Have you met Lona at Shady Side Farm? No? You are in for a treat! I'm going to let her tell you a little bit about herself and family, in her own words ...
Shady Side Farm is a small family-owned and operated farm in Western Michigan. Among other things, we raise sheep. Because of the abundance of wool (each sheep produces 5-10# of wool at each annual shearing), we're always looking for new things to make with the wool.
We produce roving for spinners and other crafters. Some of our wool is made into yarn at a mill right here in Michigan. This yarn is great for hand dyeing, knitting and crocheting. Recently, we started making greeting cards featuring sheep made from our wool.
Our whole family gets into the swing of things, from animal care to planning events at the farm, to creating items to sell. Mike is the spinner (he uses an Ashford Traveller wheel from New Zealand) and knits socks on an antique circular sock knitting machine. Lona has been weaving for 15 years or so, and produces primarily rag rugs made from recycled fabric. Ruth (17) is also a spinner, producing chunky novelty yarns on the Ashford Country wheel. She also designs and creates jewelry (see http://farmgirldesigns.etsy.com to see her work) and helps with the planning of events. Sara (14) is the visual artist of the family, preferring to work with pencils. She is also the animal lover, and is Mike's right hand man when it comes to sheep care. John (13) is our fix-it man, and only helps with creative pursuits if we make him. Our oldest daughter, Anne (19) is away at college and summer camp for most of the year, but also helps out when she's home.
Our etsy shop can be found at Shady Side Farm Details about our life on the farm are at our blog.
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