Posted on Leave a comment

Buy Local, Buy Small and Buy Woman Owned

The count-down to Christmas in on!! Our economy is getting better and the supply chain issues are getting better. And that’s all good news.

Remember that when you buy local and small and woman owned your dollars are staying within our local economy as well. The Flying Goat Farm supply chain is fully functional. The sheep and goats are out in the fields eating grass and hay. Their fleeces are growing every single day. We take our fleeces to local business to be processed into yarn and roving. My fiber isn’t sitting on a ship or in a plane or in customs waiting to be processed. It is all right here.

We have wonderful yarn and roving. We have household textiles, such as hand dyed shibori napkins and tea towels and hand made dryer balls. We have kits for shawls and cowls and scarves and hats. We also have knit items like hats, fingerless mitts, some sweaters and shawls. I also have beautiful silk scarves. I think I can safely say that we have something for just about everyone you would be buying a gift for.

And what do you want for yourself? You can give a “Santa” letter to your family OR you can suggest that they buy you a gift card so that you can pick out your own gifts in the near future.

Posted on Leave a comment

Holiday Open Studio This Weekend

It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had the FAST Holiday Open Studio.

We will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11-4. It is a busy weekend with lots of open studios in the Central Maryland area. So I hope that you add Flying Goat Farm into your plans!

We have a fun new colorway for the weekend. I’m calling it Winter Light. It is based on this wonderful drawing.

This yarn is available in our Chinook yarn base (SW Merino, Cashmere and Nylon) and in Sparkly (SW Merino and Lurex). I will also have coordinating semi-solids to go with this yarn. Both of these bases are fingering weight yarns with at least 400 yards per skein. They will be available exclusively in person until 12/5. Next Monday, I will add these to the webstore. You can always email me to be put in the waiting list…

As well as my artisanal hand dyed yarn and roving, I have dryer balls, indigo dyed home textiles and some knit samples for sale.

We will have 2 guest artists for the weekend. Dawn of Grindstone Ridge Farm will be bringing her felted figurines, pin cushions, felt kits and supplies as well as other wonderful products from her farm.

Anne from APH Designs will have her fantastic fused glass jewelry, buttons, shawl pins and more.

There are 4 stops on our open studio: Flying Goat Farm, Dancing Leaf Dyeworks, Avalon Springs Farm and Withers Wool. You can find out more about it here

Posted on Leave a comment

Quick Holiday Gifts

I have many patterns available and some kits for quick holiday gifts. I also show you a couple of patterns that I didn’t design. They are available on Ravelry and you can buy your yarn from us. Watch this video for some suggestions:

Want the links? Click here for the PDF with links that you can download!!

Posted on Leave a comment

Buy Local Buy Small Business

We are 59 days from Christmas and only 32 days from Hanukkah. And there are stories all over the news programs about the supply chain shortages. The media are sowing anxiety about what gifts and food and other products will be available this week or this month or before the holidays. They are telling us to RUN… don’t walk, don’t wait… RUN to the store. I’m starting to wonder just how much this is media trying to manipulate us, or the large companies trying to manipulate us. Is there a problem? Yes. It’s clearly visible that there are ships stuck in the Pacific waiting to be unloaded. Those ships have caused an oil leak and just the other day, a ship became unbalanced and lost containers and started on fire. So yes, there is a problem.

But, really, I am starting to think that WE are the problem. We have become huge consumers. We buy too many things that are made elsewhere. Many of us are going shopping every day. If not at the mall, then online. And that shopping is driving the huge expectations of our children that there will be a bounty of gifts under the tree.

My family has been questioning the quantity and quality of holiday gifts for several years now. A couple of years ago, pre-pandemic, we decided no “things” as gifts. We gave each other experiences. We went on a Christmas train ride and a play and a trip up to Longwood gardens. It was fantastic to just spend time together making memories. Of course that wasn’t possible last year. And this year it may be a little questionable too.

How about a local holiday? What if you chose to buy only from small businesses? Chose to buy from artisans that are local to us? People who have touched each item, who have lovingly made each and every item in their store? People who have stories about each item, like the names of the animals that made that yarn or dyed that napkin with plants grown on their own farm.

How do you find us? Well you can search for artists near you. You can find an artisan tour weekend in your area. You can ask your local facebook page where you can find local gifts.

The first weekend of December here in Maryland, you have the opportunity to do just that. Our Fiber Art Studio Tour will be on. There will be 4 small farm businesses open. And while we will have lots of yarn and roving for makers, we will also have other artisans sharing our space. So you can find felted items, glass buttons and shawl pins and earrings. You can find tree ornaments that also serve as a donation to the CF community and/or local 4H kids. You can find soaps and dish towels and cloth napkins. You can find some knitted items as well. You can find some kits for items that you can make as a family like felted soaps or dryer balls. We will even be a pick up point if you want to buy lamb for your holiday meals. To keep up to date about what artisans will be at which farm, sign up for our Fiber Art Studio Tour mailing list here.

I wish you a serene holiday season. I wish you beautiful memories of family and friends around your table or on your zoom call. I wish you health and happiness!!

Posted on Leave a comment

Time to Take Extra Care

Colder weather is here. We’ve had some snow. We’ve had some ice. We’ve had some dreary, dreary days.  I am feeling like I want more tea and hot cocoa. I want to be cozy and cook cozy meals like stew and soup. I feel like spinning and knitting my locavore sweater. What I am wanting more right now is “hygge”. Have you heard of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga and rhymes with sugar)?

Hygge is a Danish word that cannot be directly translated.  Hygge is the embodiment of coziness along with enjoying good times with great people.  It means to take the time to experience your life. It means to slow down and pay attention. Sharing a latte with friends on Zoom is Hygge. Knitting is hygge. Filling your home with candlelight and earthy stews and soups is hygge. Taking time to read a book or listen to one of your favorite podcasts is hygge. Many people think that hygge is what makes Danish people the “happiest” people on earth. 

But why am I writing about hygge now? It is a strange time. We have so many hopes and dreams all bundled up into 2021.  We have some hope about the vaccine being given out. But at the same time, we are in bigger and bigger surges. Bill and I have been isolating and masking and washing and all of that, for so, so long. And I know that we will need to keep in this semi-isolated state for several more months. So for me, thinking about practicing Hygge is just what I need right now. I believe that it will make me feel like I’m taking care of myself. It will make me feel more present in my life.  So if you feel like I do, make some hot cocoa and read a good book….Oh and knit some wonderfully hand dyed Flying Goat Farm yarn. 

You will find me here!!

Posted on Leave a comment

Holiday Gifting

Do you have a person on your list that is hard to buy for? OR are YOU that person?

We are now offering gift certificates. You can click here for a quick gift.

You can pick any denomination. It is a digital gift certificate. The recipient can come and shop at their leisure, in person or online. And you can help them to make their next great garment.