Welcome to Wool Maiden Handcrafted Fibre & Yarn!
If you have found your way here, I am guessing that you love sheep and wool and all things fibre as much as me. I fell down the proverbial wool rabbit hole teaching myself to knit over a few days when my oldest was not quite earthside back in 2005. The result was a tiny red and white striped sweater that was a little wonky with a handful of dropped stitches and other beginner mistakes. And you know, that funny little sweater sure got a lot of use over the years warming up all three of my babies.
Seventeen years later, my knitting abilities have vastly improved. I have made many, many knitted woollens for my loved ones and friends, each one carefully crafted with love. Eventually, I learned to spin wool as well, fascinated by the process of raw fibre transformed into a finished garment. Naturally, a small flock of fibre sheep followed and it didn't take long until we have found ourselves today surrounded by 17 to 20 sheep on our little hobby farm.
Like many of you, what started out as a favourite and rewarding past-time has led me to creating Wool Maiden Handcrafted Fibre & Yarn as a way to share the surplus of yarn that my flock produces.
Equally passionate about living a slow and deliberate life with my family, a love for natural dyeing evolved organically. My first foray into discovering the alchemy of obtaining colour from plants and roots was thrilling. I can honestly say that it is just as magical now as it was ten years ago to witness white yarn transform in a dyepot of flower petals or mushroom caps into vibrant shades of colour.
Since 2016 when Wool Maiden Handcrafted Fibre & Yarn was born, you will find more than just the naturally dyed Farm Fresh fibre in the shop. I also purchase fibre from other small Canadian sheep farms, in an effort to support our country's wool producers. Wool Maiden also offers luxury yarn, the Folklore line, purchased from a Canadian yarn house and dyed conventionally. I find the colour combinations with acid dyes are exciting and limitless and for now I continue to experiment with both types of dyeing.
Wool Maiden Handcrafted Fibre & Yarn has a little something for every fibre artist...from combed top to wool batts, buttons to stitch markers, handwork kits to homemade soap. Sharing my love of fibre with children for the past six years in seasonal handwork classes has been very rewarding.
Wool Maiden Handcrafted Fibre & Yarn is dedicated to bringing beautiful yarn, dyed naturally into the hands of you talented crafters.
I thank you so much for choosing my yarn to make your own heirloom garments. I am sure they will be well loved.
