Notes on the 2022 Harvest Collection
In the spirit of our wine growing neighbors ... we are in wine country after all... I've put together my own ‘tasting notes’ for the Collection.
These notes help capture and define the unique, subtle elements of the growing year.
Similar to the concept of ‘terroir’ in wine, the quality our fiber is influenced by environmental growing conditions, climate, and health & nutrition.
The 2022 Collection is a vintage in its own right.
Just like wine vintages, it is limited edition.
And with that, here are the tasting notes for 2022 Harvest Knitwear Collection.
This vintage is comprised of fiber grown between April 2021 and April 2022.
It was a year where hope seemed to linger everywhere.
With the arrival of 4 babies in May 2021, there was a sense of newness and joy at every turn.
Watching them grow this year was a highlight, but so was sharing them with farm visitors.
There’s just something about seeing others enjoy them that seems to make their fiber grow longer, silkier and more beautiful.
And makes it easy to find beauty every day on the farm, no matter the day or the weather.
We experienced all four seasons as usual, including many snowcapped winter days.
Despite access to a cushy barn and ample bedding, many winter nights were spent under the stars.
Seeing their outlines in snow showcased just how insulating the fiber is!
The low light of winter was no match for our merriment and a the tree that lit up the barn most of December.
Winter had a perfect mix of cold, cozy nights and sunny afternoons, and plenty of blowy days to allow their long locks to dance in the breeze.
Shearing arrived with a quickness, but also an ease.
We had ample hands on deck — making fast work of an important job.
It was a safe and bountiful harvest, with 40 pounds selected for the Collection.
(Full harvest details can be found by clicking here.)
As usual, it was all boxed up for shipment the very next day.
Getting our fiber in the mill’s production queue is always a bit of a scramble, and this year was no different.
The fiber mill we rely on to create the very fine yarn required for the knitting machines announced they were closing.
Finding another mill was an unexpected and stressful hurdle. But such is the reality of small batch American textile production.
Seeing the finished yarn finally return to the farm was a joyous and relief-filled day.
365 days of water, sunshine & grass distilled into cones of supple & smooth yarn was affirmation that good things come to those who plan the work and work the plan.
The resulting colorways of this year’s Collection carry the hues of every sunrise and sunset, as clear as the big sky vistas with the depth of the passing year.
And although the Collection was completed much later than anticipated, it was a reminder to me that Nature is always on time.