Some of you may have noticed a new sponsor recently on Wooly Moss Roots.
I would like to welcome Woolgypsy!
I feel so grateful to have handmade sponsors, sharing their creativity with the world!
If you’re anything like me, even looking at a picture of wool, like above, fills you with a warm fuzzy feeling!
And now, I’ll let Rachel tell you a little more about Woolgypsy.
(Rachel in Mexico, with her friend.)
Introducing herself, in her words:
My name is Rachel and I am a fiber artist, soapmaker, and fiber arts teacher in Louisiana.
What inspired you to start working with wool?
After I learned to knit, I had a lot of trouble finding high quality yarns locally. I was interested in spinning before I knew how to knit, and learning to knit really made me want to spin so I could create my own yarns to work with. I have been spinning for 5 years now, and from there it was a natural progression into felting and dyeing wool as well. I enjoy the whole process of taking wool from it’s raw state to a finished product.
How did your business start?
After I had been spinning for a while, I decided to offer a few skeins of yarn for sale. They sold quickly, and the buyers enjoyed working with them. For a while I just sold a skein here and there when I had extra spun that I wasn’t using. Two years ago I opened my Etsy shop, and I’ve gradually added variety to it. I currently offer yarn, hand knits, needle felted art, and spinning fiber, along with soap and other natural body care products.
What do you love about what you do?
I love working with natural materials. I am very inspired by natural fibers, and working with them is something I do because I enjoy it. Even if I never sold a skein of yarn, I would still spin. It is wonderful to be able to share my creations with others by selling them, but I started spinning for myself, and that is the reason I continue to spin.
Please share with us behind-the-scenes.
I strive to be mindful and ethical in what I do, so I purchase my fiber from farms who share that vision. Most of my fiber is from a rescue farm in Wisconsin, and I get my Gulf Coast wool from a farm here in Louisiana that is working to preserve this rare heritage breed. I want to support small farms where the animals are treated with care.
I buy recycled sari silk fibers and some plant dye extracts from fair trade co-ops where the workers are paid a living wage. I also dye with plant materials that I can grow, or responsibly wildharvest. Goldenrod is an abundant weed in my area, and it blooms in early fall. I’ll be collecting that soon to use as yellow dye.
The process for making yarn takes several steps. I wash the wool first, using gentle handmade soap. If I’m going to dye it, I do that next. Once it’s dry I will card it, sometimes blending several fibers/colors together. Then it’s ready to spin!
I buy recycled sari silk fibers and some plant dye extracts from fair trade co-ops where the workers are paid a living wage. I also dye with plant materials that I can grow, or responsibly wildharvest. Goldenrod is an abundant weed in my area, and it blooms in early fall. I’ll be collecting that soon to use as yellow dye.
The process for making yarn takes several steps. I wash the wool first, using gentle handmade soap. If I’m going to dye it, I do that next. Once it’s dry I will card it, sometimes blending several fibers/colors together. Then it’s ready to spin!
What are your future dreams for your business?
I hope to be able to offer beeswax candles by next year. I’ve been working on that, buying raw beeswax locally and filtering it myself for candlemaking. I have a lot of respect and appreciation for skills like spinning, soapmaking, and candlemaking that were so common several generations ago. I think it is important to preserve these skills, to slow down in this busy culture and work with our hands to create something meaningful. So I just want to continue doing what I do, and hopefully add new products to my shop as I learn new things.
Thanks Rachel!
You’ve inspired me, I need to get out my knitting needles again! The wool is calling me!
Rachel is generously offering all Wooly Moss Roots readers a 20% discount off anything in her shop. Just use the code: WOOLYMOSSROOTS
at checkout. The coupon code will be good until October 31.
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