January 2026 Happenings at Withers Wool and Farm

Farm and Animals

Greeting spinners, knitters, crocheters, felters, fiber enthusiasts, artists and animal lovers: here is the January 2026 newsletter from Withers Wool and Farm.

** Update on hours and access to the shop: I will be open as normal Wed-Sat 10-4 during this brutal weather. I have successfully driven in and out of the property - with a heavy car that has 4W drive. I have shoveled some parts of the road but have not yet had it cleared with a snow removal service. So best to only come to the shop the next week or so if you have an appropriate automobile.**

All the animals - Angora goats, Merino sheep, chickens and peafowl are doing well. Up until 24 January, the temperatures were cold - but tolerable and really not a concern. Starting on Friday 24 January the polar vertex moved in and that has caused some issues. With the temperatures dropping to the single digits for many mornings, I have had to turn off the outside water to the barns - as I cannot reliably keep the temperature in the barns above freezing when it is that cold. So I have had to carry water to the animals.The biggest issue are the animals who are not in a heated area - the sheep, chickens and peafowl. They all can handle the cold - but do need warm water, which I carry to them every couple of hours. (The goats stay in the barn which does have some heat; they still need water but it does not have to be heated.)

The other issue has been the winter storm that hit us on Sunday, 25 January, with all the snow (and ice). I estimate that ~ 8 inches of snow were received at the farm. Given the cold weather and the snow, the sheep and goats will probably not get back out on the fields to graze until some point in February.

If you follow Withers Wool and Farm on social media, you will have seen some reels I posted about landscaping and infrastructure work. Regarding the landscaping, I had the Multiflora Rose cut back, uprooted and chopped up throughout the property. It is a highly invasive perennial shrub known for its dense, thorny thickets that outcompete native species. The goats will eat its leaves BUT they can become (and have been) entangled in its thorns so I decided to have it removed. I had to have it uprooted and cut back as I do not allow any herbicides on the farm. I also had some new fencing put in and an electrical line (to enable fans in the summer) run out to a shed in which the goats sometimes use.

Snow scene early morning at the start of the winter storm

Fiber and Shop

A big project in January has been to get fiber (Merino wool mohair) ready and then sent to the Round Barn Fiber mill, located in Durand, Illinois. Previously they made me the fingering weight sock yarn you may have seen in the shop. I am now going to have some sport weight sock yarn made, as well as a few yoga and meditation mats. (The other mill I use is Lancaster Creek Spinnery - in West Virginia - and I will be going there in February.) I hope to get the new sock yarn and mats back in approximately 6 months.

I mentioned in the December newsletter I had made a number of batts using my small drum carder. The focus in January has been to use the large Patrick Green Drum Carder to make batts. (Dimensions of these batts are approximately 18 inches wide and 60 inches long.) I have primarily been taking remnants of batts used in various projects (e.g. to make shawls) and have been carding these remnants to make the new batts. These are very fluffy and should keep their shape as I have a new way of folding them. I really like the interplay of colors you obtain when you make a batt using pieces of fiber with different colors. I have also gone thru all the formerly made batts and found a few that would look better being redone (e.g. perhaps they were compressed from having been squished down too long) and used them to help feed the new batts. Great that you can essentially recycle fiber into new batts that look (and feel) fabulous. The batts are mostly used for either felting (needle felting or wet felting) or for hand spinning.

Other work includes: some hand spun yarns made; a few more sock yarns dyed; and a number of mill spun yarns (fingering and sport weight) dyed. There was also some catch up work to replenish the inventory for items sold in December - e.g. cat mats, cat balls, and dryer balls.

Two of the new batts

Events

There were no external or internal events in January. I did formally add a Drop Spindle class to the Classes and Workshops list (that you can sign up for at Withers Wool and Farm) and taught one drop spindle class. We also had a Beginning Knitting Class and a Beginning Spinning Class. All of the classes and workshops, except for the Needle Felting class, are currently available on a one-for-one basis; that is, they are not formally scheduled. If interested, you fill out the form on the Classes and Workshops page for yourself (or your group), and we find a mutually convenient date and time to set up the class.

Regarding the needle felting classes, there are now 3 scheduled: on 21 February 2026 from 11 to 2, there will be a class to needle felt a charming lamb; on 21 March 2026 there will be a class to needle felt an enchanting alpaca; and on 18 April 2026 there will be a class to needle felt a picturesque owl. All classes will start at 11 AM and go to approximately 2 PM. If interested, sign up using the form at the Classes and Workshops page at www.witherswool.com (and be sure to indicate the class you are interested in.)