This one's for the knitters, spinners, felters and animal lovers: I got a lovely e-mail from Teresa at Wolftown, a nonprofit all-volunteer wildlife rehabilitation facility in Washington state, and I want to share what they do. This is an amazing little niche of sustainable agriculture, conservation and wildlife medicine. The dedicated and passionate volunteers also raise sheep; they shear, clean, and spin wool that they sell. They also teach interested volunteers to knit and weave, and sell hats and other products. All proceeds go to support the facility and take care of more injured animals and birds.
Visit the Wolftown blog to see more of what they do, and some beautiful photographs of the animals. I'm posting some photos here of the things that they make and sell from their wool. They're interested in developing more relationships with the fiber community and the sustainable agriculture community, so go visit the site and drop Wolftown a line if you'd like to buy hats, scarves, shawls, wool, batts or fleece. The wool is undyed; all of the colors are natural. Some of the yarn is spun with the natural oils left in for water repellency. Their product line is called Wolf in Sheep's Clothing -- of course!
The sheep are raised sustainably (they are not certified organic, but since you're able to ask questions about their production methods directly, it's not necessary in my opinion) and they have an environmentally impeccable, heart-infused, and self-sufficient operation. If you're in their neighborhood, go visit and do some spinning or knitting with Teresa.
Not all of us are meant to be farmers or ranchers; I know I'm not. But we all should be aware that cotton and wool don't come from the store -- they come from a farm, and in the best circumstances, that farm is run by caring, conscientious people who love all forms of life. Wolftown is local living at its most responsible. Have you heard about the 100-mile diet? It's even harder to have a 100-mile wardrobe (though some people are trying). But we can all be a little bit locavoracious and support our local, organic and sustainable food and fiber producers, especially when they do such good work.
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