A Mystical Farm

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Norwood, MO
A Mystical Farm

A Mystical Farm We're a small family business of nature loving artists & veterans turned ranchers. We believe in living our lives as fully and naturally as possible.
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We raise AAGBA registered angora goats & sell luxury fiber arts supplies & tools. Situated in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks, our little farm consists of 65 rolling acres, partially pasture and partially wooded. The blessings of Nature greet us daily and truly add depth and meaning to our lives. We lovingly raise an assortment of goats, focusing primarily on AAGBA angora goats. We also raise Cochin

and Brahma chickens, and Silver Appleyard ducks on our little farm. Therefore, all of our livestock are raised without chemicals or GMOs. We provide organic grain, chemical-free hay, and herbal supplementation. We strive to work with Nature and live in accordance with Her. Nature not only inspires our way of life, but She also inspires my artistic spirit. I love to create many beautiful works of art of various mediums ranging from stoneware and raku pottery to handstitched beaded jewelry and a wide range of fiber related arts. The blessings of Nature continue in the gifts provided by our precious animals. Because our angora goats come from some of the best breeding stock in the country, they grow an incredibly fine kid mohair throughout their lives. I love spinning these luxurious curls into unique, specialty yarns! Sometimes, I continue developing the fiber into fine fashion accessories such as stylish handbags, snuggly scarves, and delicate shawls. And with so many precious goats growing such lovely fiber, I also share some with others. On occasion, I'll offer some of these precious curls up for sale, sometimes in their raw, unwashed state, fresh from shearing while other times, I'll wash and dye them into rich jewel tones. We will be offering other treasures too, including mill-spun mohair yarns, yarns spun from our llamas' fiber, pygora clouds, and many of my own artsy textured yarns. Please check back often to see our current offerings!

08/21/2024

Hi! I've been absent from my blog due to personal reasons. Life has been a bit...stressful...and I find it more difficult to focus and write my beloved lengthy blogs when I'm over-stressed. Hopefully, life is settling down a bit and my stress levels will be decreasing. I've managed to sit down today and write the blog that I was supposed to write a month ago. Progress. Moving forward. Thank you for your understanding, love, and support!

Before my life took a few somersaults, I spent some time exploring bandweaving on a 7-thread pattern heddle. It was interesting! I want to try again! The heddle made by Robin Goatey is absolutely gorgeous! I share the adventure in my blog.

07/07/2024

The is firing! Yay! It's not as full as I wanted, but I needed to move forward, so I got it going. Hopefully, I'll have a stoneware firing ready by the end of the month, after I apply the glazes & colors. My Patreon sponsors will have first selection when I have the stoneware firing. After my sponsors make their selections, I'll work on listing the remaining treasures in my . But, all that is still a few steps away. For now, I have the greenware kiln going! Lol!

And I promise there are and in there! Plus, those lovely , , and !

06/22/2024

I love ❤️ this information! My AAGBA angora goats are so much healthier and happier with their "w**dy " pasture.

Did you know that ragw**d contains 22% crude protein and lambs quarters contains 26% as a forage? ( https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2021/07/feeding-w**dy-forages.html)

I also want to point out how much healthier, more diversified, and natural that my pasture is when it has the right "w**ds" in it.
When I first acquired this property over 6 years ago, the pasture contained primarily non-native fescue grass with some noxious w**ds like the perilla mint (that I'm now trying to eliminate), and some horse nettle (that is slowly being choked out by itself), with very little good "w**ds ". Over time, I've worked to reduce (and have greatly impacted) the non-native fescue. It isn't environmentally friendly. I've seeded numerous types of clover, plus timothy and orchard grasses which are much better for the ecosystem. In the process of reducing the fescue and rotationally grazing the goats, I've seen a more "meadow" like appearance develop in the fields. We now have a lot of wildflowers like queen Anne's lace, yarrow, and chicory that flourishes. Along with a lot of the native grasses making a comeback. Allowing these along with our other pasture and forest edge management encourages more wildlife, like rabbits 🐇 and a huge array of song birds 🐦.

Theo is here to be a part of my yearly farm PSA to remind fellow graziers that eating “w**ds” is a learned behavior for most species.

I see lots of folks in farm groups, upon seeing another farmer’s sheep/goats/cattle/horses/pigs eating thistle/burdock/mares tail/ragw**d, “Mine won’t eat it! They will scream and starve before they will eat the w**ds.” And I am sure they are right—their stock is absolutely sure anything but a fine-leafed grass is entire inedible.

If you look in front of him, you can see Theo has a highly refined palate for Canada thistle. He was not born this way. He learned to not just eat it, but seek it out over grasses, from his mom and his mom learned it from our older sheep when she arrived at our farm at age 4. And someday, Theo will likely teach another sheep here how darn good it is!

If you watch livestock, they are masters at learning from each other. What to eat and what not to eat are some of the most important life lessons young animals learn from their mom and their herd. But even older animals can learn new tricks if they have someone to show them…nobody wants to be left out from the tasty buffet! Or, as some folks have learned, if you just put some molasses in a sprayer and tempt them to nibble. 😂 (I’m serious, it’s one way to teach them!)

And “w**ds” in many cases are a kind of superfood. The long tap roots and nutrient scouring habits that make many w**ds so tenacious and hard to kill also mean they are bringing up minerals that might be less accessible to other forage species. In fact, Theo’s beloved thistle has about the same overall feed value as farmed alfalfa—with up to 27% crude protein in growing plants!

This is not a new idea but maybe a forgotten one as we have developed w**d sprays to knock out unwanted broadleaves from our beloved grasses. As a kid, an older neighbor taught me that his dad eradicated thistle patches by simple pasturing the work horses there for a summer—they preferentially ate the thistles, especially reveling in the newly opened flowers and their churning of the soil around the plants made it easy to over plant grass in the spot. Over the years, I’ve found my own horses to adept at the same skill…even when it pains me to think about having my lips touch a thistle. Ouch! It must be worth it because I’ve seen them pluck patches entirely clean of flowers in minutes. 😱

So if you have some w**ds to work on (as we do) and you want to avoid chemical control (as we do) and your stock looks at you in askance when you fence off a spot and say “now eat that!”, maybe ask your fellow farmers if they have some “lead foragers” you can buy or borrow to teach them the ways of the thrifty and the wise.

06/07/2024

My creative ADHD is going in so many directions. I've been weaving, sewing, spinning, and creating pottery. It was really hard to get focused enough to write a blog, but I managed it. When my brain is going so fast that I feel overwhelmed with my own thoughts, my spinning and my pottery are the two creative directions that help center me and bring me a moment of meditative calm. I chose to write about my pottery.

I've been thinking a lot about "time" lately...Time is a non-renewable resource. It's precious. I love to create my yarn bowls and my fiber arts-related pottery, but lately I've found myself drawn towards making bottles...towards putting my time into bottles. I don't give my bottles stoppers or corks, though, because I can't really save time in a bottle, I can only put time into it.

05/27/2024

Where did the month of May go?!? Well, I managed to finish one blog post this month! Yay, me! And it's a really good one! It includes a 4-shaft draft conversion to . So, if you've read my previous post on converting 4-shaft drafts to rigid heddle, but doing it yourself just hasn't clicked yet, I've completed another conversion that you can weave up &/or use to learn from. Since weaving drafts with three heddles on my Harp rigid heddle looms is my favorite way to , I'll probably share a new draft conversion every few months. The video clip at the top of this blog is simply the view of my stitching the gorgeous that I showed y'all the other day. I am so fascinated by the process that I included it in the blog. I also referenced a lot of my previous blogs because I feel like there's a lot of information that I have already shared that is very relevant to this one, but rewriting it would have made this one terribly long and repetitive to those people who have already read my previous ones, yet it is necessary information to those people who may not have read my previous ones.

04/26/2024

Usually when I create an artistic treasure, I make the piece and enjoy the magic of the creation and then happily wish it on its way because I feel that its magic is meant for someone else to enjoy next. But every once in awhile, one of my pieces speaks to me and needs to stay with me. This is one of those.

I've also written a blog about its creation. I hope y'all enjoy my adventure as I loved exploring the techniques and putting this unique treasure together. Now, I will enjoy gazing upon it when I work at my computer. Mystical magic...

Address

Norwood, MO
65717

Website

http://www.amysticalfarm.weebly.com/

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I named my farm "A Mystical Farm " because I believe in #magic . I believe in this #peaceful magic right here, full of the beauty ✨️ of my beloved #aagba #angoragoats , the #lyrical #birdsong , a #gentlebreeze , and the #mystical beauty that surrounds me. #earthmagic #woodthrush #appreciatethebeauty #itsmagical #songbirds #ilovemyworld #begrateful #beautyisallaroundus #conservationmatters #forestmanagement #wemustcarefortheland #caringmatters

More #weaving adventures! This time, I'm working on #bandweaving using my #kromskiharp like a #boxloom to hold tension on the #warp . I have many reasons for doing it this way, which I'll discuss in my upcoming blog. I'll let y'all know when I have the blog posted, I haven't finished writing it yet. #littlelooms #kromski #kromskidealer #sneakpeek #nextblog #iloveweaving #alwayssomethingnew #pursestrap #wovenbelt #itseasierthanyouthink

Following up on my #wildlife #wateringhole that we put in the #forest . It's holding water! And the #deer are using it! It's such a #magicalplace in the #middleofthewoods ! #conservationmatters #forestconservation #forestmanagement #goodforestpractices #takingcareoftheforest #nrcs #forestmanagementplan #wildlifewateringfacility #amphibianhabitat #workingwithnature #restoringnature

After I remove a #woven piece from the loom, it needs to be #wetset . This is a very important step! And the weaving isn't really finished until this step is done. In this #tutorial I demonstrate how to do this important #finishingtouch and talk about why it's important. #wetsetting #weavingtutorial #yarnblooms #weaversofinstagram #sharingknowledge #sharetheknowledge #unicornfiberrinse #notfinishedtilitswetfinished #iloveweaving

#makingprogress on my #threeheddleweaving #twill project! I'm loving my pretty #selvedge edges, thanks to my #floatingselvedges . They really square up the pattern and make such clean pretty #selvedge edges. I talk more about them in my #blog post here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/weaving-with-on-89369608 #weavingtwills #weavingonarigidheddleloom #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #weaversofinstagram #rigidheddleweaversofinstagram #advancedweaving #blogging #patreon #sharingknowledge #bettertechniques #weavingtips #converting4shaftdraftstorigidheddle #iloveweaving

I find #sleying my #kromskiharp for #threeheddleweaving to be rhythmic and relaxing. I love ❤️ #weaving #twills on my #rigidheddlelooms ! It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it. I have a few posts on my #blog that explain the process: patreon.com/user?u=85148435 #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #littlelooms #weavingisfun #weavingtwills #iloverigidheddleweaving #weaversofinstagram #rigidheddleweaversofinstagram #blogging #bloggersofinstagram #patreon #advancedweaving #texturedweaving #kromskilooms #converting4shaftdraftstorigidheddle

I really love ❤️ #leaves ! They possess #earthmagic and speak to me in a special way. I love to hold onto a bit of that #magic in my #pottery #artwork. #magictakestime and creating these unique #oneofakind creations takes me a while, but I love doing it so much that I don't feel the passing of time until I look up and the #time is gone. #itsmagic 💫 #stonewarepottery #handbuiltpottery #clayleaves #earthybottle #handbuiltbottles #pottersofinstagram #imakepottery #iamanartist #figleaf

Did you know I'm a #potter too? Yep! I handbuild #earthy #pottery like this precious little #faerie house! My kiln has been out of commission for a while, but it's getting repaired, and I'm back to making pottery once again! #magictakestime #handbuiltpottery #stonewarepottery #pinchpot #pinchpottery #recycledclay #fairyhouse #fairyhousesofinstagram #giftideas #leafmagic #ibelieveinmagic #ibelieveinfairies

#threeheddleweaving #twills on my #kromskiharp is one of my favorite ways to #weave ! But first, I needed to reset my loom from my previous project. In this video clip, I show how to set up my #kromski #harp #rigidheddleloom for weaving with #threeheddles #littlelooms #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #settingupyourloom #weavingtwills #startinganewproject #iloveweaving #weaversofinstagram #rigidheddleweaversofinstagram

In #freeformweaving the #soumak stitch is one of the most common stitches used to add depth and #texture . It's a really easy thing to do, and I love creating with it! I'm using #kromski #polishmerino in my #tapestryweaving . This #combedtop is perfect for this type of #weaving ! You'll find a great selection, including sampler variety packs in my shop amysticalfarm.etsy.com #texturedweaving #weavingwithroving #earthy #walldecor #wallhanging #weavingonalittleloom

My #peafowl finally got to spend some time outside! We have lovingly cared for these #beautifulbirds within the barn for the past 10 months, and today, we introduced them to their 475 square foot outdoor enclosure. You would have thought they would have been excited, but they just went on in their serene and peaceful way 😊! #peacocks #elegantbirds #farmlife #peaceandquiet #spalding #moreroom #spreadtheirwings #freshair

I'm starting a new project on my #kromskiharp and wanted to share just how versatile this wonderful #rigidheddleloom can be! You see, with a little adjusting, this loom can also function like a #tapestryloom ! Look at all the #creativespace for #freeformweaving ! Www.amysticalfarm.etsy.com #weavingwithroving #kromski #kromskidealer #weavingisfun #tapestryweaving #smallloomweaving #smallloom #adjustableloom #domore

I love #texturedweaving and a project that keeps on challenging me! Continuing my #tubularweaving project, I'm now adding #soumak ! It's a little slow-going around the bottom layer, but it can definitely be done. A little hard to show on video, though...I'm looking forward to sharing the finished project with y'all when I eventually get it done! #advancedweaving #doubleweave #fancystitches #challenging #iloveweaving #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #rigidheddleweavingisfun #rigidheddleweaving #kromskiharp #kromskidealer

Continuing my journey with #tubulardoubleweave I'm adding #beads to the top layer! I love ❤️ beads! I wrote a #blog explaining my technique https://www.patreon.com/posts/combining-and-99006010 #blogging #sharingknowledge #learningnewtechniques #prettybeads #weavingtechniques #advancedweaving #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #rigidheddleweaving #doubleweave #kromskiharp #kromskidealer #iloveweaving #weavingiscreating #weavingisart

Living on this gorgeous #farm comes with responsibilities, including being a good #steward to the land. I've spent the past 6 years striving to revitalize my previously neglected #forest . Today, with the help of a professional crew, the forest is receiving a #prescribedburn to help it thrive ✨️! #goodstewardship #forestmanagement #caringfortheforest #forestmagic #forest #workingwithnature #revitilization #forestsmatter

In between running out to the barn to check for baby goats, I'm still trying to find time for my #weaving ! I've finally made it to the #hemstitch and wanted to show you that I'm adding #beads to my #crocheted #hemstitching ! I love ❤️ beads! They are so much fun! I'm working on writing all this information into a blog, and I'll let y'all know when I have it done. #rigidheddleweaving #advancedweaving #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #rigidheddleweaversofinstagram #beadsinweave #bling #weavingbeads #makingpretties #ilovetocreate #iloveweaving #ilovebeads #beadsarefun #crochetedhemstitch #amysticalfarm #kromskiharp #kromskidealer

I prefer using the #lashingon method of tying my warp to the front apron rod. It's really a simple method, and I find it very reliable for consistent, even tension. This video clip doesn't cover all the details, but I explain it a lot better in my #blog https://www.patreon.com/posts/lashing-on-warp-77557177 #warpingtheloom #preparingtoweave #sharetheknowledge #blogging #patreon #fiberartist #fiberarts #rigidheddleweaving ##rigidheddleweaversofinstagram #kromskiharp #kromskidealer

I'm loving this #tubulardoubleweave and have started my next project! This one will be full of #funstuff like #texturedyarn #beads and #crocheted #hemstitch . I'm super excited about it! I'll try to share along the way. Thank you for being a part of my #weavingjourney ! #iloverigidheddleweaving #iloveweaving #weavingisfun #weavingmakesmehappy #doubleweave #twoheddleweaving #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #intuitiveweaving #themoreyoulearn #kromskiharp #kromskidealer #rigidheddleweaversofinstagram #weaversofinstagram

Sometimes, I share my process and forget to share the finished project. These adorable #mugrugs are the ones that I was #weaving on my #kromskiharp in #doubleweave the other day with the #crocheted #hemstitch . I #embroidered the #lunamoth and #dragonfly on them with my #bernina770qe . I'm absolutely thrilled with how these beauties came out! #embroiderylibrarydesigns #wovenmugrug #weavingisfun #combiningtechniques #tubulardoubleweave #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #rigidheddleweaversofinstagram #weaversofinstagram

This #crocheted #hemstitch is so pretty and so easy! I love it ❣️ It's definitely going to be my new go-to! No more needle for me! #weavingisfun #weavingmakesmehappy #crochethook #crochetingandweaving #rigidheddleweaving #kromskiharp #kromskidealer #rigidheddleweavingisweaving #rigidheddleweaversofinstagram #rigidheddleloom #hemstitching #texturedweaving #textureinweaving

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Our Story

Situated in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks, our farm consists of a beautiful 15 acre pasture surrounded by 50 acres of our very own protective woods. The blessings of Nature greet us daily and truly add depth and meaning to our lives. We lovingly raise an assortment of goats, focusing primarily on AAGBA angora goats. We also raise Cochin and Silky chickens, and Silver Appleyard ducks on our little farm. We believe in living our lives as fully and naturally as possible. Therefore, all of our livestock are raised without chemicals or GMOs. We provide organic grain, chemical-free hay, and herbal supplementation. We strive to work with Nature and live in accordance with Her. Nature not only inspires our way of life, but She also inspires my artistic spirit. I love to create many beautiful works of art of various mediums ranging from stoneware and raku pottery to handstitched beaded jewelry and a wide range of fiber related arts. The blessings of Nature continue in the gifts provided by our precious animals. Because our angora goats come from some of the best breeding stock in the country, they grow an incredibly fine kid mohair throughout their lives. I love spinning these luxurious curls into unique, specialty yarns! Sometimes, I continue developing the fiber into fine fashion accessories such as stylish handbags, snuggly scarves, and delicate shawls. And with so many precious goats growing such lovely fiber, I also share some with others. On occasion, I'll offer some of these precious curls up for sale, sometimes in their raw, unwashed state, fresh from shearing while other times, I'll wash and dye them into rich jewel tones. We will be offering other treasures too, including mill-spun mohair yarns, yarns spun from our llamas' fiber, pygora clouds, and many of my own artsy textured yarns. Please check back often to see our current offerings!