We are not really in the wool business, except for once or twice a year. There is no lovelier connection to the farm and nature that raising sheep for their wool.
We have sheep for two reasons: one, because I love working with border collies and sheep, and it is deeply satisfying to see them sitting out on our pasture, they are profoundly pastoral creatures. The other reason is that Maria loves sheep, and loves tending them, watching them grow,  and selling their wool in the farm of yarns and roving.

This very personal act  brings the sheep deeply into the center of our lives, on the farm, with animals, in our creative connection to one another. Maria has learned a lot about getting beautiful wool from our sheep, we take the wool to a wonderful mill in central Vermont, Deb knows just from looking at our wool which sheep it came from.

The wool tells the story of our lives. We have Ma’s wool, beautiful yarn from Ted the ram, the buttery white yarn of Kim, the striking gray of Susie, the dark wool of Socks and Pumpkin. And Zelda, of course, once our wildest sheep, not one of the steadiest.

The skeins of yarn all have stories that touch us. We had a difficult time lambing last year.

Ma’s struggle to give birth. Deb’s spiritual beauty as a lamb, her brother Jake, who died young, Zelda’s painful and unsuccessful struggle to give birth, Liam’s brawls with Red. Today, Maria offered her much loved yard for sale, more than 70 skeins were gone within a few minutes, there are still some left, and a good amount of roving (cleaned wool not yet spun into yarn, for hand spinners or felters or rug hookers). I love the feel of the wool, it is soft and beautiful. It speaks to us of our lives and love together.

The Bedlam Farm yarn in skeins is selling for $23 plus shipping, the roving varies depending on size, etc. You can get the details on Maria’s blog. We are both delighted to see it go sailing out into the world. It is difficult sometimes to have animals like sheep, and expensive. This makes it quite worth it.