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Adventures in Yarn Farming: Four Seasons on a New England Fiber Farm by Parry, Barbara(November 12, 2013) Hardcover
A knitting book focusing on the sheep-to-shawl process by a well-known knitter, shepherd, and artisanal yarn producer. Gain an insider's view on fiber farming and yarn craft, from sheep to skein, all told through the eyes of shepherd and textile artisan Barbara Parry. Follow her flock over the course of a year and discover all the facets of life with from shearing day and lambing season, to preparing fiber for yarn. Along the way you'll find projects for the fiber obsessed by top knitwear designers; essays on country life, including planting an heirloom kitchen garden, harvesting winter greens for a holiday wreath, and making bluebird nest boxes; and over 100 stunning photographs. With the growing locavore movement, the rising trend in sustainable farming, and the ever-increasing interest in crafting, this book is perfect for those who yearn for a closer connection to a rural lifestyle and who enjoy making things by hand. City and suburb dwellers sometimes dream about what it would be like to live on a country farm and raise animals. Adventures in Yarn Farming invites readers to participate vicariously in the daily life of a working sheep farm without ever having to muck out a barn, be chased by a recalcitrant ram, or lift a hay bale. Told through the eyes of veteran shepherd and textile artisan, Barbara Parry's stories follow her flock over the course of a year, showing all the facets of life connected to sheep and making yarn. Readers get a front-row seat to the sheep show--tending sheep on winter mornings, shearing day, the round-the-clock chaos of lambing season, preparing fiber for yarn--and a visit to Barbara's dye studio, where she colorfully transforms skeins for hand-knit creations.With the growing locavore movement, the rising eco-friendly trend in sustainable farming, and the ever-increasing interest in crafting, this book is relevant on many fronts. It will draw readers who yearn for a closer connection with a rural lifestyle and who enjoy making things by hand. Through 13 projects, as well as sidebars and side excursions, readers get a slice of life on a New England farm.
Hardcover
First published November 12, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
February 3, 2014
Some people are armchair quarterbacks. Or armchair travelers. But I am an armchair farmer. And likely only to be an armchair farmer, but I can dream. I can dream of a heard of sheep, grazing on the rolling hills below a spacious farmhouse with a lush garden out back. I can dream of Barbara Parry's life without the crazed hours of lambing season. Without worrying about having enough hay to get through a long, hard winter. Without shoveling manure.
Though Parry doesn't deny all the hard work she puts in on the farm, she shares the beautiful, idyllic moments as well. Watching a lamb take its first wobbly steps. A perfect sunset. Maple sap flowing from taps to make rich syrup. The fellowship of shearing day. The pleasure of spinning yarn sheared from her very own flock. Vegetable bombing friends and neighbors with the bounty of the garden. Each season has its own feel, its own ups, and downs, and Parry captures it perfectly. And as a bonus, there are knitting patterns, spinning projects, and recipes included. Perfect for an armchair farmer.
Though Parry doesn't deny all the hard work she puts in on the farm, she shares the beautiful, idyllic moments as well. Watching a lamb take its first wobbly steps. A perfect sunset. Maple sap flowing from taps to make rich syrup. The fellowship of shearing day. The pleasure of spinning yarn sheared from her very own flock. Vegetable bombing friends and neighbors with the bounty of the garden. Each season has its own feel, its own ups, and downs, and Parry captures it perfectly. And as a bonus, there are knitting patterns, spinning projects, and recipes included. Perfect for an armchair farmer.
August 26, 2016
Let's just start this review with one of the book's chapters: "Lambies in Jammies." Let that sink in. And there's photographs! There's actual pictures of actual baby lambs in actual lamb pajamas! If that doesn't make your heart smile... well, you might be a robot. Because that's darn-tootin' cute, y'all.
So let's start there, with the photographs. This book is chock full of breathtakingly beautiful photographs of Barbara Parry's Massachusetts farm. WOW. I want to live there! I do not have the words for the sheer beauty of this book: you'll just have to go read it yourself. Totally 100% look-worthy. And the animals! Who knew livestock could hold such emotion in their eyes? Who knew sheep were so matronly & loving? Rams so handsome? Or llamas so stately? Seriously: the photographs make LLAMAS look STATELY (and majestic).
(N, my lovely curmudgeonly hubby, did NOT enjoy my squeals of delight at every new photograph of sheep/lambs/llamas/goats but what does he know?)
I also read this book. Admission: I didn't expect to read this book. I thought I'd look at cute pictures of lambs and then return it to the library from whence it came. But I got totally sucked in! Ms. Parry has a way with words. I loved the way the book was arranged by season, to take the reader through a full year on a yarn farm. And who knew it took so much work! You can't just buy a couple sheep & raise them in your backyard. You need rams and llamas (sheep guardians) and hay and multiple pastures. It's a LOT of work. I really appreciate my yarn more deeply now. The book never gets bogged down in too many details but yet is chock full of information.
Go get this book. At least look at the pictures. You should probably read the words too, because it's a great book. Now I'm off to convince N that we should be fiber farmers....
So let's start there, with the photographs. This book is chock full of breathtakingly beautiful photographs of Barbara Parry's Massachusetts farm. WOW. I want to live there! I do not have the words for the sheer beauty of this book: you'll just have to go read it yourself. Totally 100% look-worthy. And the animals! Who knew livestock could hold such emotion in their eyes? Who knew sheep were so matronly & loving? Rams so handsome? Or llamas so stately? Seriously: the photographs make LLAMAS look STATELY (and majestic).
(N, my lovely curmudgeonly hubby, did NOT enjoy my squeals of delight at every new photograph of sheep/lambs/llamas/goats but what does he know?)
I also read this book. Admission: I didn't expect to read this book. I thought I'd look at cute pictures of lambs and then return it to the library from whence it came. But I got totally sucked in! Ms. Parry has a way with words. I loved the way the book was arranged by season, to take the reader through a full year on a yarn farm. And who knew it took so much work! You can't just buy a couple sheep & raise them in your backyard. You need rams and llamas (sheep guardians) and hay and multiple pastures. It's a LOT of work. I really appreciate my yarn more deeply now. The book never gets bogged down in too many details but yet is chock full of information.
Go get this book. At least look at the pictures. You should probably read the words too, because it's a great book. Now I'm off to convince N that we should be fiber farmers....
June 18, 2013
As a longtime knitter and enthusiastic fiber fanatic, I was thrilled to read Adventures In Yarn Farming: Four Seasons on a New England Fiber Farm by Barbara Parry.
The book, as the subtitle suggests, is divided into four main sections based on the seasons of the year. As I had hoped, each season contains several chapters which describe in wonderful detail the main tasks a shepherd faces with his or her flock throughout the year. I found the descriptions colorful and engaging without ever becoming too technical or tedious. As a city girl, I was delighted to read about what must be mundane tasks on the farm. From the decisions that go into which breed of sheep to acquire, to lambing season, how to properly tend and manage grazing pastures, and shearing, cleaning and spinning the wool, I found myself absorbed in each new season and experience!
What surprised and especially delighted me about Parry’s book was the inclusion of patterns for knitted items and recipes featuring the produce grown in the farm’s kitchen garden. What rich bonuses! There are also wonderful photographs of the farm, the flock and those who work with the land and animals. Because the farm is located in a part of the country I have never visited (New England), the photos and descriptions of the setting felt like a travelogue which allowed me to escape to a new place.
Another interesting insight for me included an explanation of a local phenomenon I had been curious about. There are sheep at a farm outside the city I live in. In the field with the sheep are two resident llamas. After reading Adventures In Yarn Farming, I now know why this is. [Spoiler Alert: the llamas serve as protectors to the flock while in the field, help watch over lambs in the barn and serve as doulas to the ewes during the birth process.]
If you are interested in what goes into making the yarn or fiber you work with, are simply curious about life on a New England sheep farm, or want to see some wonderful photography of said setting, I highly recommend Barbara Parry’s book!
The book, as the subtitle suggests, is divided into four main sections based on the seasons of the year. As I had hoped, each season contains several chapters which describe in wonderful detail the main tasks a shepherd faces with his or her flock throughout the year. I found the descriptions colorful and engaging without ever becoming too technical or tedious. As a city girl, I was delighted to read about what must be mundane tasks on the farm. From the decisions that go into which breed of sheep to acquire, to lambing season, how to properly tend and manage grazing pastures, and shearing, cleaning and spinning the wool, I found myself absorbed in each new season and experience!
What surprised and especially delighted me about Parry’s book was the inclusion of patterns for knitted items and recipes featuring the produce grown in the farm’s kitchen garden. What rich bonuses! There are also wonderful photographs of the farm, the flock and those who work with the land and animals. Because the farm is located in a part of the country I have never visited (New England), the photos and descriptions of the setting felt like a travelogue which allowed me to escape to a new place.
Another interesting insight for me included an explanation of a local phenomenon I had been curious about. There are sheep at a farm outside the city I live in. In the field with the sheep are two resident llamas. After reading Adventures In Yarn Farming, I now know why this is. [Spoiler Alert: the llamas serve as protectors to the flock while in the field, help watch over lambs in the barn and serve as doulas to the ewes during the birth process.]
If you are interested in what goes into making the yarn or fiber you work with, are simply curious about life on a New England sheep farm, or want to see some wonderful photography of said setting, I highly recommend Barbara Parry’s book!
April 20, 2014
The title is dull and she should've probably picked something different. It's hard to tell your story, be informative, and not be dead boring. However, Parry is both entertaining and educational. She's got a ton of lovely pictures of her lambs and sheep along with all the fleeces and wools she collects. She dyes her own wool after it's been spun. It's a lovely book that tells how she quit teaching and with her retired husband bought 200 acres of land to start fiber farming with 2 sheep.
She starts at the beginning of finding out about sheep and which ones to buy to increase her flock and learning how to keep the farm and the sheep going. She gives a detailed account of the lambing process and how they grow and get weaned, wear their coats to protect the wool, and how they get sheared. She talks about her garden, cutting the hay and keeping the flock safe. There are even knitting patterns. They're too advanced for me, but they were pretty. There are recipes, too, for those that enjoy them.
The most amusing thing is when she talks about Crackerjack, her llama. He's the nanny of her flock, especially when her ewes go into labor and when the lambs are still very young. He's the leader, teacher, and protector of the younger lambs when they're in the barn and in the field. I've read a lot of books about shepherding, but they all used herding dogs. She uses Crackerjack and later on a few other llamas as her flocks increase in size. I had never really heard about this technique and it fascinates me how a llama would be such a great addition to a flock both as a teacher and guardian.
It's a really good book even if you skip the technical stuff about dying the yarn. The stories are written like real stories and not a text book. It's really one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a very long time. It certainly gives me a new appreciation of what it takes to make wool yarn available for the consumer.
She starts at the beginning of finding out about sheep and which ones to buy to increase her flock and learning how to keep the farm and the sheep going. She gives a detailed account of the lambing process and how they grow and get weaned, wear their coats to protect the wool, and how they get sheared. She talks about her garden, cutting the hay and keeping the flock safe. There are even knitting patterns. They're too advanced for me, but they were pretty. There are recipes, too, for those that enjoy them.
The most amusing thing is when she talks about Crackerjack, her llama. He's the nanny of her flock, especially when her ewes go into labor and when the lambs are still very young. He's the leader, teacher, and protector of the younger lambs when they're in the barn and in the field. I've read a lot of books about shepherding, but they all used herding dogs. She uses Crackerjack and later on a few other llamas as her flocks increase in size. I had never really heard about this technique and it fascinates me how a llama would be such a great addition to a flock both as a teacher and guardian.
It's a really good book even if you skip the technical stuff about dying the yarn. The stories are written like real stories and not a text book. It's really one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a very long time. It certainly gives me a new appreciation of what it takes to make wool yarn available for the consumer.
December 11, 2013
I knew I was going to like this book from my first glance at the contents list. Someone who can come up with Good Fibrations, Lamb-pedes ad Hay-lelujah is my kind of author – clearly imaginative and with a fine sense of humour. And, as a sheep, alpaca and llama owner myself, the subject matter of these cleverly named chapters fascinated me.
The author Barbara Parry tells us about four seasons on her New England farm. She also tells us how she tends to take “an awfully long and complicated way around most things”, but most definitely not with her writing. The book is succinctly written, full of absorbing detail about the life of a small-scale sheep farmer, and Barbara Parry outlines why she embraces this fascinating but formidable lifestyle. And there’s plenty of humour, as I expected. You pick up lots of interesting facts about the various different breeds of sheep, how and why they differ with regards to their wool type and yield, and the author explains how she made her own choices. Being a llama farmer, I was delighted to see that she added llamas (one of whom shares my daughter’s name!) to her menagerie to act as bodyguards, a role these camelids perform brilliant as I know from experience.
The author shares with us how she processes the fibre, from shearing to spinning; it’s a veritable goldmine of information. There’s hands-on advice, workable tips and hints, not just about yarn processing, using and storing dyes, but also about lambing, stock health maintenance and running a farm. Throughout there are fabulous photos. There are even knitting patterns too and a glossary. This is such a well planned and executed book but most of all it’s so readable. Barbara has a wonderful, welcoming conversational style.
Any yarn lover will surely love this book.
The author Barbara Parry tells us about four seasons on her New England farm. She also tells us how she tends to take “an awfully long and complicated way around most things”, but most definitely not with her writing. The book is succinctly written, full of absorbing detail about the life of a small-scale sheep farmer, and Barbara Parry outlines why she embraces this fascinating but formidable lifestyle. And there’s plenty of humour, as I expected. You pick up lots of interesting facts about the various different breeds of sheep, how and why they differ with regards to their wool type and yield, and the author explains how she made her own choices. Being a llama farmer, I was delighted to see that she added llamas (one of whom shares my daughter’s name!) to her menagerie to act as bodyguards, a role these camelids perform brilliant as I know from experience.
The author shares with us how she processes the fibre, from shearing to spinning; it’s a veritable goldmine of information. There’s hands-on advice, workable tips and hints, not just about yarn processing, using and storing dyes, but also about lambing, stock health maintenance and running a farm. Throughout there are fabulous photos. There are even knitting patterns too and a glossary. This is such a well planned and executed book but most of all it’s so readable. Barbara has a wonderful, welcoming conversational style.
Any yarn lover will surely love this book.
January 17, 2014
I had the opportunity to hear Barb Parry speak many years ago, so I perked up when I heard she was releasing a book. I've always admired her western Massachusetts farm and her innovative yarn/fiber CSA. When this book showed up under the Christmas tree, I was thrilled. It's a book that begs to be read in print - it has a substantial, hard cover, gorgeous color photos printed on clay paper, and a lot of heft. In fact, it was a little hard to read in bed because it was kind of heavy. Not encyclopedia-heavy, but pleasantly heavy.
In the book, Barb takes us through a year on her farm. I've read rather a lot about fiber and yarn, but I learned so much about the sheep part of the operation from her. There is a lot of detail about lambing season, for instance. I also learned about ram selection and breeding. And the story about the wolf (yes, really a wolf - in New England) was riveting. Throughout the book, Barb weaves in bits about gardening, cooking, spinning, dying, weaving, and knitting, including some recipes and patterns.
This is a lovely book. If you need a gift for a person who loves knitting or fiber, this is a good one.
In the book, Barb takes us through a year on her farm. I've read rather a lot about fiber and yarn, but I learned so much about the sheep part of the operation from her. There is a lot of detail about lambing season, for instance. I also learned about ram selection and breeding. And the story about the wolf (yes, really a wolf - in New England) was riveting. Throughout the book, Barb weaves in bits about gardening, cooking, spinning, dying, weaving, and knitting, including some recipes and patterns.
This is a lovely book. If you need a gift for a person who loves knitting or fiber, this is a good one.
April 14, 2014
I loved this book. Parry's writing style is enjoyable to read. I wasn't sure that I wanted to read about a year of farming, and so I borrowed this from the library instead of buying a copy. However, I would have gotten my money's worth if I had bought a copy. She infuses what could be a dry boring subject, with humor and enthusiasm. She loves her farm and farming and that comes out through her writing.
If I were a knitter, I would buy a copy for myself, just for the patterns. As it is, I do plan on buying a copy for my favorite knitter in my life!
If I were a knitter, I would buy a copy for myself, just for the patterns. As it is, I do plan on buying a copy for my favorite knitter in my life!
May 29, 2023
A year, in words and photographs, on a sheep farm in Western Massachusetts. From shearing and lambing in the spring, though summer's haying, autumn's yarn dying and sheep breeding, to the snows and a very scary ice storm in winter, this book puts you right on the farm, observing it all. A beautiful book with gorgeous, evocative photography. A nice bonus: some patterns and recipes are included.
May 14, 2016
The hardest thing about reading this book from cover to cover is … reading this book from cover to cover. Every page is a delicious detour, be it a photograph of adorable sheep, lambs, or goats, or closeups of lavender spikes, hay bales, or salad. Sprinkled throughout are patterns, projects, and recipes that invite you to reach for your needles, spindle, loom, dye pots, or oven mitts. (A cardigan sweater knit in one piece, beginning with the left sleeve? Jammies for lambies? Maple-sweetened peach tart with mountain blueberry compote anyone? I’ll bring the tea.) Who could resist?
Once you decide to read this book, cover to cover, full speed ahead, you will follow Barbara Parry for a full year as she raises the sheep whose fibers become her Foxfire Fibers. You will be with her for shearing, washing, and trimming fleeces (which she stores “like a stack of clean pinafores “), and consulting with small spinneries to design and spin her yarns. You’ll accompany her to Stockbridge Farm nearby, where she learns about lavender and basil variations, including plants that smell like camphor, or lemon, or licorice.You will accompany lambs as they learn how to bounce and lamb-pede, and follow Parry’s exacting, back-breaking work of hand-dying her yarns into colors inspired by the farm: squash-blossom, crimson sumac, bronze sedge, lichen.
All is not baahs and bliss, of course. Slime grafting (it involves “birthing goo”) does not always convince a ewe to adopt an orphaned lamb. A wolf kills - seemingly for sport - several of her animals. “There are no classes in how to be a sheep doula,” she mourns. You will also learn that some of her lambs become meat. And so it goes.
The chapter on weaning the lambs will leave you crying with laughter and sympathy. Unlike some lamb farmers, Parry weans over a period of days, hoping to ease the trauma that is shared by the ewes, the lambs, and neighboring farms :”Blatting lambs and bellowing ewes become the soundtrack for the entire neighborhood.” Even Crackerjack, the llama who serves as the lambs’ nanny (taking them on picnics and watching over them as they graze), questions the process: “...confronted with forty lambs blatting hysterically, he turns his head and looks at me as if to say, ‘And whose idea was this?’”
Still, it does all get sorted out. Sheep are sheared, delicious locally-sourced confections created, hay bales stored. And at the end of the day, she says, “I share the pool of sun with my lambs, even though the napping bottle lamb in my lap has just piddled on my jeans.”
Needless to say, I loved this book.
Once you decide to read this book, cover to cover, full speed ahead, you will follow Barbara Parry for a full year as she raises the sheep whose fibers become her Foxfire Fibers. You will be with her for shearing, washing, and trimming fleeces (which she stores “like a stack of clean pinafores “), and consulting with small spinneries to design and spin her yarns. You’ll accompany her to Stockbridge Farm nearby, where she learns about lavender and basil variations, including plants that smell like camphor, or lemon, or licorice.You will accompany lambs as they learn how to bounce and lamb-pede, and follow Parry’s exacting, back-breaking work of hand-dying her yarns into colors inspired by the farm: squash-blossom, crimson sumac, bronze sedge, lichen.
All is not baahs and bliss, of course. Slime grafting (it involves “birthing goo”) does not always convince a ewe to adopt an orphaned lamb. A wolf kills - seemingly for sport - several of her animals. “There are no classes in how to be a sheep doula,” she mourns. You will also learn that some of her lambs become meat. And so it goes.
The chapter on weaning the lambs will leave you crying with laughter and sympathy. Unlike some lamb farmers, Parry weans over a period of days, hoping to ease the trauma that is shared by the ewes, the lambs, and neighboring farms :”Blatting lambs and bellowing ewes become the soundtrack for the entire neighborhood.” Even Crackerjack, the llama who serves as the lambs’ nanny (taking them on picnics and watching over them as they graze), questions the process: “...confronted with forty lambs blatting hysterically, he turns his head and looks at me as if to say, ‘And whose idea was this?’”
Still, it does all get sorted out. Sheep are sheared, delicious locally-sourced confections created, hay bales stored. And at the end of the day, she says, “I share the pool of sun with my lambs, even though the napping bottle lamb in my lap has just piddled on my jeans.”
Needless to say, I loved this book.
July 4, 2018
What a delightful book! Following a talk she gave to the small weaving guild I belong to, we purchased a copy of her book for our guild library. I finally decided to read it. I am glad I did.
I never fully appreciated that amount of work that goes into raising sheep for wool. She is constantly on the go, each season brings it own challenges and rewards. Other reviewers have expressed many of the same feelings that I have about this book so I will not repeat it all here. Just want to say that it is full of wonderful photos, great little projects, and with short and to the point chapters. I look at all the skeins and cones of wool yarns on my shelves differently now. I'm off to see if she still has the wool CSA and I'm wondering if I can swing going to Rhinebeck in the fall or mosey out to western MA and visit her farm. Her book, in a sense, was a gently kick in the butt for me. I have all these dyeing 'projects' using plants that grow in my yard. Like on the farm, if you are using fresh plant material, you cannot just wait, when the plants are ready you have to be ready. So, I did that! Thank you Barbara Perry!!
I never fully appreciated that amount of work that goes into raising sheep for wool. She is constantly on the go, each season brings it own challenges and rewards. Other reviewers have expressed many of the same feelings that I have about this book so I will not repeat it all here. Just want to say that it is full of wonderful photos, great little projects, and with short and to the point chapters. I look at all the skeins and cones of wool yarns on my shelves differently now. I'm off to see if she still has the wool CSA and I'm wondering if I can swing going to Rhinebeck in the fall or mosey out to western MA and visit her farm. Her book, in a sense, was a gently kick in the butt for me. I have all these dyeing 'projects' using plants that grow in my yard. Like on the farm, if you are using fresh plant material, you cannot just wait, when the plants are ready you have to be ready. So, I did that! Thank you Barbara Perry!!
March 10, 2014
I have never wanted to raise animals, knit, spin or do any of the other jobs detailed in this book. Despite this, I found the writing to be engaging and the activities described highly interesting. The four seasons of working a fiber farm are assigned their special tasks and the author's attention to detail and scientific method of farming are a delight. Stories of the animals, fiber fairs and animal auctions attended, and methods of processing wool are the highlights. This was a really enjoyable book.
March 14, 2014
Loved this book! As a little girl, I grew up in the country. My best friend lived on a farm so I practically did too. My friend's family didn't have sheep but they had all the other farm animals. I spent many happy hours playing with my girlfriend and her kittens, getting rides on tractors and collecting eggs. Later, as we grew, we helped with chores after school.
This book was a walk down memory lane for me, even if the farm in the book was very different from the one I loved in my childhood.
I read this book from cover to cover in two days! Loved it!
This book was a walk down memory lane for me, even if the farm in the book was very different from the one I loved in my childhood.
I read this book from cover to cover in two days! Loved it!
February 17, 2017
Read this so slowly because I was savoring it and living vicariously through Parry with her farming adventures.
May 13, 2019
As a new shepherdess, that’s right, I’m eagerly awaiting my first four ewes to start a flock! This book was packed full of information and a delight to read. Barbara is living my dream life but I don’t envy the hard work she puts in. Her love for her flock is inspiring and motivating. And let’s not forget about the fiber and knitting patterns included which are very nice. After reading this though, I think I need a llama.
July 5, 2015
I think if you have any interest in knitting, hand-dying, spinning or sheep, this book is a good one to read. There are several knitting patterns as well as dying and spinning "patterns".
Parry takes you through all four seasons of working on a fiber farm in New England. The photos of the sheep, llamas and goats are just too adorable for words but read on into the book because the amount of work that Parry and her husband do to keep the farm running is a bit daunting if you if ever had dreams of having your own fiber farm (like I do).
Parry literally takes care of the entire process of making yarn: from shearing the sheep (after caring for them year round and through lambing season), skirting the fleece, sending it off to be spun into yarn (with over a hundred sheep on the farm she can't spin it all!), dying the yarn and then heading to fiber festivals to sell it. She also sells the yarn online and through Sheep Shares CSA at Foxfire Fiber and Designs (http://www.foxfirefiber.com/). I would love to sign up for a sheep share!
Even if you are not interested in knitting or the end product of having a fiber farm, you can still delve into the trials and fun of owning sheep and running a farm.
Parry takes you through all four seasons of working on a fiber farm in New England. The photos of the sheep, llamas and goats are just too adorable for words but read on into the book because the amount of work that Parry and her husband do to keep the farm running is a bit daunting if you if ever had dreams of having your own fiber farm (like I do).
Parry literally takes care of the entire process of making yarn: from shearing the sheep (after caring for them year round and through lambing season), skirting the fleece, sending it off to be spun into yarn (with over a hundred sheep on the farm she can't spin it all!), dying the yarn and then heading to fiber festivals to sell it. She also sells the yarn online and through Sheep Shares CSA at Foxfire Fiber and Designs (http://www.foxfirefiber.com/). I would love to sign up for a sheep share!
Even if you are not interested in knitting or the end product of having a fiber farm, you can still delve into the trials and fun of owning sheep and running a farm.
July 18, 2013
The narrative portions of this book are well-written, light and engaging, informative without being too intensive, and a nice little crash-course in what it's like to have a flock of (mostly) sheep on a farm in western Massachusetts. It's also wonderful eye candy for fans of beautiful photos of agrarian landscapes in one of the United States' most scenic corners, as well as including a nice selection of knitting/weaving patterns, dyeing projects, and a few delicious-looking recipes for good measure.
The book is definitely aimed at fiber-fiends: knitters, spinners, weavers, or anyone who is interested in being introduced to the amazing number of factors and the amazing amount of work that goes into producing yarn. You'll come away even more agog at the beautiful hand-dyed, hand- or micro-spun skeins that shine at you from the shelves of your LYS (Local Yarn Store) or at a fiber fair.
The book is definitely aimed at fiber-fiends: knitters, spinners, weavers, or anyone who is interested in being introduced to the amazing number of factors and the amazing amount of work that goes into producing yarn. You'll come away even more agog at the beautiful hand-dyed, hand- or micro-spun skeins that shine at you from the shelves of your LYS (Local Yarn Store) or at a fiber fair.
December 31, 2014
Sheep again...
Barbara Parry's Adventures in Yarn Farming comes pretty close to what I'd say is a perfect book. Well written - both informative and heart warming, beautiful photographs, a book lovingly laid out, a little wider than usual so a pleasure to hold, and lots of variety in the content.
What a delight to see these beautiful animals and think of their herd behavior, watched over by a llama or two, and how loved is the fleece they bear. Parry covers the gamut, from breeding and birthing, to clipping and combing, to spinning and knitting and weaving. A beautiful place to live and work, and a lovely but not easy way to make a living.
It would have been wonderful to end the year with this book, fitting to finish the season with warmth and craftsmanship. There will be another book though before the day is out - which one I wonder of all that I have waiting to be read.
--Ashland Mystery
Barbara Parry's Adventures in Yarn Farming comes pretty close to what I'd say is a perfect book. Well written - both informative and heart warming, beautiful photographs, a book lovingly laid out, a little wider than usual so a pleasure to hold, and lots of variety in the content.
What a delight to see these beautiful animals and think of their herd behavior, watched over by a llama or two, and how loved is the fleece they bear. Parry covers the gamut, from breeding and birthing, to clipping and combing, to spinning and knitting and weaving. A beautiful place to live and work, and a lovely but not easy way to make a living.
It would have been wonderful to end the year with this book, fitting to finish the season with warmth and craftsmanship. There will be another book though before the day is out - which one I wonder of all that I have waiting to be read.
--Ashland Mystery
April 23, 2015
I am NOT usually a nonfiction reader (note the capitals), but I really enjoyed this book. First of all, yarn. I mean who doesn't like wool?! It's just not natural to not like it, IMO ... And I really enjoyed the way Barbara organized the book by season so that it paints a picture of a year on a fiber farm. Could be my farming family background, but I could see "retiring" to run a small farm someday. Two sheep in my back yard maybe? Seriously, though, reading this book made me want to buy as much of my yarn as possible from smaller operations like this that really care about the animals and quality of their products rather than large scale discount companies that source from other countries. I've already order a couple of sport weight skeins from Foxfire to make a pair of socks and can't wait for my spring share from my Sheep Shares CSA membership (a fantastic Christmas gift!) to be ready for me!
April 28, 2016
This book is a beautifully-photographed window into the joys and challenges of running a farm raising sheep for yarn. Reading it feels like walking through the farm with the author - with all the joys and sorrows that entails, the beautiful moments and the mundane. Parry doesn't shy away from the messy realities and hard, unending labor of raising livestock. A great read for those who'd like to better appreciate all the work that's gone into a skein of yarn by the time it reaches their hands. Includes several lovely projects for dyeing, spinning, knitting, and weaving.
My only criticism is that the writing could have used a tighter edit - at times Parry repeats herself within a few paragraphs. It's a minor critique, though, and I still highly recommend the book for anyone who'd like to spend a few hours daydreaming about a sheep farm of their own.
My only criticism is that the writing could have used a tighter edit - at times Parry repeats herself within a few paragraphs. It's a minor critique, though, and I still highly recommend the book for anyone who'd like to spend a few hours daydreaming about a sheep farm of their own.
July 25, 2014
Barbara Parry details in clear and uncluttered prose the seasonal workings of a sheep farm in New England. She is attentive to the details of both the animals and the learning curve she experienced when taking over the land and starting to sheep farm. I particularly enjoyed the details of which sheep coats make which type of yarn and how all the details of caring for the animal plays into the quality of yield of yarn produced. Her stories of the neighbours helping out, her own mistakes, and of the relationships between the sheep, goats and a llama, are often funny, endearing and enjoyable. I would recommend this book to anyone who knits, weaves, spins yarn, crochets or similarly needs fibre for a project.
June 30, 2015
I really enjoyed this one. It made me even more excited about hopefully getting a couple of wool sheep sometime in the next year. (Though of course she's raising sheep on a much larger scale than I will be.) My family has a farm and my dad has a flock of St. Croix sheep, so a lot of this wasn't new information for me, but it was still a good read. Some chapters were more interesting than others...I skimmed a couple of them, like the one about her kitchen garden.
The photography is gorgeous and the overall physical book is really nice, too: it's compact but dense and the pages are thick and glossy. (I get excited over pretty books, okay?)
The photography is gorgeous and the overall physical book is really nice, too: it's compact but dense and the pages are thick and glossy. (I get excited over pretty books, okay?)
November 2, 2015
As many people have already commented, the photos are gorgeous. Each chapter while not a stand alone, is only semi attached the ones around it, so it's a good book to pick up for a bit here and there.
I learned the answer to several questions I've had over the years and have filed away a few projects that I plan to knit.
The only reason I didn't like the book more is that even though it's a memoir, it somehow feels like the author is holding us at arm's length. We get her thought process, but very few of her feelings. There's nothing wrong with that, it just made me feel a bit removed from what I was reading.
I learned the answer to several questions I've had over the years and have filed away a few projects that I plan to knit.
The only reason I didn't like the book more is that even though it's a memoir, it somehow feels like the author is holding us at arm's length. We get her thought process, but very few of her feelings. There's nothing wrong with that, it just made me feel a bit removed from what I was reading.
January 9, 2015
This was an absolutely lovely book. It was beautifully written, well organized, and filled with patterns, recipes, and of course, adorable lamb pictures. As a knitter and spinner, this has given me great insight in how fiber sheep are cared for specifically for the quality of their fleeces. After reading this, I find myself being much more specific about finding fleeces to purchase, knowing the work that goes into keeping the sheep covered, clean, and shorn at the right time. I dream of having a small flock of Jacobs Sheep for their wool, but until that dream becomes a reality, I will just re-read Parry's book over and over.
January 28, 2014
Thumbing through this book, Barbara had me at "Lambies in Jammies" the journey was one that I dream about but likely will not ever experience in my lifetime so I thank you for painting such a real picture of what its really like raising these gorgeous little animals and allowing the reader to live vicariously through the author for the duration of this book. And... oh my all the photos were soooo beautiful! I wanted to pick up my camera and head to the country. I finished this story with such a warm-fuzzy... literally!
February 9, 2014
Having gone to the bookstore for a different book, this one found its way into my hands and I could not put it down. It beautifully combines several things I enjoy - New England seasons, nature and animals, and fiber. I loved the photographs, and the descriptions were vivid and fluid. The author’s style is easy and unassuming, and you can tell she loves the life she chose. As a simple knitter I won’t be able to use the included patterns and instructions, but I definitely can appreciate the projects. I am so glad I accidentally came across this book - I really enjoyed it.
June 19, 2015
Barbara Parry seems to be a good writer, and a great sheep farmer. The book is really a series of short essays on the different farming activities that go on throughout a year. They are well written for the most part, but some come across as too short, and in combination can be choppy. The real reason to read this book is for the stunning pictures. Baby lambs. Wool being dyed and carded. Autumn in New England. There are a few tutorials having to do with spinning and dyeing that I will never use, but were still an interesting read. I learned something and enjoyed my time with this book.
June 17, 2014
While this isn't exactly a page turner, Parry's description of how she found and runs her New England fiber farm is soothing, interesting, and informative. What would just be a three star book is elevated by including one of the best dying tutorials I've read lately, as well as a few exceptionally curated patterns, but the winner, by far, is the absolutely stunning photography. Worth it just for that!
March 8, 2014
This is a beautiful, well-written book with lovely photographs of Springdelle farm, located in Massachusetts. The book includes eight classic knitting patterns--a few sweaters, a hat, scarf, cowl, and mittens. There is also a pattern for jammies for lambies--a little sweater for new-born lambs. Barbara Parry produces yarn under the Foxfire Fiber label.
January 20, 2014
This book allowed me to dream of a different life. This is a dream of mine, but, in reality, a dream. I enjoyed the day in an day out of chores and the beautiful countryside that the author lives on. I liked how the book is set into the different seasons, and how Parry describes the hardships as well as the joys of having sheep. Great book!
October 27, 2014
Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Didn't make me want to start sheep farming, because the workload sounds incredibly heavy, and no impromptu trips, ever. But I loved the book, the writing, the pictures, and just the general feel of it. It has a smattering of patterns, recipes, gardening tips, etc. Will be one to keep and look through often. (got it for Mother's Day and read it in two days.)
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