At Joybilee Farm we call ourselves “artisans.” Each of our one-of-a-kind wearable art products begins with the raw, unprocessed fiber and the hands of an artisan.
We
hand select each fleece or fiber according to our plan
for the finished garment.
Some of the
fiber we raise ourselves according to sustainable and organic farming
principles and some of it is
from other farms in
Human hands are the best machines to tease fibers to ready them for machine carding. They can quickly adjust to remove mats and vegetable matter. They can open tight locks and tangles without damaging the fine fibers and they produce a superior finished product.
The clean, dry fiber, is then hand fed onto our Pat Green custom carder, which cards a superior batt. We then pin draft the final carded preparation to get it ready for handspinning.Handspun yarn is superior to mill spun yarn. The yarn can be given increased twist for more durability, especially important for socks or children’s mittens which see a lot of wearing. It can be spun at any grist suitable to the finished garment. It can be spun in a way that minimizes shedding in the finished garment—a very important consideration when working with Angora rabbit hair. Or it can be spun with a technique that makes a light, bouncy yarn that is perfect for sweaters, mittens and hats made from wool. The hands of the spinner make all the fine adjustments necessary to produce the specific yarn best suited to the materials and the ultimate purpose of the finished garment.
Although many of our garments showcase the natural colours of the animals that donate the fiber from which they are made, some of our fibers and yarns are hand dyed with eco friendly natural dyes. Sometimes we dye the wool fleece before carding, sometime it is dyed in the roving before spinning and sometimes the finished yarn is dyed before garment construction. Each method of applying the dye leaves a different effect on the finished garment. The finished yarn is washed once again to remove excess dye and ready the yarn for the final garment construction.Finally, the finished yarn is hand knit, hand crocheted, or hand woven into a one-of-a-kind wearable art garment. The artisans at Joybilee Farm make each knitted or crocheted garment entirely by hand. Each garment is made in one piece using traditional hand knitting techniques and stitch patterns. We do not use commercial patterns in any of our work but design each garment from scratch, using our own Joybilee Farm designs. Our sweaters are made in one piece and have no seams to wear out. They are made following Scottish tradition with underarm gussets which give freedom of movement for active wearers. Because they are handknit we can add short rows in the shoulder area to keep the back from riding up while they are being worn, for increased comfort and drape. This attention to detail adds up to a durable, one-of-a-kind garment that gives many years of service and is a joy to wear.
Our woven shawls and scarves are also made in one piece using traditional handweaving methods.Finally, following Scottish tradition, we wet finish every garment by hand to increase the softness, handle, and wearability of the finished work of wearable art.