Customer Reviews

Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn

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If you are not familiar with Gale Zucker's photography, then you are in for a real treat. Her portraits have an amazing way of compassionately capturing many facets of an individual. Her landscapes and narrative work express joy and excitement for color, light and texture. She takes a personal pleasure in photographing sheep and animals and somehow brings out a human quality in her subjects. These photos make it obvious why the fiber farmers love their work.

Joan Tapper is equally talented at providing an engaging and interesting text for this book. As you read each chapter you feel transported to another location. She tells these unusual stories with an intimacy that gives the reader the feeling that she really knows something about the lives of these farmers. There is nothing typical about their lives and stories, and they are frequently quite inspiring.

This is a book that will remain off the shelves in your home and on hand. You cannot devour the gorgeous photos in one or two sittings. Nor can you keep yourself from checking your recollection of interesting facts. For example, who knew that the Icelandic sheep being raised in Minnesota are genetically the same as the sheep the Vikings first brought to Iceland? I am familiar with a Navajo story about a Spider Goddess and weaving, but I had never heard about Talking God who created sheep from clouds, willows, rocks, plants and rainbows. And although I have spent close to 20 summers vacationing in Maine, I did not know that the Damariscotta River could provide seawater to fix the dye in fiber.


While knitting has gained in popularity as celebrities are seen carrying their knitting bags, this book pays homage to a wide variety of fiber arts. The authors explore knitting, crocheting, Navajo weaving, felting, spinning, and dying. Patterns accompany each chapter which beginners and experts can enjoy. If you are any sort of crafts person, if you are not a crafts person but appreciate the beauty and effort of well made crafts, if you are interested in small agruicultural businesses, or would like to vicariously experience a more rural life, then this is the book for you. I foolishly purchased only one copy. As soon as it arrived I realized that I should have bought at least three more as gifts. (Which I promptly did.)

I am a knitter who dreams of owning her own sheep. This book was perfect for me! It shows you what it's really like! Beautiful pictures and long descriptions! It look me over an hour to read it all! I loved seeing close-ups of life on a fiber farm - shearing, carding, dying etc. Most of the profiles follow the owners through a day of work and interview them about their farming, so you get both the specific and the general picture. Lots of text and lots of pictures! Most of the farms are very concerned with being environmentally friendly / sustainable, which is nice too. The actual knitting patterns are no big deal - nice but (shrug) - the real attraction with this book is the inside view of working fiber farms, and low impact living on a working farm.

When this book arrived last night I sat up savoring it cover to cover: very much in the spirit of Knitting in America, this fresh take of notable and varied fiber farms include all the major fibers(wool, cashmere, angora, alpaca, etc.), together with their special cultivation, processing and suggested patterns. These are some of the best of the best in all categories -- a glimpse into the places that some of us know only from fiber festivals. The photographs and texts flow easily and delightfully.

I love this book. I've looked through it layer by layer. I started by looking at the photos over and over. Beautiful bucolic landscapes. Captivating portraits of camelids. As I turned the pages, I felt like selling my house and buying a farm.

Next, I looked at the patterns. While the yarn rocked my socks off, none of the patterns did. The downside is that, for the most part, the yarn isn't available. Beware of falling in love with a specific "look." The author kindly provides a list of yarn substitutions that should be available in your LYS or online.

I was inspired enough by the yarn to learn how to crochet a granny square pot holder. Also, I got some Pastaza to make one of the bags. But it was the yarn that inspired me--not the patterns.

Finally, I started reading the story of each farm. I'm enjoying the little details about life on a fiber farm--the daily schedule, the shearing, the philosophy.

If you're looking for great patterns, this book is not for you. But if you love rural photography or dream of living on a fiber farm, this is a perfect book for you.

This book is beautiful to look at and informative to read. This is not primarily a knitting pattern book, but a book about sheep and wool. The photos are gorgeous and the stories are about families and animals and farms--compelling and enjoyable for anyone who enjoys fiber arts and anyone who sometimes feels like chucking everything and going to a farm somewhere to raise alpacas.

This book combines gorgeous photography, travel writing, and knitting patterns, what more could you ask for? Every section lets you peek into the dreams and creative process of small holding fiber farmers. It's a beautiful book.

I find myself at a loss for words in reviewing this book. As a fiber artist who raises sheep, spins, dyes, and knits, I was awestruck! This is a "must buy" for anyone who aspires to this lifestyle. The yarns are fantastic, the patterns are great and geared towards handspun yarn... everything about this book is just beautiful! A++++ !!!

Almost every knitter and spinner I know has dreamed of having a hobby farm with sheep of their very own. This book tells stories of those lucky ducks who get to live the life we imagine. It tells of the romance (skirting a fleece with a glass of wine *sigh*) but also tells what an incredible amount of work these people go through to get us our pretty yarn.

The photography is gorgeous. Drooly gorgeous.

Wonderful book, a must have for any knitter/yarn lover. Beautiful pictures along with great stories from the people and animals who bring us the yarn and fiber products we love so much. Very diverse, this book features fiber farms from around the country, no two are alike. Plus this book has patterns! Who could ask for more?

Great pictures and interesting storiesShear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn
I also found a perfect sweater pattern I was looking for from one of the featured farms.