Tag: spinning

  • The log cabin blanket is done! 🥳

    The log cabin blanket is done! 🥳

    These rain days finally gave me time to finish weaving and twisting fringes on the blanket that I started during the MacRostie studio tour! It is all washed and ready for sale and we’ll be bring it with us tomorrow, Nov 7th to the Zion Lutheran Church’s Wandering Reindeer Bazaar from 9-3 (event flyer with details is attached below).

    Some of you were watching me weave at the studio tour when I realized I’d messed up on my planned log cabin checkerboard for the center of the blanket… 🫣 I could have unwoven a couple inches of fabric to go back and fix the error, but instead decided to roll with the randomness that often comes from humans doing handcrafts. So the center “log cabin” design is not the planned square checkerboard I had set out to create, but instead i just changed the pattern direction when I felt like it. I have to say it was very liberating.

    The blanket ended up being 38″ wide by 64″ long – the perfect size to use as a comfy throw blanket on the couch, a lap blanket for two next to the fire, or a generous shawl on these chilly mornings.

    It’s made of about 15% my handspun Cormo wool from a farm in Iowa, 15% my handspun alpaca from a farm in MN, and 70% wool yarn purchased from a company who salvages commercial wool cone leftovers. It’s super fuzzy and drapey and I love how it turned out with the texture and softness of handspun yarn!

    If you aren’t too busy deer hunting tomorrow on opening day, come see Casey and I at the Wandering Reindeer Bazaar at Zion Church in Grand Rapids. In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of the new blanket that I’m currently obsessed with:

    Wandering Reindeer Flyer 26′(1)Download

  • Visit us during the MacRostie Art Center’s Fall Studio Tour!

    Visit us during the MacRostie Art Center’s Fall Studio Tour!

    We’re so honored and excited to be part of the MacRostie Art Center’s Fall Studio Tour for the first time ever, and we’re busily getting the fiber studio and farm ready for visitors. The event runs October 3rd & 4th, 2026, 10am-4pm both days.

    If you’ve ever wanted to try weaving in person, come see us this weekend! There will be multiple hands-on fibercraft activities so you can:

    • Weave on the rag rug loom and then enter a drawing to win the community-woven rug at the end of the weekend
    • Weave on a 100-year old antique ‘toy’ loom, a replica of a 1700’s era loom, and a modern rigid heddle loom
    • Learn how yarn is spun by hand and with a spinning wheel and make yourself a yarn bracelet
    • See how a wool throw blanket is made as I weave one with a fun checkerboard pattern

    Of course you can browse our handwoven rag rugs and wool throw blankets for sale, along with other farm products including rustic log benches & end tables, and our freshly milled cornmeal that we grow & process on the farm (and teach classes about!)

    There’s a lot going on here – come check it out. See you at the farm! -Shara and Casey

    Photos: (left) 360 threads being put onto the loom for the throw blanket. (middle) The roller mill grinding the flint corn into cornmeal. (right) The kernels after their first of many passes through the mill – on its way to becoming delicious cornmeal ready for chili and cornbread season. Yum!

  • Wirtanen Farm fall festival & braiding corn!

    Wirtanen Farm fall festival & braiding corn!

    Casey and I got home a bit ago from the Wirtanen Farm fall festival. This was our first year selling at this event and we had a lot of fun! It is such a beautiful space with neat historic buildings, plus really nice people organizing, vending, and visiting.

    We enjoyed getting to chat with people about wood working, yarn spinning, and weaving. There were great musicians, including a woman playing a traditional Finnish string instrument.  Between guests and another vendor, we were also able to meet other weavers and spinners. It’s fun to meet others who “speak the same language”!

    Coincidentally, we had our own “pioneer farm” activity to work on once we got home – braiding our flint corn to dry! We literally had to chase the blue jays out of the corn patch while harvesting, so it was just in time. After getting home from the festival, we braided about 1/3 of the harvest, which is roughly 250 ears of corn. They’ll all air dry in our basement near the dehumidifier for the next few weeks until they’re ready to shell and grind for cornmeal.

    Happy fall and happy farming, friends! – Shara & Casey

  • First Friday Art Walk – June 2025

    First Friday Art Walk – June 2025

    Every month on the first Friday, Grand Rapids hosts an art walk in the downtown area near Old Central School. We had the privilege of attending as artists on behalf of Free Range Food Co-op on June 6th.

    Fiber preparation table with Shara spinning yarn in the background

    There was an educational table introducing visitors to the process of harvesting, washing, and preparing wool. We had a basket of hand-spun yarn samples made by Shara to show different textures and sizes.

    Shara spinning yarn and explaining the process
    Casey spinning yarn while visiting with guests

    We demonstrated spinning on the new Ashford Traveler wheel, which was a big hit. Having a handcraft in motion seems to invite conversation and questions about what’s going on.

    Shara demonstrating how to use the rigid heddle loom
    Shara teaching the weaving process
    Shara binding the edge of the Community Weave project
    community members visiting by the craft table

    Free Range Food Co-op is working to open a community owned grocery store right now, so we also had a “community weave” project where visitors could add a few pieces of fabric or yarn to a small wall-hanging project on the rigid heddle loom. It symbolizes the process of combining smaller pieces into a larger, more beautiful and impactful community project.

    Tables set up at a craft fair

    The budding inventory of wool scarves, cotton rugs, and decorative transparent tapestries available for sale on display at the art fair.

    Check out our Fiber Craft page for more information on spinning or weaving lessons. Contact Shara to see what’s available for sale or to discuss a custom project.