My Flickr photos:
enCore Consortium:
The steering organization for the enCore MOO/Virtual Learning Environment software.
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VENDORS
(I have no affiliation with these organizations, but list them here as a satisfied customer. If I have a bad experience with a vendor/seller, you can expect you won’t see it included in this list.)
Alpaca Spinner.
A UK company, they have some of the nicest BFL fiber I’ve handled.
Beadmarkers.
Or:
Karen offers some of the the coolest stitch markers available, and she guarantees her work. They’re gorgeous enough to collect, are very reasonably priced, and they don’t snag on your fabric.
Crown Mountain Farms.
For lovely handpainted pencil rovings.
Enchanted Knoll Farm.
“Farm-witch” on Ravelry, Josette has some of the best batts I’ve seen. They’re lively, full of depth, and expertly blended, and usually include plenty of bling!
Goodies Unlimited.
Handmade soaps and balms.
Jenkins Woodworking.
Gorgeous Turkish spindles.
Kendig Cottage.
One of my favorite fiber vendors and a very knowledgeable spinner.
Leah’s Yarn or a Tale.
Any time I want laps, this is where I go.
Mielkes Fiber Arts.
Ashford Bay fibers in particular.
Sarah’s Yarns.
Sarah has the best prices on the Web for Zephyr and cashmere yarns.
The Sheep Shed Studio.
Brown Sheep mill end rovings, including superwash.
Spinnvilt.
At the time of this writing, this Lillehammer-based online shop is the only store in Norway which is truly dedicated to spinners and spinning—and certainly one of the friendliest otherwise! It includes a variety of wheel lines as well as a growing variety of fibers and spinning supplies.
Spunky Eclectic.
Hand-dyed rovings of all sorts. The fiber of the month club is perfect for testing fibers.
Turn of the Century:
Bill makes the most beautiful crochet hooks I’ve ever seen—or used. They hook smoothly, feel good, and are simply gorgeous. Of course, it helps that his prices are great and that he handles each order like a real pro. I haven’t tried the knitting needles since I almost exclusively use circulars, but I have to think they’re equally impressive.
The Wheel Thing.
A great source for Strauch products as well as a variety of various other spinning and fibery supplies.
Wollknoll.
A German store with great fibers at even better prices. A good source for European spinners looking for silks and fine-grade merino.
Woolly Designs.
Probably my favorite top-whorl spindles, and a terrific source for Majacraft supplies.
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FLEECE AND FARMS: GOOD Shepherds
In the course of my spinning addiction, I’ve found both good and bad shepherds. Having had the negative experiences has made me eager to support the good shepherds I’ve found, for they truly are A Good Thing. The list below is an overview of shepherds who’ve not only been honest in their dealings and have displayed strong senses of customer service, but who have delivered clean, quality fleece and with whom I’ve enjoyed working. These are the folks to whom I can cheerfully send a simple note asking for something in particular and trust them to choose something they think will work for me—and know that I’ll be entirely satisfied with the result.
Because we tend to look for fleeces in terms of type, I’ve organized this list by breed. (Updates will be added periodically.)
Alpaca.
- Suri. Michelle AuClair of Legacy Alpacas is another of Kate Lowder’s recommendations, and provided me with a to-die-for Suri cria blanket. Based on that one example, I would cheerful return to her for any other alpaca needs. They have a limited web presence, but can be reached at:
Legacy Alpacas
HC 67 Box 48AA
Davis, OK 73030
(580) 868-3339 - Huacaya. In addition to Laura Steere of Infinity Acres (see the llama note below), I know that Michelle AuClair of Legacy Alpacas (see the Suri note just above) has a strong Huacaya herd.
Blue-faced Leicester. Kate Lowder recommended Robina Koenig of , and after seeing the fleece she sent me (a BSG-winning ewe), I don’t believe anyone could go wrong here. Robina has a limited web presence, but is very good about communicating via e-mail or other modes.
Border Leicester. Pegg Thomas of has both white and colored Border Leicesters. While I’ve not bought a full fleece (yet!), what the colored fleece I have received has been clean and beautifully variegated.
Gulf Coast Native. Margret Stretton of is a major advocate for this breed, and her knowledge and experience is reflected in the fleece she sells.
Llama. For both Suri and regular llama, I can heartily recommend Laura Steere of . Don’t let the website throw you; while I’d love them to have a professional site design, what you see is a reflection of the enthusiasm and friendliness you’ll find at the farm, and the Steere family’s desire to encourage others—especially young people—in their own love for alpacas and llamas (and a host of other wonderful non-fibery beasties!).
Romney. Melissa Lines of runs a nearly organic farm with pure Romney and Romney cross sheep and produces beautiful fleeces. She will cheerfully work with buyers to help them find a fleece which will meet their needs and carries both white and colored, including some wonderful variegated colors.
Shetland. Lois and Brook Moore of . While at last check Lois does have a few double coats, most of her sheep are intermediate or single coats covering the gamut of color. She has a blog , which has wonderful photos of the sheep, and gives you a good idea of the people behind them.
Teeswater and Wensleydale. I have two wonderful sources for these two curly breeds, and as coincidence would have it, they’re related.
- Kate Lowder of Lowder Colours Farm (which sponsors ““) and her mother,
- Barbara Burrows of Ewes in Color.
Both have wonderful white and colored fleeces, as well as an eclectic spinner’s flock of other breeds, including Rambouillet, Bond, Karakul, and Icelandic in pure breeds, and some wonderful spinning crosses. Both believe in selling only their very best, and I can trust that I’ll never get anything other than a wonderful fleece from either of them. (NB! Barbara’s webpage is hosted on a server which doesn’t play nicely with other browsers than Microsloth, but can be reached via e-mail at: ewesincolor@gmail.com. Kate can be reached via one of the e-mail addresses and contact information on the Fiber Christmas page.)