grace farm studios

 featuring locally produced icelandic, llama, alpaca, angora, and mohair fibers,

 and a variety of fiber arts and crafts

Just a short stop north of the Garden Valley Autumn Drive in McHenry County, the whole family will find something to enjoy at the first annual Grace Farm Fiber Fest.  Local producers of organic and natural fiber will showcase fiber goods, fiber arts, and even some fiber critters!

 
On hand will be locally produced, raw and processed icelandic wool, alpaca, llama, angora rabbit, and mohair fiber; as well as natural goat and sheep milk soaps, soy candles, and other fragrant bath goods. For more local flavor, you can check out the quality furnishings handcrafted from reclaimed antique, McHenry County barnwood, and embellished silk art quilts with farm-friendly themes.

Take a class in drop-spinning, felting, or weaving. Or watch one of the craft demonstrations! Kids can see the animals up close—rabbits, sheep, llama, goats, and maybe an alpaca if we can coax one into the trailer! Local producers in the Grace Farm Fiber Fest are:

• Grace Farm (Woodstock)    
• Bumblebee Acres (Harvard)
• Bubbles’ Bath (Hebron)    
• Holliberri Icelandics (Elizabeth)
• The Fold (Marengo)    

Grace Farm will be open for the fest Friday October 17 through Sunday October 19, from 9-5pm.   See our fiber art classes page for information about registering for classes.   Hope to see you there!

Sharon Krengel of Marengo, Illinois, designed and crafted this beautiful blanket featuring handspun icelandic lamb fiber.  A multi-talented fiber artist and instructor, Sharon truly enjoys helping others hone their own fiber art skills, whether she is patiently explaining the basics of washing and carding fleece, or demonstrating advanced spinning and weaving techniques.  The lamb roving referenced in Sharon’s narrative was produced by HolliBerri Icelandics of Elizabeth, Illinois, processed by Stonehedge Mill in Michigan, and purchased by Sharon at Grace Farm in Woodstock, Illinois.   To read Sharon’s account of the weaving process, with embedded photos of the work in progress, start by clicking the first thumbnail.  As the page loads into its own window, it will become very large, then it will “snap back” to a smaller, but still unreadable, size.  Simply click again to enlarge and you’ll be able to easily read the type and see the beautiful photos.   Each page opens and closes separately.  Enjoy!!!

this article was written by Susan Mongold and published by the Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America (ISBONA) in volume 4 of the 2000 ISBONA newsletters.   i have found it very helpful in sharing with spinners who are new to icelandic fleece.  Susan Mongold’s notes on Judith Mackenzie and handspinning icelandic. 

Tags: Add new tag, spinning icelandic fleece

grace farm is privileged to be one of the first participants in the new mchenry county historical society/ mchenry county board quilt barn agri-tourism program.  owners of dairy barns with local historical significance may apply to participate in the program, which involves painting an 8′ x 8′ square of wood in a traditional quilt square pattern and mounting it to a side of the barn visible from a public road from two directions.  the quilt art and information about the barn are then eventually incorporated into a driving tour designed to call attention to value of barn preservation.   Continue Reading »

Tags: barn preservation

Necklaces:  An Ancient Art With A New Twist 

                                                                by Vanessa Kessler

The possibilities for using camelid fibers are endless.  My love for fiber began over 10 years ago with the purchase of my first llamas back in the early 90’s.  This led me to explore fiber use in various forms and techniques.  I now operate Shady Haven’s Fiber Design Studio in Wisconsin where I offer custom spinning, weaving, dyeing, and almost anything else connected to creating one-of-a-kind pieces for the customer.  My own work is often commission sales or through vending at fiber art shows.

       Continue Reading »

Tags: camelid, fiber, fiber art, handspun, necklace, weaving

If you haven’t visited the Woodstock Farmer’s Market in awhile, you are in for a real treat!  This year, the market opens in beautiful historic downtown Woodstock on Tuesday, May 6th, continuing through October, and it will be the largest thus far in the market’s history.   To learn more about the vendors and features of the market, be sure to visit http://woodstockfarmersmarket.org.  

Or you can check out this fabulous and easy roasted asparagus recipe from the market’s website as well.  Scroll down to the middle of the page woodstock farmers market asparagus recipe.  Enjoy!

Tags: asparagus, farmer's market, recipe