Crooked Creek Farm and our first fleece...

This is the last week of Betsy being in Ithaca, and since early on in our fiber friendship we have been talking about processing our own fleece, with intentions of doing so together. Watching the days on the calendar approach Betsy's departure, we recognized it was now or never (at least while together). So, last night, Betsy, Karen, myself and our friends Ela and Nilay drove over to Crooked Creek Farm in Brooktondale, NY to get us some fleece and hang with some sheep.

Needless to say, it was a picture perfect evening, couldn't ask for a bluer sky or greener grass (it has been raining all week). The owner, Amy (who works full-time at Cornell veterinary school), together with her husband, have five horses, a mule, a bunch of chickens and ~70 sheep, five of which are rams (cormo, rambouillet, and finn blends). We found out about the farm via the website agrilicious, which gave us a listing of local farms that deal in wool, and we truly believe we couldn't have lucked out any better.

Amy's friend Cassie, from over the hill, also came over to talk wool and spinning with us. Cassie has been spinning wool since she was 12, where as Amy learnt out of necessity 2 years ago (the sheep came first and she had a lot of wool on her hands, classic chicken and egg). It is obvious Amy loves not only her sheep, but also spinning. She brought us inside her home and showed us the huge pile of yarn she had spun from her own wool, and was able to name each sheep and ram that specific yarn originated from. In fact as we are picking out our fleeces to purchase, she would say "Oh, that's Axil, he is so soft and such nice crimp..."

When it was time to pick out our fleece it was overwhelming. Dark, white, grey, more crimp, less crimp, fine, medium. We felt like kids in a candy store, and were overwhelmingly giddy with joy. Running our fingers through the staples, comparing crimp, smelling the lanolin and whatever (wink) else there is trapped in that beautiful wool! I can't wait to spin the 8lbs. I got and go back for more.


Amy has big dreams for when she finally retires (just a few years away), and can spend her time focusing on her herd and her aspirations of building a fiber community collective. A place where fiber lovers can come and use equipment they might not be able to afford on their own to process fleece and produce yarn and other fiber products. If you are in Ithaca or the Finger Lakes and are a fiber/wool/sheep lover Crooked Creek Farm is a must visit!

(Karen gazing over the field at dusk)

(Walking to the back pasture)