My Mission:
Producing fiber that is a pleasure to work with has become my focus. Dyeing fiber and blending colors is a source of joy for me. Whether it's dyed carded fiber for handspinners, dyed yarn, felts and prefelts, or fiber for surface design artists, my goal is to provide a color palette that is large enough to create subtle or bold color interactions. To me it's all about the color interactions.
Wool Quality:
I manage my sheep to minimize contamination from hay, seeds and burdock. Feeding haylage (as opposed to dry hay) during the winter months keeps the fleeces cleaner. Haylage is almost like fresh grass; the sheep are eager to eat every bit of it, and because it is moist it's less likely to stick in the fleece.
Kevin Ford shears my sheep in late winter, using hand shears instead of electric equipment. The result is calmer sheep and a more peaceful and relaxing shearing day.
The fiber for the products that I offer comes from two sources: fleeces from my own flock and those purchased from other local flocks or fiber sources. Each product description contains information about the source of the original fiber if it isn't from my own flock.Buying fiber from Sojourner Design:
Sojourner Design has evolved to sell the products of my fiber farm, and sometimes that of other local farms, as well as a small variety of fiber art supplies.
My online store for selling my products is at Zibbet.com; those familiar with Etsy will feel very comfortable shopping at Zibbet.com. Just click on the "Shop here" text below and you'll zip on over to Zibbet! Photos and narrative about what's going on with my fiber can be found on my blog: sojournerdesign.blogspot.com
You can find me at several local fiber events; Sojourner Design at Western Massachusetts Fiber Events is a dedicated, updated page on my blog with the details of where I vend each year.
If you live locally, arrangements can be made to visit my studio. WEBS in Northampton MA often stocks a selection of my roving.
Although I'm not yet set up for major credit cards, a personal check or payment via PayPal is fine. You can reach me via my blog or through my shop at Zibbet.com.