From Ewe to Yarn

White Barn Sheep and Wool

New Paltz, NY

March - April 2017

Shot and Written for the Times Herald-Record

It was a warm spring day when Paula fired up two large pots with propane to begin dying. Artist, farmer and owner of White Barn Farm Sheep and Wool Paula Kucera was about to go to work creating a custom dye lot on a newly returned batch of carded and spun wool, sheered from the sheep on her farm in New Paltz, NY.

Just steps away from her fiber shop, Cormo and California Variegated Mutant, CVM for short, sheep sheep graze in their pasture. Once spring nears, Paula enlists the help of sheep sheerer Aaron Loux from Cummington, MA, nearby farmers and those just curious to see the proceedings of how to sheer a sheep as she systematically goes through her flock.

The first up to be sheered are the pregnant ewes since the hormones produced for birth will alter the quality of their wool. After the sheep are sheered, the fleece is then skirted for vegetable matter, dirt and overall quality. Once the fleece has been vetted, it is then bagged and tagged with the corresponding sheep it came from and sent off to Battenkill Fiber in Greenwich, NY, to be carded and spun into hanks of yarn.

Several months later, the yarn is then sent back to White Barn Farm Sheep and Wool, where Paula gets to work dying the fiber. Similar to dying an Easter Egg, a mixture of water and vinegar are placed into large pots, which are then heated. Then depending on the inspiration of the season Paula creates a custom dye lot. With spring in the air she concocts a vibrant pink color named “Hot House Flowers.” Once the dye is mixed and added to the pots, the hanks of yarn are soaked in a small tub of water. The next step in the process is to squeeze out all excess water before placing the yarn in the pot to absorb the dye, stirring occasionally to distribute it evenly before being removed. From there, the yarn is left to dry before twisting it into shape, and placing it in a basket for fiber fanatics to knit or crochet it into something beautiful.

2015 NYS Sheep and Wool Festival - Shot for the Times Herald-Record

Sunday, October 18th, 2015

NYS Sheep and Wool Festival

Dutchess County Fairgrounds

Rhinebeck, NY

Shot on Assignment for the Times Herald-Record

To see more photos from the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival, click here.

Contiki England and Scotland Day 3: From York to the Lake District

Contiki England and Scotland

Day 3 

York to the Lake District

I guess I've been putting this post off because I don't really have too much to write about visiting the Lake District while on Contiki, since we weren't there too long. After leaving the not-so-great Holiday Inn in Leeds, we were off to Lake Bowness-on-Windemere for a sightseeing cruise along the lake. Again it was a pretty short drive, so before we knew it, we got our Wakey Wakey call from the ever cheerful Roxy who gave us our map for the area, some quick tips on what to see and do, and directions for the privy (we had to pay a few pence there, so have your change ready) and the boat. The cruise around part of the lake was nice enough, however it was rather windy and the overcast sky made the venture a bit more on the chilly side,

Now Lake Bowness-on-Windemere is the home where Beatrix Potter wrote her ever famous Peter Cottontale stories, so naturally there's a museum and a few expensive shops .... 

After a couple of hours on our own, it was time to go back to the bus for the second half, a little more adventurous day in the Lake District. I should back peddle though. On the first day of the tour, the TM (tour manager) handed us a sheet to check off the additional tours and activities we'd want to do throughout the rest of the tour. While at the Lake District we had the option to take the lake cruise for a small additional fee, and we also had the option to either do your own thing, go on a hike, do a high ropes course or archery. I chose the latter. Now to be honest, I felt like the second half of our day in the Lake District was like going to summer camp, but with gorgeous scenery and loud bleating sheep (I take photos for a Girl Scout camp every summer where the top activities are archery and high ropes). 

After our bus pulled in to the Keswick Climbing Wall and Activity Centre, we were divided up into the different activity groups; archery seemed to be slightly more popular as we had to be divided up into smaller groups again. We received a small amount of instruction from our laid back instructor and went at it. As time went on though tour mates started to create challenges, which then evolved into some fun and interesting contests. 

After our archery time was up we were given time to explore the surrounding area, which was nothing short of spectacularly beautiful views and a plethora of bleating sheep.

After the high ropes folks got back, it was time to head back on the coach and make our way to the next hotel, the Crown and Mitre hotel in Carlisle, Scotland (the hotel, by the way is a very charming and nice hotel with incredibly comfy beds) before going to the beautiful and historic Edinburgh.  

Extra Tips:

* I know everyone says it, but seriously keep a journal, you'll find that after all is said and done you'll lose 

  track of your days and what happened when.

* Don't go overboard packing extra things to do for fear of being bored on the bus or having too much down time, 

  because you'll most likely end up sleeping on the bus and there is no such thing as down time while on Contiki.

*If you're on a budget for a night out of drinking, the night out in Carlisle is definitely worth it, with pints at only £2, 
 at least on the night we went. The main bar there is also only a short walk back to the hotel.

The next blog post will be about my third day on tour from the Lake District to Edinburgh. 

If you'd like to see more photos from the Lake District, click here.