Bloomingdale Farm Natural Fiber and Yarn

German angora rabbits and bunnies

2008-07-05T16:22:00.000-07:00

I am selling German angora bunnies and rabbits that have great density and will do well for you if you are a fiber enthusiast or like to show rabbits. I have bunnies, juniors and seniors for sale. All on special now at $50 each. Will do a package deal if you buy them all.

My first navajo rug

2008-07-01T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my first handwoven Navajo style rug. All of the yarn was handspun from natural colored sheep. It is perhaps too soft for a rug, because I used garment grade wool. I need to work on my selvages-- the right side is always a little crooked, though the left is straight, when I make rugs. Don't ask me why. I made this rug on my two harness rug loom. I am going to try again using dyed wool, but first, I have to rewarp the loom.

handspun for sale

2008-06-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Lot 3 consists of two skeins of yarn. One is a sportsweight double ply 100% light tan mohair, approximately55 yds. The other is a chunky weight tail spun mohair approximately 26 yds. Both together at $10 plus shipping

handspun for sale

2008-06-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Two skeins, approximately 51 yds. total, medium wt. double ply 100% angora, handpainted to shades of denim and grape. Lovely and soft. Priced at $10 for both plus shipping.

handspun yarn for sale

2008-06-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Lot 1:

3 assorted chunky wt. skeins Handpainted purples, blues, salmon, rose, etc. , Approximately 168 yds. total. Fiber content: wool/angora blend Price: $12 all, plus shipping

Handspinners odd ball and sample sale

2008-06-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am cleaning up my yarn room and offering various skeins or balls of yarn for sale at $2 per ounce. Shipping (from 43952) is extra, but if you buy two pounds or more, you get free shipping. The yarn is mostly handspun, some is dyed, some is natural colors (shades of brown, white, tan, gray). Almost all are composed of natural fibers--wools, mohairs, angora, silk, cotton, rayon, or blends, etc. There are a few that have novelty components--e.g. a strand of metallic, or some angelina, or some razzle-dazzle type novelty yarn. Some of the yarn is handspinners' or handpainters experiments, or left-overs from large custom orders or projects. So you get a variety of colors, textures, weights and fibers. Yardage ranges from about 25 yds. to over 200 yds. You can specify if you want natural colors, or dyed yarn, or a mixture of both. Here is a picture of some of the yarn I have skeined up. I will put up more pictures as I go through the room. I think I have at least 10 lbs of assorted yarns.

Weaving a Navajo Rug, day two

2008-06-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Again, today we did more work on our Navajo rug, well, not really a Navajo rug, but something much more primitive. After warping the loom with dark brown cotton at 6 ends per inch, and twenty nine inches in width, I remembered that I should have warped it out much further, because there is always a little draw-in, at least an inch on either side. I would think that the Navajo rug weavers had saddle blankets in mind, or blankets that would fit comfortably on a horse. That is why I chose twenty nine or thirty inches for the width of the Navajo rug. I also remembered that I should have double warped the heddles on the ends, as these take much stress, and invariably keep breaking. In any event, I started the weaving. As foreseen, the most difficult part is trying to get the weft packed in tight enough. The handspun yarn I used packs in really well. It is a single ply. I wonder if the Navajo rug weavers used a single or double ply yarn? It would be worthwhile to know. I pull at the warp by first pressing the beam against the weft and then on the other side, manually pull groups of five or six warp strings at a time. Unfortunately, the cotton warp is starting to snap. I may have to start all over! Someone suggested a warp with polyester. I suppose it is stronger, however, I hate polyester! I doubt that the Native American weavers and artisans would stoop to using polyester yarn in a Navajo rug. (to be continued)

Weaving a Navajo rug, not exactly

2008-06-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

At one time or another, you've probably seen and loved the beautiful Navajo rugs woven of wool, with earthy tones-- deep greens, rich reds, many shades of tan, mocha and sand-- that you can only get from natural colored fleeces or natural dyes. These Native Americans use an upright loom, very tightly warped. That's how they get the very tight, thick texture, needed for a strong Navajo rug. It must take them weeks, if not months to make a good rug, when you consider that they have spun the wool by hand, most likely on drop spindle, or something very primitive.
Inspired by a stash of fleeces from our sheep and goats, I have decided to try weaving a good woolen Navajo rug using handspun yarn. I'm using my rug loom--a simple, two harness contraption that I have used to make countless colonial style rag rugs over the last fifteen years. I've never tried a Navajo rug.
After some thought, I decided to use a dark brown cotton warp. I prefer wool, but most of my handspun is too soft, and my commercial yarns are either too thick, or too springy to make a good warp. My daughters and I warped the loom at six ends per inch, and decided to make it twenty-nine inches wide. As you might have guessed, we spent much time trying to get the warp on as tightly as possible. I'm afraid it is not as tight as an upright loom. I am sure the Navajo rug weavers would not approve. (To be continued)

BFL locks, washed, natural white

2008-06-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of some of the Blue face leicester locks I am offering at $20 per half pound plus shipping. These locks have been washed and are great for blending, spinning, dyeing, felting and next to the skin garments.

New Dyed Mohair Colors

2008-05-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some new colors of dyed mohair we've done recently. These are offered at $10.50 per four ounces plus shipping, or $40 per pound plus shipping.

colors are: teal, medium pink, light violet, goldenrod, and mixed purple blues.

Scroll down my blog to see my other colors.

bronze brown border leicester lamb fleece

2008-05-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Sold brown fleece. 4 lbs. gray is still available.

Here is a very beautiful lamb fleece with an unusual color. It starts out very dark brown at the roots, and then fades to a gray-bronze at the tips. It is soft and has an excellent crimp and feel. Offered at $10 per pound plus shipping from 43952. The whole fleece weighs approx. 4 lbs. Send me your zip and I will calculate best shipping.

(I still have about 4 lbs. left of the gray fleece listed here previously too)

gray border leicester lamb fleece

2008-05-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely border leicester lamb fleece that is a natural gray in color. I see tones ranging from a light blue gray, to gray-cinnamon, and to deeper tones of charcoal. It will make a very beautiful yarn. Plus, it has an excellent luster, crimp and feel. It is quite soft in texture. I imagine this would be good for socks, scarves, mittens, sweaters or hats. It is offered at $10 per pound plus shipping from 43952. It weighs over seven pounds. You can buy part, or all. Contact me with your zip for best shipping rates.

natural black Icelandic fleece

2008-05-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

Sold

Here's a nice fleece. It is natural black in color, fades to red at the tips as you can see. easy to spin. Weighs approx. 1 lb. 14 oz. Offered at $25. plus shipping from 43952

Dyed kid mohair locks

2008-04-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of some of the colors we have available. We also have natural white. Mohair is priced at $10 per four ounces, plus shipping. Send me your zip for postal calculation.

100% angora yarn

2008-04-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of angora yarn that we make and sell regularly. All 100% angora rabbit fur, usually about a fingering to sportweight, double ply, $6 per 35 yds. plus shipping

Superwash Merino hand-made socks

2008-04-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here is our first pair of socks!! These are crocheted, rather than knit. They are made from a fingering weight yarn that is a blend of merino wool and nylon. We handpainted them with commercial grade washfast acid dyes. If you want to try this pattern, let me know and I will send it to you. If I have time later, I will post it on this blog.

Merino superwash fingering wt. sock yarn for sale

2008-04-12T14:15:00.001-07:00

Grape Arbor

Here are some of the handpainted yarns we are using to make socks with right now. The yarn is a fingering wt. and composed of 90 % merino superwash wool, and 10 % nylon. This yarn has a terrific feel-- springy, cool, but strong. The socks feel great on your feet--light, breathable, yet warm, very comforting if you tend to have feet that ache. Each skein yields approximately 350 yds. and sells at $10.50 plus shipping. Three skeins will give you two pair of socks, with lots of yarn left over. Send me your zip or country, and I will look for the best shipping rate.

Sierra Nevada

natural gray Icelandic cross lamb fleece

2008-04-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is an Icelandic cross lamb fleece that weighs about four pounds. It is quite soft, and spinnable straight from the bag. I regard it as a "raw fleece" though I did wash it once or twice and got most of the grease and some of the dirt out, so you're not paying for grease weight. There isn't too much vm and overall, it's a nice fleece. The color is what attracted me--it ranges from light tan to dark brown gray. I think it will be fun to spin and make an unusual yarn. It would also make a great roving. Offered at $10 per pound plus shipping from 43952.

Deep blush bulky weight boucle wool

2008-03-31T18:20:00.000-07:00

Yarn specs: This is approximately 300 yds. of a commercial double ply heavy weight boucle yarn. I bought a lot of it to make a sweater, and I believe it is 100% wool, a superwash, I think. I am offering the remaining 300 yds. at $15 plus shipping. Color is a deep but soft red that I call "blush".

Some of our favorite natural fiber products

2008-03-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some items that we love to make. The ones pictured are all in natural white, but we also make them in dyed colors. The problem is, like most hand-made items, they sell faster than we can make them, especially when you consider that the yarn is handspun, and fiber often comes from our own animals.

Handpainted angora wool yarn for sale

2008-03-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yarn specs: These are approx. 100 yd. skeins of an angora wool blend, single ply, hand painted to shades of rose and blue. They have a thick and thin texture, and are between a sportsweight and a lightweight yarn. They are fun to knit with, and great for livening up a project. Offered at $5 each, plus $3 shipping on one or both to US locations. Outside the US please inquire.

Angora rayon yarn

2008-03-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

This yarn is made of a fuzzy strand of white angora rabbit fiber plied with a shimmery strand of white rayon. They complement each other to give you the best of both worlds when it comes to yarn. You get the softness, fuzziness, and warmth of angora, plus the strength, shimmer and perfect drape of rayon. We use this yarn all the time for knitting, crochet, and especially for weaving. Offered at $12 per 100 yds. plus shipping. It's a great yarn.

Red Cone yarn SOLD

2008-03-22T05:53:00.000-07:00

SOLD

Here is a cone of red yarn that weighs over two pounds. I think it is cotton, or else a wool/cotton blend, though I am not sure. It is a thin, lace weight yarn. I love to use it to ply with a strand of my wool or mohair. There is a ton of it on this cone. It would also work for machine knitting. Offered at $15 plus shipping.

Pink wool blend bulky weight yarn

2008-03-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

This yarn is a medium pink in color, very soft, single ply, thick and thin texture. It is between a worsted and a heavyweight yarn, and knits up fast. It is made of wool with an acrylic binder so that it won't felt when you wash it. It is a very nice and soft yarn offered at $4.25 per hundred yarn skein, plus shipping. I can ship up to six of them by priority mail for $4.55 to US locations. If you need more, it will cost slightly higher to ship.

Need drive band for Cascade drum carder

2008-02-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

Help! the band broke from my Cascade Mills drum carder. They don't make them anymore, so I don't know what to do. I had my swimming pool man make me a band, but it was too rubbery and broke at the seam after a few turns of the crank. I need a stiffer band, that has a good tight seam. Does anyone know what I should do about this?

Here is what the drum carder looks like where you put the band on. It goes in a figure eigt around the two wheels. I can provide dimensions of the band.