NEW GLARUS - Patty Reedy has been providing workshops and wool to the surrounding area since she settled on a 21-acre farm in rural New Glarus nearly 40 years ago.
Rainbow Fleece Farm & Carding Company along Hustad Valley Road uses sheep raised on the property to create yarn of all types. Reedy, an Iowa native, attended Iowa State University and earned a bachelor's degree in extension education before relocating to Wisconsin in 1970 to become a 4-H and youth agent. She lived just south of Madison, returning to school to pursue a master's degree in fiber art in the late 1970s.
"At the time I was doing a lot of weaving and things like that, and I decided to get some sheep since I was living in the country," Reedy said. "One thing kind of led to another, and I decided rather than pursue a studio fiber degree, I decided to do fiber supply. That's when I moved out here."
When she started out, Reedy said she simply wanted to source wool from her sheep to create material. She was one of the first in the area, part of a much more common craft today than four decades ago. The name rainbow was a reference to the variety of sheep available, from the darker colors to light tan and silver.
Part of the Rural Education Achievement Program, Reedy said the farm hosts 4-H members, homeschooled students and pupils from the Waldorf School. Years ago, elementary students from Belleville would tour the operation. Most of Reedy's focus on education has to do with teaching people looking to learn about different uses for wool, whether spinning, knitting or needle felting.
The top half of a barn holds stacks of containers, yarn of all colors spilling out of them. Below, a meat selling space takes up half of the ground floor, while a large carding machine takes up the second half. Built in 1915, the massive machinery sorts and threads the wool together to create yarn after it has been sheared from the sheep.
Along with her husband Andy Wersal, Reedy said she not only runs Rainbow Fleece Farm but also teaches individuals how to make different creations. Wersal joined the operation roughly 20 years ago. Reedy noted shaping wool is not a pastime but a career.
"It's not a hobby, it's a business," Reedy said. "But I still spin for pleasure too. I do a lot of spinning, and the other thing I do a lot of too is dying."
The small business boasts of a place where people can find all-natural gifts, from hand-dyed yarns to sheepskins and woolen blankets and socks. A dairy farm operation over a half-century ago, the Norwegian-style barn was converted by filling the gutters and removing the stanchions to accommodate for more than 50 sheep.
The farm also hosts peacocks, turkey, chickens and geese. The sprawling pasture has a creek running through, a large fish pond joining it. Not only do the animals provide crafting materials, but Reedy and Wersal also sell farm-to-table lamb, turkey and chicken. Reedy said when she began the process, she was a vegetarian, but realized a wool-only operation would not be profitable. And she noted, once she met a butcher who was also an animal lover, her outlook changed.
"I love animals enough to have them in my life," Reedy said. "It definitely was the hardest thing about the whole thing, but I kind of got into the natural food movement too. So now I kind of went full circle from not wanting to know what I was eating to wanting to know what I was eating."
The farm hosts events throughout the year to help visitors learn more about a rural experience, working with Green County Tourism Director Noreen Rueckert to bring awareness to the farm. Reedy noted some of the "several hundred" people who visit have never seen a farm. A spring shearing show takes place in April, demonstrating different aspects of wool use, like spinning guilds who visit to show off fiber arts and discuss the craft. Other visitors simply look to gain a few pointers on the process of working with wool.
Rainbow Fleece Farm & Carding Company along Hustad Valley Road uses sheep raised on the property to create yarn of all types. Reedy, an Iowa native, attended Iowa State University and earned a bachelor's degree in extension education before relocating to Wisconsin in 1970 to become a 4-H and youth agent. She lived just south of Madison, returning to school to pursue a master's degree in fiber art in the late 1970s.
"At the time I was doing a lot of weaving and things like that, and I decided to get some sheep since I was living in the country," Reedy said. "One thing kind of led to another, and I decided rather than pursue a studio fiber degree, I decided to do fiber supply. That's when I moved out here."
When she started out, Reedy said she simply wanted to source wool from her sheep to create material. She was one of the first in the area, part of a much more common craft today than four decades ago. The name rainbow was a reference to the variety of sheep available, from the darker colors to light tan and silver.
Part of the Rural Education Achievement Program, Reedy said the farm hosts 4-H members, homeschooled students and pupils from the Waldorf School. Years ago, elementary students from Belleville would tour the operation. Most of Reedy's focus on education has to do with teaching people looking to learn about different uses for wool, whether spinning, knitting or needle felting.
The top half of a barn holds stacks of containers, yarn of all colors spilling out of them. Below, a meat selling space takes up half of the ground floor, while a large carding machine takes up the second half. Built in 1915, the massive machinery sorts and threads the wool together to create yarn after it has been sheared from the sheep.
Along with her husband Andy Wersal, Reedy said she not only runs Rainbow Fleece Farm but also teaches individuals how to make different creations. Wersal joined the operation roughly 20 years ago. Reedy noted shaping wool is not a pastime but a career.
"It's not a hobby, it's a business," Reedy said. "But I still spin for pleasure too. I do a lot of spinning, and the other thing I do a lot of too is dying."
The small business boasts of a place where people can find all-natural gifts, from hand-dyed yarns to sheepskins and woolen blankets and socks. A dairy farm operation over a half-century ago, the Norwegian-style barn was converted by filling the gutters and removing the stanchions to accommodate for more than 50 sheep.
The farm also hosts peacocks, turkey, chickens and geese. The sprawling pasture has a creek running through, a large fish pond joining it. Not only do the animals provide crafting materials, but Reedy and Wersal also sell farm-to-table lamb, turkey and chicken. Reedy said when she began the process, she was a vegetarian, but realized a wool-only operation would not be profitable. And she noted, once she met a butcher who was also an animal lover, her outlook changed.
"I love animals enough to have them in my life," Reedy said. "It definitely was the hardest thing about the whole thing, but I kind of got into the natural food movement too. So now I kind of went full circle from not wanting to know what I was eating to wanting to know what I was eating."
The farm hosts events throughout the year to help visitors learn more about a rural experience, working with Green County Tourism Director Noreen Rueckert to bring awareness to the farm. Reedy noted some of the "several hundred" people who visit have never seen a farm. A spring shearing show takes place in April, demonstrating different aspects of wool use, like spinning guilds who visit to show off fiber arts and discuss the craft. Other visitors simply look to gain a few pointers on the process of working with wool.