2022 Shearing
KNIT ALL THE SOCKS!!!
New for us, and in great demand,
PLANET FRIENDLY SOCK YARN
We took our super soft and squishy Targhee fine wool yarn and blended it with bamboo for the most dreamy and REAL sock yarn on the planet! Our Targhee flock's micron average is well below the industry standard which means that ours is especially soft. We love our Targhees for their loving and human oriented personalities. They're the best mamas we've got and all around delightful sheep. The finest yarn available is just icing on a fleecy cake!
Cutch is the rich reddish brown found in Indian textiles since the beginning of time. It comes from tree bark and is both a dye as well as a tannin (color shifter)
Never super washed, the yarn in this collection has been naturally mordanted to lock in the color as much as possible. Spinning oils from the mill have been removed using plant based laundry soap.
Our sock yarn stays true to our commitment to the planet.
All of our yarn, and nearly everything we make and sell is compostable. No synthetic materials to prevent the wool from breaking down after a lifetime of responsible use. Most sock yarns blend with nylon for durability. Not us. We are #UNAPOLOGETICYARNSNOBS and don't like the icky feel of nylon against our bodies. So we blend with 15% bamboo for a sustainable strength giving yet still planet healthy alternative.
NOW IN 50 gram skeins!!! *note this is a change from our former 100g skeins
50g 224 meters / 245 yards
- 19.92 microns
- 2 ply woolen spun
- 15% bamboo, 85% targhee
- 7 sts per inch on US size 2 needles 28 sts = 4"
- crochet hook size C
- blended with farm grown bamboo from a USA provider
- dyed by hand on the farm using sustainably sourced cutch bark dye extract
One skein = 4 bales of hay for the flock
(Our critters consume 14 bales of locally grown hay per day from October - May when our pastures are resting. Your support puts hay in the barn and employs both the Mitchell team and the local hay grower.)
Includes the fiber of our Targhee sheep- Stephen Hawking, Billie Jean King, Sweet Tea, Ffiona, Bertha, Karen, Estelle, Regina, Bubba, Forrest, Andre, Iris, Stevie Yzerman & Dorothy Vaughn
Natural dyes are like snowflakes, each skein will vary and you should alternate skeins throughout your piece to achieve a subtle blend. Do not dry or store in direct sun. Hand wash & care for it like the heirloom it is. Natural dyes soften & fade like your favorite jeans, getting softer in hue with time. This is not a defect. It's nature.
Carol's Coral
Our Mom, Carol, loved the color coral, so we've named this luscious shade in memory of her. Cindy achieved the hue using multiple dye processes of marigold and cochineal. Cochineal is a scaled insect that invades the Nopal Cactus that is roughly the size of a grain of rice.
Cutch
Cutch comes from the bark of the Acacia Catechu tree and was originally from India and regions of Asia. Ours is sourced from an American company that creates concentrates.
Lac
Violet hued and derived from the shell of an insect prevalent in India, SouthEast Asia and Nepal. Its use dates back to 250AD. We use lac concentrate and iron to develop this gorgeous soft blend of light dusky lavender hues.
Madder
Madder is derived from a root and has been used to dye rich reds since the 16 & 17th century, with found textiles retaining their color hundreds of years later! Originating from the subcontinent of India, Central Asia and Europe.
*While not as prevalent as Indigo, madder is a natural dye that CROCKS. What does this mean? Pink or Red fingers: Read more here
Marigold
We grow the marigolds that we dye with right here on the farm. Our dye matter is so safe that we extend its use by feeding our spent blooms to our pigs and cattle!
Mighty Mac
This shade of true green has been a goal of Cindy & Sherry since we started out in this botanical dyeing venture. Green is tough, it doesn't seem like it would be but obtaining a true Irish/Kelly/Mossy/Spring Grassy goodness is kind of tricky. There was a lot of dull grey to get to this glorious GREEN. Cindy achieved it with Mulberry and chlorophyll.
