As many probably know, Kathy unexpectedly passed away on 7 July. On 24 July we had a lovely Celebration of Life for Kathy in the barn/shop surrounded by the fiber and creations she loved. Over the years I had helped Kathy with various things related to Withers Wool and had been increasing my engagement as I transitioned to retirement from work at MITRE. The intent now is to build on the fabulous legacy of Kathy and with the help of various friends and fiber enthusiasts continue to move forward with Withers Wool as a viable entity. Towards that end, following is what has been happening and plans for the next few months:
Rearranging the barn/shop: it had been the plan to rearrange things this summer. The loft (above the yarn room) is getting tidied up and a lot of the roving and a few other things will be moved to the loft to free up space on the main floor. Eventually the stairs to the loft will be redone (the stairs are functional but unappealing) and visitors will be allowed to browse the roving and fiber in the loft.
Downsizing animals: A number of sheep and goats have been sold to local breeders to make the size of the herd more manageable. The farm now has 15 Merino Sheep and 22 Angora Goats. The plan is to breed the Angora goats in the fall. No sheep will be bred this year.
Projects: Kathy had a number of projects started (weaving, spinning, and knitting/crocheting) that will be completed and put in the shop over the next few months.
·Classes: Classes are temporarily suspended. Withers Wool will have a Demo Day on 8 October (see the events tab for more information) with a variety of fiber artists and we will gather information on classes that people are most interested in. Withers Wool will then start again offering classes from a variety of fiber artists.
For the most up to date information best to either go to Facebook: Withers Wool or Instagram@withers.wool
Marc Withers
