead focus on prepping our homestead for school, fall and general reorganization to accommodate our continued growth.  Touted as 'The Largest Country Fair in all of Washington', although we didn't commit to a demo, we couldn't resist visiting the fair to enjoy some wholesome family fun and relaxation on it's very last day. Held at the Monroe Fairgrounds, it was close to Grandma, so she joined us as well.

It's not only a blessing to learn and create with our heritage skills - but it's also affirming (especially for youngsters) to share your creations, have it judged by someone with more experience, and receive appropriate marks for your effort. Your local county fair is a free and sometimes financially rewarding way of doing so! Sadly, in much of our region, the entries are fewer and fewer every year. I (Mom) feel it's another sad result of the ever growing appetites for more frenzied forms of entertainment, coupled with dwindling family agriculture.
We decided to enter some of our knitted, crocheted, and spun items in the Pierce County Fair. Additionally, the children  submitted items in photography, woodworking and lego building. Open every August in Graham, WA, this is a small, country-style fair, geared for those in the Pierce County Region of Washington State.  Did you know all entrants receive discount entry tickets as well as monetary compensation for ribbons they receive?

We're prepping to demonstrate our spinning and share Angora rabbits again, at the August 1st Orting Farmer's Market, this Friday!  We want to be sure to have our examples of what a few colorful batts can create, in various weights. The market begins at 3:00 pm, but we are asked to come at 4:00 pm, to find the perfect spot after vendors have settled in. We stay until closing at 7:00 and enjoy every minute we share! Please join us to see how we harvest fiber from our animals, dye with kitchen items, card fiber, spin and create with it~ it's Wooler to Wearable!