Episode 12: Annie Rowden and Benjamin Hole – Farm and fiber life, adaptation, design and the Isle of Purbeck

Summary: I’m very excited to share the twelfth episode of the Woolful podcast. Today we get to meet two special fiber friends, both farmers and both from the UK, but living the farms and fiber journeys from opposite sides of the world…Benjamin Hole of <a href="http://holeandsons.com" target="_blank">Hole and Sons</a> and Annie Rowden of <a href="http://byannieclaire.com/" target="_blank">By Annie Claire</a>.<br> <a href="http://yarn-fun.com"></a><br> Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by <a href="http://yarn-fun.com">Yarn</a>, a charming online and local yarn shop based in Eureka, California. Yarn was created by Sunni Schrivner who has a dedication for natural fibers and supporting local yarns. Make sure to visit Yarn in person when on the coast in hum bolt county and online at <a href="http://yarn-fun.com">yarn-fun.com</a>.<br> <a href="http://woolful.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/yarnfun.jpg"></a><br>  <br> Fiber folk 1: Annie is an incredible designer, mother, farmer and friend who makes her home on the Lost Coast in Northern California where she runs a goat dairy farm with her husband Ryan and daughter Louella. She’s been a huge inspiration and encourager to me personally and she’s a big reason as to why Woolful even exists. You can find her at <a href="http://byannieclaire.com/" target="_blank">byannieclaire.com</a> and on Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/byannieclaire/" target="_blank">@byannieclaire</a>.<br> <a href="http://woolful.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/annie.jpg"></a><br> This past week Annie released a special pattern in collaborate with our sponsor Sunni from Yarn. You can find this beautiful shrug pattern, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/avana" target="_blank">Avana</a>, knit with Savannah from the Fibre Company, on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/avana" target="_blank">Ravelry</a>.<br> <a href="http://woolful.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/avana.jpg"></a><br> For this week’s “Man on the Street” I changed it up a bit and asked a handful of fiber enthusiasts to ask me a question and I’d answer one. Leanne asked a great question about things I’d wish I’d known as a new knitter.<br> Fiber folk 2: Our next guest, Benjamin Hole is a humble and passionate farmer, running a beautiful generational farm on the Isle of Purbeck with his entire family, including his 90yr old grandfather, and comradery of animals. This past year he helped bring to life the wool of their Poll Dorset sheep, creating the amazing Hole and Sons yarn. You can find Ben at <a href="http://holeandsons.com" target="_blank">holeandsons.com</a> and on Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/benjaminhole/" target="_blank">@benjaminhole</a>.<br> <a href="http://woolful.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ben.jpg"></a><br> The winner of last week’s giveaway, is Alina! You’ve won a pair of knitting needles and needle wax from Brittany needles. Congratulations!<br> This week we’re giving away a skein of Hole and Sons yarn in Fog and a pair of double point needles from Brittany needles. To enter this giveaway, leave a comment below.<br> <a href="http://woolful.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/giveaway.jpg"></a><br> Today and tomorrow, my husband David, Coltrane, my mother and I will be at <a href="http://greenbowfarms.com" target="_blank">Greenbow Farms</a> helping work the shearing of their Icelandic sheep, which are the lovely creatures and farm that brought us the Greenbow Lopi that was in the shop earlier this year. Make sure to follow this adventure along on Instagram and for all those that have emailed and inquired when we’ll be getting more of this Lopi yarn, well, this is the first step in the processing! Next it will be mailed off to the mill and come Fall we’ll have a brand new batch of the loveliest Lopi you ever did see.<br>  <br> Music by Jónsi<br> Transcription to follow shortly…<br>