Skip to main content

Hard Decisions

The wintertime is when farmers get to make some decisions about the upcoming year. Lately we've been chewing on decisions such as organic vs. conventional production, where to find an old row cultivator, and (again) what to do with all this wool.


This month and the next, our favorite wool mill is running a substantial sale on the cost of processing. And here we sit with almost 200 lbs. of raw wool. We haven't sold all the wool from last year that we had processed. It's hard (for several reasons) to begin stockpiling processed wool, in whatever form it takes.

Underneath the Carhardts, every farmer is a curious blend of gambler and believer. If the farmer shares his/her life with a spouse, it complicates that delicate balance. In our relationship, I am a hindrance in this area. I don't deal well with the "gamble" part of the balance. Perhaps I am the "governor" in this family. Or maybe just the drag!

So what to do with all the wool? Check out the etsy shop in the right sidebar for a few of our offerings.

And meanwhile, we continue to discuss...
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 21, 2008 at 11:28 PM

    Maybe you could sell some of the raw fleece online? I have seen it done from other farms. Depending on the exoticness of the breed $10+ a pound raw. This is untrimmed straight off the sheep. It's an option.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DEEP END OF THE LOOMJanuary 22, 2008 at 3:53 PM

    I have a few ideas, but don't know if they're any good for you so here goes and maybe it will help.

    I don't know if you sell on Ebay if not then try there.

    You may be able to offer the raw fleece to several Yarn shops guild, or schoolthat teach spinning, dying etc..

    During the spring you may want to have a dying workshop on your farm and have people come over purchase and dye their very own yarn.

    Or you could start a yarn a month club in which you sign folks up for a fee every month you send them yarn that has been dyed by you. I know that www.yarnpirate.com does that and I think it's very successful.

    I'm allergic to animal fiber, but I know alot of folks that belong to several of these.

    I hope this gives you some ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LonaJanuary 23, 2008 at 8:29 PM

    Great ideas--and we're chewing on all of them. Thank you both for weighing in on the subject!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that
132 comments
Read more

Haying 101

A few posts back, "deep end of the loom" (love that name!) asked me to tell a bit more about the haying process. If you want my version, read on. If you'd like to read the official wikipedia version, click here . Haying happens in three steps: cutting, raking and baling. This process takes several days, as the hay must be dry when baled. Moist hay molds and heats up and has even been known to spontaneously combust, burning down the barn. Gotta have dry hay. This first photo is of our haybine. The haybine not only cuts the hay, it also crimps each piece of long grass in several places, to allow for faster drying. We usually cut hay in the early afternoon, when the dew is gone. When we're done, long row of cut grass lie waiting. The hay is allowed to dry for two to three days, depending on wind and sun conditions. Obviously, the more wind and sun the days hold, the quicker the hay will dry. When we feel like the hay is nearly dry, we go out with the rake. There are diff
1 comment
Read more

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.)  Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have
45 comments
Read more