Written by Amanda Fisk & Photographed by Paige Green Signe Ostby, the owner of Valhalla Yarns and Valhalla Farms, began knitting as a child. After many years of perfecting her personal knitting skills, she began searching for a high-quality yarn perfect for knit projects. She wanted a yarn that was a pleasure to work with, […]
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The Journey of Wool through Woolgatherer Carding Mill
This is the second in a two-part series of interviews and visits to Northern California Fibershed producer members Shepherd’s Dream and the Woolgatherer Carding Mill. While intertwined, these individual businesses highlight the role of regional manufacturing using natural fibers. Both companies operate within the strategic geography of the Northern California Fibershed, which spans from San […]
Read MoreFully Engaged Farming at Sophie’s Icelandic Sheep
Written by Sarah Lillegard; Photographed by Sarah Lillegard & Sophie Sheppard There is never a quiet season here. Even with the hoop houses cleared of their summer harvest and the small flock of Icelandic sheep fresh from a fall shearing, the farm is still rich with growth. The hoop houses are being planted for winter […]
Read MoreDreams of Sheep at Shepherd’s Dream
This is the first in a two-part series of interviews and visits to Northern California Fibershed producer members Shepherd’s Dream and the Woolgatherer Carding Mill. While intertwined, these individual businesses highlight the role of regional manufacturing using natural fibers. Both companies operate within the strategic geography of the Northern California Fibershed, which spans from San […]
Read MoreA Family History in Hats
Written by Koa Kalish and Carol Frechette; Photography by Koa Kalish, Lowell Downey, and Paige Green Photo by Koa Kalish In the early 1980s, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the small water-flanked town of Sausalito, lived Carol Frechette. There she lived and worked on boats, working with a sailmaker. Eventually, she started […]
Read MoreThe Hum of the Alpaca at Alpacas of Marin
Written by Amanda Fisk & Photographed by Paige Green Nicasio is a very scenic and attractive natural area, with forested and open ridge lines surrounding a wide rolling valley in Marin County, California. Oak, bay, and fir trees are common in the area, and wildlife is abundant. Nicasio is also home to Alpacas of Marin, a commercial […]
Read MorePatterns & Passions at Pont Family Farm
Written by Marie Hoff & Photographed by Noelle Gaberman The Fibonacci Sequence is an enchanting and mythic mathematical pattern. You might be familiar with it. Starting with 0, each number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers before … so 0,1 and then 0+1, which is 1. So 0,1,1, and then 1+1, […]
Read MoreHerdshare & Healthy Soil at Free Hand Farm
Written & Photographed by Koa Kalish As far as the eye can see, soft and verdant grasslands roll out like a thick green carpet dotted with healthy, ancient oaks. A trodden path of tall grass leads the way past a few small creeks to the open pasture where the animals graze. In the foothills of […]
Read MoreA Legacy of Production at Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill
Written by Sarah Lillegard & Photographed by Paige Green At Valley Oak Wool Mill, the day starts early with hopes of beating the summer heat. Despite the morning hour, the mill’s owner and sole employee, Marcail McWilliams, is brightly moving between the buildings checking machines and running through a mental list of what there is […]
Read MoreJoshua Farm: Growing Diversity, Growing Family Farming
Written by Marie Hoff & Photographed by Alycia Lang A.L. Chaffin didn’t believe in banks. Born before the Great Depression, he stored his money in shoeboxes under the seat of his truck. After the stock market crashed in 1929, he used this personalized banking system to buy land in Butte County, California. In cash. Agriculture […]
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