Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fibers:
From Sheep
h
22
h
to Sweater
The children's book
Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep: A Yarn About Wool
follows a bewildered flock
of sheep as they chase the once-trustworthy Farmer Brown, who has taken their wool from them.
Shivering and confused, they trek all over the countryside, stopping several times, only to see their
warm wool become stranger and stranger.
In this charming story, everyone has a part to play. Rather than doing it all himself, Farmer Brown
allows his friends to do what they do best. One cleans and cards the fleece; one spins the roving
into yarn; and one dyes it all in bright, springtime colors. When Farmer Brown realizes that the
sheep are shivering and quite concerned, he heads right back home to knit them all sweaters from
their own—now very different—wool.
At the end of the topic, the sheep and farmer are happily clad in hand-knit sweaters and looking
forward to when they can start the process over. Readers end the topic with a feeling as warm and
fuzzy as the sweaters, but we also leave with a bit of an understanding of what it takes to turn your
sheep's—or goat's or rabbit's—winter coat into your own coat or mittens: a lot of work.
An animal's fleece is not ready-made to spin. Obviously, they have been out in the elements for
the last year. Diet and care will also influence the quality of the fiber that you end up with, as will
the kind of animal you are raising. Check back to Chapter 14 for a rundown on raising sheep and
goats and Chapter 13 for rabbits.
Additionally, many plants have been harvested as fiber throughout history, and still today, bamboo,
flax, and (surprise, surprise) cotton are beloved sources of fabric. It takes space in your backyard
garden and quite a bit of effort to turn plants into spinnable fiber. Animals are an easier start for
the backyard farmer. Still, it might be a fun venture if you are already growing something like flax
for its seeds or another beneficial aspect.
No matter the source, seeing your hard work culminate into wearable clothing or a marketable
product is a unique joy and one worth the effort that goes into it.
