This is Wool.

Today I bring you a surprise guest of sorts, a kind gal named Mary Jo of Five Green Acres whom I've know (in that no-physical but online soul-sister sense) for several years.

Mary Jo has begun an adventure that is near and dear to my own heart and I wanted to share here inspiring story with you. What she's doing is certainly on my short list of dreams. Sheep! Dyes! Yarn!

To sweeten the deal I'm also giving away a skein of her handspun wool, so read on to learn more.

(All photos in this post are courtesy of This is Wool and Five Green Acres.)

This is wool. First Harvest: Backyard from Mary Jo, FiveGreenAcres on Vimeo.

Mary Jo has just embarked on several journeys ~ that of keeping sheep, experimenting with fiber dyes, and spinning wool. I interviewed her earlier this week about her new adventure in self-employment and artistic expression, This is Wool.

RJW: I'd love to hear about making the leap from town-living to farm girl. What was that transition like?

MJB: It was a slow and easy transition, because we're not too far from the city (Madison) but still have a small town to call home, so it's really the best of both worlds.  

I didn't give too much thought about the community we were moving into - it was the property that we fell in love with - and therefore didn't really have any expectations about finding other like-minded folks in town; I was satisfied with the ability to maintain my connections in Madison.  

I happened upon the newly-formed knitting group that met at our local library and through that gathering met many of the folks that are now among our dearest friends.  The library was our gateway to this community.

RJW: We (okay, I) tend to romanticize farming or keeping animals. Talk to me about the time you give to your animals each day.

MJB: That varies, of course, depending on the time of year.  In the spring, we get chicks and foster their growth through the beginning of summer, then process the meat - that's the most labor-intensive component of our farming operation.

The sheep simply require fresh water and pasture every couple of days during the season of grass, a task which involves moving the portable electric net fence and takes under 30 minutes.  Shearing, which we've just begun doing ourselves, is very labor intensive, like you wouldn't believe! But it's one or two days of the year, and most normal people bring in a shearer to do that.  

The laying hens are, like the sheep,  easier to care for than dogs - food and water each day, as well as opening and closing their coop to let them range.  

In the winter months, the sheep are pastured right behind the chickens in a communal space, making it easy to care for both flocks in a short amount of time.  As for the weekends, it's still relatively easy to pile up enough food for a few days and head out.   

RJW: Plant dyes are fascinating! Any new experiments on the horizon?

MJB: At the end of the season last year, I put in quite a few new dye plants, with grand visions for this year's dyeing season.  

Then came The Drought.  

It became clear to me as the summer progressed without any additional rain, that this year's harvest of wool would need to be dyed from traditional acid dyes.  I feel good about that decision, leaving the scant goldenrod for the bees, the sumac for the birds to sustain them through the winter.  

Acid dyes will introduce a very different range of colors to this vintage of wool, giving Second Harvest its own identity.  I hope to return to plant dyeing next year, nature willing, because nothing is more satisfying to me than growing the dyes which color my wool. 

RJW: I know that wool from different types of sheep has different qualities. How did you pick a sheep breed?

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MJB: I came to knitting thrrhough the impending birth of my first child, my daughter Isadora.  I was researching cloth diapers, and came upon knit patterns for wool soakers - this is also where I began my love affair with wool as a fiber!

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I read about wool's remarkable absorption properties, its natural antibacterial components, and set off for the fiber shop to get some wool to (learn how to) knit into wool soakers.  I sought out the softest wool I could find, something that I would want to swaddle my as-yet-unborn baby's butt, and started learning about the different grades of wool.  Who knew there was such a range beyond the "Wool is too itchy for me" cliche?

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Again, when it was time to select a breed of sheep to raise, softness was the overarching decision-maker, as well as availability.  As my flock grows, I've begun selecting for softness and a very fine wool - it must be luxuriously soft, to be worn next to the skin.

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Want in on some of the goodness? Leave a comment below and I'll choose one of you to receive a gorgeous skein of Mary Jo's This is Wool Honey Bee.

Comments are now closed. The winner, chosen by Random.org is Meena (The very last commenter. That's never happended before!) who said:

Wow, that is really gorgeous yarn, I wish I could touch it right now! It lt looks so soft!

Oh, such fun. And now, of course I want sheep (even more than I did before)! If that was even possible...