Most recent Issue
Prime Magazine Current Issue
subscribe button
Prime Magazine Back Issues
Shop the Prime Store
Be Featured In Prime
Facebook

Features


A spinning cycle of life

Image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9



At Lavender Acres, spinning fibers, growing herbs, giving back to the land is a way of life

Published:

At Lavender Acres, a small farm in Kansasville, one thing cycles into another. The hay and vegetables feed the goats, who in turn nourish the garden and give the fiber that becomes yarn that provides warmth through the winter. This is the way Clare Thornley and Faye Miller live a sustainable life, rooted in the land.

Thornley, who is referred to as the Martha Stewart of Kansasville by her neighbors, relishes her natural and self-made life. Her 1917 vintage home smells like a molasses cookie, and her handmade products decorate the house. She works part time as a registered nurse at the Veterans Administration hospital in Union Grove and spends the rest of her time in meditative craft projects. Now she is spending time with living projects as well. Most knitters begin the process with buying yarn, but Thornley, just as the farmer begins with the seed, begins with the animal to produce the thread. Three years ago she started raising angora goats and spinning their curly hair into luxurious fibers.

“We do it for the love of the animals, the love of the farm and the whole process,” Thornley says. The two, both 63, have been at this farm 24 years, and each year it becomes closer to its natural state. Their little slice of Racine County has 35 chickens, seven angora goats, a horse, a miniature horse, three dogs and a cat, all living harmoniously.

The inspiration for adding goats to the mix came when Thornley and Miller saw the goats at the State Fair and they discovered their farm was originally a goat farm. Both had been around agriculture growing up and admittedly had the “bug” for natural living.

Why goats?

“They have such different personalities,” Thornley says. The goats are pets: Jade, Fern, Taffy, Thor, Ranger, Buckaroo and Bailey all have different appetites, voices and all have inquisitive, playful temperaments.

These curly-haired, smiling goats are the most efficient fiber producers, growing roughly an inch per month, giving five to eight pounds of silky silver, white or gray hair twice a year.

The history of spinning angora fibers can be traced back to biblical times. Angoras, originating from Turkey, have long been considered to produce the most delicate and richest fiber.

Angoras weren’t introduced to America until the mid 19th century, and since then they’ve adapted well even to the Wisconsin climate. Raising goats in Wisconsin has worked well with their farm and they attribute it to their bible, “Angora Goats the Northern Way” by Susan Black Drummond. Thornley’s nursing expertise comes in handy daily at the farm, helping her tackle everything from parasite problems to mending broken horns.

Spinning is one of the most basic and oldest art forms. Angora hair is spun into mohair, considered one of the most luxurious fibers for its sheen, warmth and durability. Mohair, being so fine, makes for a very intensive, time-consuming spinning process. Thornley often blends the mohair with wool to ease the process. A handspun skein of yarn, enough for a small scarf or hat, takes roughly 10 hours to complete.

“It’s truly a labor of love,” says Miller, impressed by Thornley’s patience. The charge for the mohair covers their costs for raising the goats, medicine and feed. Having a nutrient-rich feed is important to a luxurious fiber harvest, which is more Miller’s department at the farm.

Miller tends to their nearly completely organic garden and takes on the role of house chef. She’s devoted to living as naturally as possible, avoiding chemicals and adopting a biodynamic approach to the garden.

“We let nature do what it does best,” Miller says.

And their commitment to traditional living continues with the other animals. They also raise free-range chickens, feeding and culling (slaughtering) the birds at the farm. They learned the process from a few women who grew up in Italy who introduced them to the Old World way of processing animals.

“We try to be as loving and humane to the animals as possible, but it is still a farm,” Thornley says.

With a little guidance, despite a large language barrier, Thornley and Miller were able to intuitively pick up the whole process, having no problem truly completing the cycle of life. The group of women processed 25 chickens by hand in four hours.

“I feel like I’m reliving history,” Thornley says. “This is the way it was always done.” The good, the bad, and the long hours — it’s all part of the process of life.

Thornley and Miller can be found at the Lake Geneva Farmers Market at Horticultural Hall. They welcome people to stop by Lavender Acres to purchase mohair yarn or herbs from their garden. They ask that visitors call ahead, 262-878-4449. In addition, Lavender Acres yarn can be found at Studio S in Delavan and Artistic Fibers in Burlington.