Stories from backyard green films

We had a wonderful time at this year's Texas Wool Week. Make sure to check it out next year.  Texas Wool Week started as a one week retreat - known as Bandera Fiber & Arts Retreat - for friends and has transformed in to a working farm experience with fiber and arts vendors, musical entertainment, day trip adventures during the week along with shearing days and more. Texas Wool Week is designed to make what we do and love an adventure for all!   Links: https://texaswoolweek.com

While at the Texas Wool Week Festival a couple of weeks back, we had a chance to pop into Emily Trujillo's class and get a little background about Chimayo Weaving. Emily is  an eighth generation Rio Grande/Chimayo weaver from Chimayo, New Mexico, and the daughter of Irvin and Lisa Trujillo.  "The five thousand or so churro sheep that came to New Mexico  with Coronado's expedtion in 1540 were too valued as food to these original settlers to survive and become established flocks in the new territories. New Mexico proved to be a hospitable place for churro,  and the sheep thrived to become an important part of the Spanish colony's economy. Wool in an unprocessed form would be too difficult  to transport (other than on the backs of sheep) to be of value as a trade item. Blankets, however, were in great demand by surrounding trading partners, and by 1840, records show tens of thousands of weavings traded out of New Mexico. Of course, they were used in New Mexico, to ward off the cold of mountain nights, and, in early years, as a wearing blanket. Domestic use as well as those for commerce caused a substantial industry to develop, employing sheepherders, spinners and weavers. Although there was a variety of woven goods produced as part of this trade, the single item in greatest demand was what came to be called the Rio Grande blanket, a general term encompassing the entire weaving tradition of Hispanic New Mexico."  Links: https://www.chimayoweavers.com   / emily-trujillo-eighth-generation-chimayo-w...   https://texaswoolweek.com

While at Texas Wool Week this past weekend, we caught up with Karen Davis proprietor of Entwined Fiber and Wire in New Braunfels, Texas. She has been a fiber enthusiast since 2000 and fiber artist since 2004.  She specializes in spinning, weaving, wet-felting and needle-felting with fiber from her own animals including alpacas, angora rabbits and llamas.  In addition, in homage to her Danish heritage, she creates one-of-a-kind Viking weave necklaces and bracelets with wire-wrapped semi-precious stones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnxKim7_1B4

Today we shared again another farm to Fiber experience taking a page out of the wider community. Dorota talked about the fundamentals of shearing her goat while I spun yarn. Big thanks to John for his help getting her there!  #sheepwool #texasagriculture #texasfibergathering #farmlife #farmliving #fiberarts #followthesheepwalk #texasmohair #angoragoat