The following pieces are written by five Fibershed producer members offering their perspectives on the creation of a community-constructed sweater using Santa Cruz Island sheep wool.
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Category: Northern California Producers
How 10 innovative makers and designers are incorporating Climate Beneficial fiber into their products
At Fibershed, we see a nourishing tradition emerging that connects us to the fields where clothes are grown in a system that can last for countless generations into the future. What if we told you that certain natural fiber production practices can not only mitigate harm to the environment — but benefit and protect it? […]
Read MoreCommunity is a Plant that Grows
Sarah arrived in balmy Penngrove, California to a plot of neglected land, overgrown with Spanish wild oats (Avena Barbata) in 2014. The adobe ground dried out and large cracks opened up the dry earth in the summer. She had two small children and no practical farming experience. A couple of scraggly oaks and willows adorned the edges of the property, with frequent traffic speeding by on the highway-like road. The house was small, awkward, and in disarray. She set down her roots and got to work.
Read MoreFoggy Bottoms Boys Are Changing the Farming Formula
Cody and Thomas, otherwise known as the Foggy Bottoms Boys, are seventh-generation farmers in Ferndale, California. There, where the fog hangs low in the Eel River Valley, they run a multi-species farm, including a certified humane, organic dairy for milk, cheese, and beef, sheep for fiber and meat, and pastured poultry. Going viral from their TikTok videos with 90,000 followers and 10 million views, Cody and Thomas are raising awareness about local fiber while simultaneously increasing representation and visibility for the LGBT community in the agricultural world.
Read MoreThe Extraordinary Alchemy of Sheep & Winegrowing at Littorai Wines
In Ted Lemon’s words, biodynamic farming “holds the foundation of a world enlivened by spirit — that all material is manifestation of a spiritual reality. In biodynamic farming, we work with the energies and powers of the spiritual world as it manifests in the material world. We work with celestial rhythms and specific preparations to strengthen the plants and animals.”
Read MoreFibershed 2021 Symposium: Lightning Talks with Marcia Barinaga, John Bailey, Kelli Dunaj, Sarah Keiser
Watch a recording of the Lightning Talks with Fibershed producers Marcia Barinaga, John Bailey, Kelli Dunaj, Sarah Keiser at the Fibershed 2021 Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium.
Read MoreFibershed 2021 Symposium: Agroforestry Panel – Sonja Brodt, Liz Carlisle, Guido Frosini, Jesse Smith
Watch a recording of the Agroforestry Panel at the Fibershed 2021 Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium.
Read MoreBread and Sweaters: How Grain and Grazing Benefits Food and Fiber Systems
Written by Marie Hoff Paige Green Photography Grazing and grain are ancient, connected in a relationship of survival that, through their mutual adaptation, support the varied and complex world that is life itself on this planet. Forged on grasslands and woodlands, and over millions of years, grasses — which produce grain — and livestock — […]
Read MoreIntuitive Weaving at Henderson Studios
Written and Photographed by Koa Kalish Jennie Henderson is a prolific textile artist on the wild northern coast of California. Nestled in the small town of Point Arena, is Jennie’s home studio that she and her husband designed specifically for her weaving: with good light and room for all her many looms and tools. “I […]
Read MoreHandcrafted at Ace ‘N The Hole Ranch
Written by Marie Hoff and photographed by Paige Green Ace Vandenack is a crafter. Together with his wife, Pam, the couple has crafted a farm, a fiber business, and a life for themselves in the verdant green hills of far Northern California, in conifer-treed Humboldt County. They have built everything from the ground up, including […]
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