Applemere Heritage Farm is a family farm located in Duncan on Vancouver Island. They are dedicated to raising heritage breeds of both livestock and produce. Their showcase stock are Cotswold sheep, which are world famous for their lustrous long wool. Cotswold…
Inish Eile (Irish for “other island”) is a small farm located on Pender Island. The farmer, Martha, keeps a flock of purebred Cotswold sheep — a rare long-wool breed that produces amazingly lustrous fleeces in both white and other colours.…
Gun Barrel Canyon Farm in the Nanaimo area was started in 1984 when Mark and Deb moved onto a bare piece of clear-cut land. They started with horses, slowly adding alpacas and finally sheep (and several “livestock guardian” dachshunds!) The…
Sorting Table for Skirting Fleeces Once the shearer finishes shearing, the fleece is gathered together and taken to the sorting table (also known as a skirting table). Often, the fleece is thrown onto the table such…
Courtenay-based fibre artist and mushroom forager Amy Crook generously shares her knowledge of dyeing with materials we can find in our Fibreshed region. In this article, she explores Phaeolus schweinitzii, aka Dyer’s Polypore, and the beautiful colours they can provide.…