Goats!

Yes, I'm back. I told you that there was some news that I had to keep quiet about all last month. Quiet no more! I have some new little friends for you to meet. (This post is going to make my daughter Emily very happy.)

Say hello to some of my new furry buddies. No, we have not taken up goat farming. But Delia and Reed did, and thank goodness! They are the very happy keepers of these lovely animals. I'll tell you more, just be patient! While you wait, have another look at these beauties.

Don't they look happy? Can you tell what kind of goats they are? I'll give you a hint. They're usually found in places like China and Mongolia and most folks don't know that their coats give one of the most luxurious and sought-after fibers in the world. Got a clue yet?
Yep, you got it! These are Cashmere goats. Did you even know that cashmere comes from goats? I didn't until a couple of years ago. I guess we all just thought it floated down from the sky. It feels like it does. It knits and crochets like it does.

And I outta know, because here's proof that I've been playing around with some of the fiber from those guys up there. You'll never believe where they all live. Spokane! (That's spo-can, not spocane, like I used to say it before becoming a PNW person.)

Yep, right here in my very own state at Ravenwood Cashmere farm. A couple of months ago Delia from Ravenwood contacted me about working up some designs with her cashmere. Well, until then I had no clue that people even raised these goats in this country. I was intrigued! Then when I went to her site and saw her sweet babies and the guard dogs and what a beautiful farm the Rasmussens have, I just had to know more. There's a big lot to know about this!

I won't linger on right now, but you just need to know that we have cashmere right here in North America being grown humanely and lovingly by farmers in places like Washington state and California and Texas and New England and Canada and more. What does that mean? It means that we can have domestic cashmere. It means that we can buy this luxury fiber from our neighbors and help them keep their farms and we can know that the animals are being treated very well. I don't know about you, but I like knowing where my fiber comes from. It makes it even more precious.

I'll be filling you in on lots more about this venture in the months to come. In the meantime, buy some local cashmere. It's hard to find right now, but that's going to change, especially if you start buying some.

Do a search. See what you find. I'll be giving you more information soon about where to get some if you have trouble finding it. Don't worry. There'll be plenty to go around very soon.