What's Fiberton Acres Up to in 2020?

First and foremost, Happy New Year everyone!  I am excited for 2020...which has already been quite exciting!

The new year finds me in Colorado for a couple months or so for shearing bison hides.  Bison fiber has unique qualities and is crazy warm (as it is their winter coat that we shear) and makes for some awesome gloves, hats and socks.  And it is a great way for me to become more adept at shearing!

Which brings me to....

What's Fiberton Acres Up to in 2020?

I don't like making resolutions.  But I do like making goals.  These are my goals for 2020!

1) Shearing, baby!

• The next 5-6 months are going to be filled with shearing!  I am shearing bison hides for the next couple months, and then on to assisting Shorn Shearing Service in alpaca shearing.  I help hold the animal while it is shorn, and this year my goal is to get better at shearing myself.  I am feeling more confident all the time (thanks to great training from Shorn) and hope to be semi-fluent in alpaca shearing by the end of the shearing season!

2) Do a freakin' pull-up and train for a run...

• Shearing has gotten me into the best shape of my life.  With that, my goal is to be able to do a pull-up!  I am hitting the gym fairly frequently and hope to hit the one pull-up mark by mid-year! I've also been thinking that learning to rock climb may help me reach that goal, too...  It has also been too long since I have trained for a decent length run.  So that is gonna happen this year, too!

3) More travel!

• This year I have a goal to visit a new country.  I plan on taking the ol' van to new places, checking out cool new places with shearing, and checking out a new country.  I have been lucky to go to Australia...the next one I really want to visit is a South American country, but I also have never been to Canada, so I have a good back up plan. 

4) But also more gardening...

• I realize though that I also need something that grounds me, and putting my hands in the dirt and getting to grow something is a big deal for me.  So this year I will be begging friends to let me come play in their yards in return for some veggies. :)

5) Revamp the Etsy Shop...

• And the Etsy Shop will be undergoing a bit of a ravamp!  It will focus on products and tools for yarn crafters, including organizing solutions, knitting needles and crochet hooks, drop spindles, yarn bowls, kits, new yarn packs and more!  These changes will happen over the next few months, and I will make sure to let you know as they happen.  I will still do custom handmade knit and crochet items but they will be by custom order only.  Just contact me through the Etsy Shop with your ideas!

What are your goals in 2020?  I love sharing my goals, as it makes me feel more accountable.  I would love to hear what you will be working toward in 2020!

I leave you with this.  I can't find who to give credit to for this awesome quote/image.  But it is pretty much my fav.

- Ash

Next stop...Australia! (Who says you can't shear alpacas for 24 hours?)

It is almost here!  Here are a few quick updates on the upcoming trip and our shop!

In less than a month the following awesome and craziness will happen....

1) The Etsy Shop will go on Vacay...

On November 4th, Fiberton Acres online shop will go on "vacation" while I head to Australia for about a month.  It will open back up on Dec 8th, so if you need a lovely little handmade item prior to that, make sure to get your order in prior to Nov 4th.  Oh! And if you are in need of a special order, you can message me while I am on the road and I will work hard to accommodate the order for the holidays!  Check out the Etsy shop here!

2) I will be one of the roustabouts for an epic and important record breaking fundraising event...

At 4pm, Friday, November 22nd in Australia (so 11pm, Thursday, Nov 21st in the U.S.) I get the honor to help Pete and Nigel, two of the best alpaca shearers in the world break an incredible record for shearing alpacas for 24hrs.  What could make it cooler, you ask?  How about making it for mental health awareness and suicide prevention all over the world?  Pete and Nigel are raising funds for organizations all over the world.  If you are in the US, funds will go to the Montana Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  If you are in New Zealand, Australia or the UK, we have charities set up as well!

I will be the roustabout for a large chunk of the 24hrs (the person helping wrangle and hold the alpacas during shearing) and we will have a live feed set up for you to see how it's going!  More info on the event, how to help and how to watch the live stream can be found at at www.shearforlight.com as we get closer!

And if you want to donate directly in the US to this awesome event, click here!

3) Follow Fiberton Acres on Instagram or FB for any updates while I am in Oz...

I will not be able to blog much (or at all) while I am in Australia, but if you are on social media, I will work to put up a few updates there!  Find me on Instagram or Facebook!


-Ash

Time flies when you are....

Having fun?  Homesteading? Knitting, crocheting and spinning?  Playing with silly animals? How about all of the above?

A quick check in.  I promise I will return to my Granny Chic series very soon, but in the meantime, here is a little of what we have been up to at Fiberton!

In the business and crafting side of things:

Ric made me this adorable felty friend!  I wool always love ewe. little felty friend!  We will be releasing these in out etsy shop in the near future, too!

These lovely custom knitting needles are shipped off and on their way to their new home...

 Three more sets of dryer balls dropped into a lovely customer's mailbox this week!

And we are finishing one of these awesome pom pom rugs up for a customer as we speak!

On the animal front:

This guy got an awful haircut.  He would not stop fidgeting!  But he feels sooo much better!  (One person told me it looks like I glued cotton balls on him! hehe)

Rocky and Adrian (and Ric and I) are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a little lamb...

See?  Can't you see the excitement in Rocky's silly little face? (Oh, and mine...)

Then of course the house animals have been keeping us entertained, too....

Silly kitties!  Sister love...

I couldn't help myself but try for another animal selfie.  This time with the old guy.  We took a little drive in the '63 Comet and boy did he enjoy it! 

 And on the volunteer and business front:

I am on the Board of the small Chamber of Commerce in the area, and we put on a Business Expo this week.  I helped with planning and outreach, as well as had a table there.  It was a great success all around!

Whew!  Now that several big projects are off the plate, expect us to get back on the ball with posts!  Hope your February was filled to the brim like a tub full of good stuff! 

Ash

Holiday sale at Fiberton!

It is definitely the holiday season!  This evening it even rained here on the Central Coast of Cali, which is kind of the closest we get to winter weather!  I wasn't sure I was ready for the cooler weather, but I broke out my big crazy bulky knit house socks and my sweaters and I am feeling pretty good about it now.  Plus, it is kind of the best time of the year to be in the fiber arts!

Speaking of which, we totally want to extend the fun and cheer to our awesome blog readers with a little sale at our Etsy shop. 

We already have a deal going right now that if you buy a hook or needle organizer, an upcycled project bag, or a ball of yarn you get a free hand carved crochet hook.  BUT...drumroll please...for all our awesome blog readers, we are offering free shipping! Just use the coupon code "secret" (wink wink) at checkout now until Dec 18th! Check out our shop here!

I have been working on new yarns which will be up on the shop tomorrow, as well as knitting some cowls with fibers we spun and lovely chunky buttons we made.

Drop spinning alpaca by the tree.

Knitting in the evening (note all the yarn related objects in the background...haha!)

We hope the season treats you well!  

Ash and Ric