The Fiasco and I recently traveled back in time to 1830 to visit Old Sturbridge Village, which is a historical reproduction of a New England village. It was a lovely place and also delightfully full of fiber-y things!
 |
| Pastoral prettiness |
 |
| I love the woods in autumn. |
 |
| Little lamb |
 |
| Friendly ram |
 |
| Naturally dyed skeins of yarn pictured with the source of the dye (like walnut, onion skins, and sage). |
 |
| Fiber type comparison display |
 |
| The Fiasco trying out hand carders |
 |
| My successfully carded rolag |
 |
| To make a coat: 1 day scouring, 1 day dyeing, 9 days carding, 13 days spinning, 3 days weaving, and 3 days sewing. Crazy! |
 |
| Pretty handknits on display |
 |
| I appreciated the bit about “go-abroad knitting”… |
 |
| Carding machine |
 |
| I coveted that basket of rolags |
 |
| This pottery guy was super cool |
 |
| I took home a little handmade bowl and yarn dyed with osage orange. |
All in all, it was a great little trip that made me more than a bit wistful for a style of life that isn’t really possible anymore. Do you ever get nostalgic for a past that wasn’t yours?
Woolen Diversions 
I frequently get nostalgic for eras when handmade things and artisans were the way of life.
This place looks amazing!
LikeLike
Woah! That place looks even better than the Shaker Village in Mass, and that is an amazing place! I love the display with all of the naturally dyed yarns, so many possibilities. Also, I love the pretty yellow shawl that you are wearing in one of the photos, it looks wonderful on you.
LikeLike
It's pretty cool! Come visit and we can go. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you! That's my Rock Island shawl, it's a great pattern.
LikeLike
Wow, this looks fun!! I am really impressed by the vibrancy of those naturally dyed yarns, gorgeous!!
LikeLike
I'm really impressed with how long it took to make a coat. While I knew it would have taken a long time before the industrial revolution, it's eye-opening to see an actual timeline.
LikeLike