We just got in a gorgeous shipment of local fiber. $6 per 4 oz. bump, wool and wool blends. My standard plea applies: please come buy this before I succumb to temptation and drag it all home. :)

This is an actual order that we shipped yesterday. We love the barter system. :)

Last but not least, local folks, check out this GREAT herbalism class offered at Ancient Ways. Starts tomorrow! If we didn't work Saturdays, we'd be there!

Gorgeous local fibers - now in stock!


Naturally colored fiber from Spring Valley Alpaca Ranch in Perry, IA. Mohair/alpaca blends, merino/alpaca blends, and some 100% alpaca. SO. SOFT!



Naturally colored wool from Hedgeapple Farm in Earlham. Shetland, Romney cross, Cotswold (particularly luscious!) and Jacob.

Beautiful, one of a kind (not to be repeated) Day's End from High Prairie Fibers in Letts, IA.

And luscious painted roving, again from High Prairie Fibers in Letts, IA.

Sample Sunday was SOOO Fun! Here is a pic of Michael from Templeton Rye, chilling under our shade trees! I can't wait for this stuff to be on the shelves again ( just a few more weeks! )


We are getting to be quite the little fibershop. We somehow (when did this happen??) aquired handspun yarns, beautiful silk and wool roving from High Prairie Fibers, gorgeous naturally colored rovings from Hedgeapple Farm, and new as of this weekened, 100% alpaca batts, both naturally colored and dyed, from Spring Valley alpacas. oh and dont' forget the spinner's tools from Iowa parrot Rescue!


Also, the little barn babies are getting bigger, and oh so adorable! They are used to kids, other cats (as you can see here), and dogs of all sizes. They'll be ready for adoption in a few weeks!


Oh, and in actual business news? We have a sale going on, in honor of our 9th Birthday! 9 items are on sale for 9% off. And in other big news - our soap prices are going to have to go up Oct. 1 (i know, in know...but it's the way of the world, unfortunately!) - so stock up on your favorite soaps and shampoos now!

And our Fall Class Schedule is online - All kinds of wonderful stuff to do and learn!

Last but most CERTAINLY not least, Donna is finally feeling better! Still coughing a little, but really much much better. :) Thanks to all who sent good wishes and other help for her recovery!!

DYEING WOOL WITH JACQUARD ACID DYES - this Saturday, July 29th!
This is a pic of all the roving, yarn, fleece and fabric I dyed and took home after last year's Dyeing With Jacquard Acid Dyes class. it was a BLAST! We played all day, and splashed color willy-nilly, hither and yon!


This is what John took home from the same class last year. We are holding the class again, this Saturday July 28th - we still have room for a very few students! If you're interested please register online!

Happy Midsummer, everyone!!

The wet spring has messed things up a little bit here at PLH. Normally, our St. John's Wort and our Lavender would be blooming on midsummer, but not this year....both plants are kind of scraggy and struggling. They're "late bloomers", haha. :)

The roses and thyme, however (as you can see above) are blooming like mad! That's why we LOVE to plant them together...the thyme makes a beautiful carpet of blooms all around the roses. It takes a few years, but I think the effect is really nice.

In other news - we still have room in our fabulous fiber classes!
We have 2 classes on Saturday, June 30th. In the morning, we're going to have fun spinning with exotic fibers - alpaca, silk, wool, mohair, etc. In the afternoon, you can learn to play with color and roving, to create gorgeous and unique yarns! These classes are taught by Abi Hutchison, from High Prairie Fibers, and they are *always* fabulous. These classes are informal, fun, and wonderful! You'll learn alot and take home a TON of fiber.



On Sunday, July 1, we're also having a fun Spinning Clinic, also taught by Abi. If you're interested in spinning but have never spun before, come on over! We'll get you started. If you're a beginning, intermediate or advanced spinner, this is an excellent time to "play" - share ideas, try other people's wheels, explore new techniqes and fiber types, etc. Abi will be providing fiber to play with...just bring a wheel, drop spindle, or any other type of equipment or project you want, and we'll PLAY! Show-and-tell encouraged, and I will make sure to have some fun snacks on hand too!

WOW! The fiber classes this past weekend were AWESOME! We had SUCH a good time. This pictures shows what John dyed during the Sunday "Dyeing with Jacquard Acid Dyes" class. It was a day-long class (10-4), and I can't believe how much we learned during this one day. Abi, from High Prairie Fibers, was our patient, generous teacher. We learned how to use acid dyes to dye yarn, roving, batts, fleece (locks) and wool fabric, and used a different technique to dye EACH ONE. It was amazing. We had several spinners, an experienced needlefelter, and several fiber producers there, so there was a wide range of interests and experiences among the students. Visit Maggie's blog to see what she dyed!