Collecting Cashmere & Spinning Yarn

Homesteading has its seasons, and early spring always feels like an intense jump in productivity after the last few stagnant winter weeks. In addition to starting seeds and garden planning, this is also our season for collecting cashmere and keeping an eye out for incoming baby goats.

This spring in particular is about learning new skills that we can continue to build off of in years to come, such as good practices for collecting and processing fiber, and learning how to spin that fiber into yarn. I’ve also been teaching myself how to milk goats, process and store that milk, and how to make cheese and soaps later down the road once our baby goats are weaned. Eventually, this will all feel like part of a normal seasonal routine for us, but for now it’s a whole lot of learning through research, trial and error, and talking to mentors.

Click the video below to see our new goat babies, and some of my first attempts at spinning yarn: