Did you know that the UN has designated 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fibres? They’ve put together a terrific website with lots of information about natural fibers, where they are produced, what there impact is on local economies, the environment, etc. Very informative.
They are also sponsoring some neat competitions going on at Keep the Fleece in conjunction with the UN effort. And the Hudson Valley’s own New York Sheep and Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck) will be hosting an “International Day” on Friday, October 16.
In honor of the International Year of Natural Fibers I am giving away three copies of Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn. This is a lovely book filled with gorgeous pictures, inspiring stories and beautiful pattens. You’ll love it!
To enter, all you have to do is help me spread the word about the International Year of Fibers by directing people to this post. I think it’s so cool that the UN is doing this for fiber farmers and I want to see this post go viral! You can post about it in your rav groups,blog about it, email your knitting group or phone your friends. Any way you can think of to spread the word is acceptable. Then come back here and leave a comment on the this post telling me what you’ve done. Easy-peasy, right?
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I love your farm and hope to see it in real life someday – for now, thanks for the wonderful pictures! The UN website is an awesome source of info – Thanks for the heads-up this morning on twitter.
Thanks for this great post! I twittered the link and blogged it as well. i think supporting local, sustainable and humane fiber production is sooo important – but also loads of fun, and a wonderful way to get REALLy great fiber to spin! (knit, crochet, felt, etc.)
I started a topic about this (directing people back here for more info) on Ravelry on the MVFF group.
Another great post and generous giveaway. I wrote a blog entry about it at http://knit-n-spinninkitten.blogspot.com/2009/03/love-those-natural-fibers.html
i will write a blog post linking to it, but for now i wanted to let you know that there’s an error in your link to the IYOF site; i think you have an extra ‘http’ in there ;n)
i’ll get back to you when i’ve posted!
Thanks Cal! I think I fixed it.
I just emailed this to all my girlfriends
How cool. I’ll pass on the info to my knitting group. We are planning a trip to Rhinebeck this year. None of us have been before, so maybe we can fit in the Friday event as well.
I passed it on to my friends who knit.
nice! (and what an adorable spokesperson photo you chose for the post!) will blog about it!
How generous of you! I will let people know right away!
i posted it on my Knit Night’s group page. go UN!
I actually have this book and it is so great. I visited Victory Ranch in New Mexico at Christmas. What a lovely place. Great book. I’m working on the shawl from Victory Ranch.
i sent the link to a friend who raises Alpaca.
Thanks for sharing the news! Sure this will spread quickly. Just visited an alpaca farm w/my boys last week! I added the link to my blog.
Already knew about the year of natural fibers. Very cool. Also love, love, love that book!
Passed the info on to a Swap group on Ravelry. Hope they all come and visit the blog.
Who is that adorable goat in your picture?
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I sent the word across the sea to my knitting friends in Ireland. I’ve asked them to spread the good word over there….
I have notified my local knitting group, e-mailed my mother and am sending a mass e-mail to all in my address book. Also, making an announcement at my Yoga class!
I posted a blog post at lifeinsarahland.blogspot.com
I started reading some of the articles on the UN site and got distracted mid blog-post.
Thanks for a great post. To spread the word, I told my neighbor who works at a knitting shop and she is spreading the word to all of her customers.
Thanks for the link Susie. I e-mailed my knitting friends…
OOOh- I have this book, it is really wonderful! My friend calls it “farm-porn”! LOL!!!!!
Am passing info along to my knitting girlz…….planning a MD Sheep and Wool jaunt.
I have posted a link in the Knit and Be Happy Ravelry group and on my blog. Thanks for the info. I go now to follow the links.
wow! before I even saw the contest news, I was hitting the ‘share’ button in google reader, cause this is something people just gotta know!! even better a chance at winning a book i’ve been pining over. yay, thanks susie!
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Very cool news. I’ll Twitter and post to Facebook.
It’s going to be a wonderful year then
I tweeted about this.
OMG look at that FACE! I LOVE that picture!!!
How cool! I’m passing it on to my homeschooling group. (All of us are knitters, spinners, dyers, etc.)
Told all my knitting friends – this is really great!
My knitting group played hookie today and we went to Benihana’s for lunch . . . so much fun. But I took the trouble to tell everyone (including George, the chef, who was an absolute hoot) about the International Year of Fibers. I think everybody in the restaurant knows about it by now, thanks to George. What a card!! When I get around to updating my blog (I’ve been totally negligent the past week or so) I’m posting the link there. Thanks for telling us about this, Susan. BTW, the lambcam is just the coolest! Thank you so much.
posted on my blog a link to this post!!
I shared information about international fiber month with my knitting group at work. They are all relatively new knitters and information about natural fibers is part of what we are learning about. Thanks for the info.
Iam going to post your website link to my friends and on my facebook. i wish i had a blog to put it on:/
I passed the information along to my weekly knitting group.
I’ve sent email to friends.
Billie
Will certainly pass this on to the local knitters.
And *&* sent it on to a New Jersey friend of Anne Barclay Priest who, if all y’all don’t know, wrote the book, Trafficking in Sheep. She rowed them to Blue Island, Nova Soctia. Now *that’s* a shepherd! A 20 year story worth a read.
Thanks for this news and the UN website.. It is great. I am tweeting this information and also I will share this news with my friends in the alpaca fiber business here in Virginia. I will share it with my mom’s spinners and weavers group in Williamsburg. They will be participating in sheep to shawl event soon. Thanks Susan for helping make mornings great. I love to have my coffee and read your blog.
Blogless, but I emailed sis in Ireland and sis in Greece
thank you
I posted the link on my facebook page where I have contact with local knitters! I knew 2009 was going to be a special year! I bet a lot of my non-knitting friends will check it out too!
will share with my moms group friends
I posted to my blog…and I’ll be sharing the good news at my knitting groups!
I have forwarded your blog to the ladies in my knitting group- love that this is the International Year of Natural fibers…continue to love your blog!
I spread the word about the UN website at my spinning guild meeting tonight.
Before I had even read this whole post I stopped at the International Year of Natural Fiber part, went to the website and immediately posted a note on my facebook and tagged friends who I knew would be interested and then I sent out some emails…then I scrolled down and read the rest of your post
so here I am letting you know I spread the word and I am excited to spread it more and read more of the website. Thanks for posting it!! We need to get back to sustainable resources and this is a step in that direction!
Just put a post up on WiKnit (http://wiknit.blogspot.com), my knitting contest blog!
I LOVE Shear Spirit. What a beautiful book. (and no need to enter me in the contest, since I already own it!)
told my very best friends about it
always glad to discover a new fiber site.
i have posted about this year being a year to celebrate natural fiber, and i’m planning a veritable yarn bus for the Northern VT farm to yarn tour on June 7, organized by the Mountain Fiber Folk co-op in Montgomery centre (http://www.mtfiberfolk.com/) cheers!!
I’ve posted it to my Facebook profile!
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