Staying Vertical: A Mill Tour
Fresh from last week's archival BBC sheep-recognition footage, we're still in the UK for a quick tour through one of the country's older vertical woolen mills. Originally, the term "vertical" was a literal description of how a mill operated. Vertical mills relied
How Well do Shepherds Know their Sheep?
We know that sheep have the capacity to remember the faces of other sheep and humans. A 2001 report [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/study-shows-sheep-have-ke/] made this clear, noting that sheep can remember as many as 50 faces. More remarkable is the fact that sheep can even recognize photographs [https:
Words in Wool: Whither are our Bellwethers?
A surprising amount of our vocabulary owes its very existence to the legacy of sheep and their wool. Let's celebrate this legacy in a new segment, Words in Wool. We begin with a word that foretells trends to come: bellwether. According to Merriam-Webster, "bellwether" first appeared
Members-Only Deep Dive: Can Wool Save our Soil?
As temperatures rise and drought conditions persist, everything about wool in gardens makes sense. Foundation Flockers, it's time for a deep dive—or maybe I should say deep dig—into the world of wool and soil.
A Gift for the Garden: Wool Pellets
Our heaviest woolens may be headed for summer storage, but another incarnation of wool is ready for duty in the garden. Introducing wool pellets from Wild Valley Farms [https://www.wildvalleyfarms.com]. Yes, you heard me, wool pellets. We have wood pellets for stoves and food pellets for our guinea
Icebug Eide Woolpower Shoes
Let's get this out of the way right now: These shoes are only 50% wool, the rest is a synthetic mix. Which I didn't know until I'd ordered a pair, opened the box, put them on, and fallen in love. The rest of what
