Woolgathering

About Woolgathering

My name is Carmen and I love fibre.
Especially wool!

I also have a passion for history, and a belief in living a sustainable life, supported by renewable resources.
WOOLgathering is how I bring my love, my passion and my belief together.

Wool is the ultimate renewable resource!

Situated in a lovingly restored 1910 prairie farm house, WOOLgathering brings together all of these things - a renewable resource, processed in a sustainable manner and sited in an historic setting.
Bliss!

I purchase raw fleeces from local shepherds, and process the wool by hand. Every part of the fleece is used for some purpose. Even the skirtings are used as top-dressing for gardens and as soil amendment.

The bulk of the fleece becomes wool stuffing for my Orthopedic Dog Beds. Wool is pretty amazing stuff, and its attributes make it perfect for this purpose:
- Wool has a natural loft, which creates air spaces within the garment or product. It is this trapped air that makes wool such a great insulator.
- Wool is 100% natural – no off-gassing
- Wool is 100% fire retardant
- Wool deters pests and does not harbour fleas or mites
- Wool is elastic – it does not compress easily
-Wool is hygroscopic: “As the humidity of the surrounding air rises and falls, the fibre absorbs and releases water vapour. Heat is generated and retained during the absorption phase, making wool a natural insulator.”

A portion of the fleece, generally the premium sections, is used to create my hand-spun, hand-knit ‘Warm and Wooly’ mittens and accessories.

I am fascinated with the concept of using natural plants and other materials to create a harmonious range of dye colours. My mittens and accessories are all spun from naturally dyed wool.

No harsh chemicals are used in any step of my process. All of the wool that WOOLgathering uses is washed and rinsed at least three times, to ensure all of the dirt and debris and lanolin are removed. I wash with pH neutral cleansers. The wool is laid out to dry in the sun and the air.
After washing, I run the wool through a hand-operated swing picker, to open up the wool fibres and continue the cleaning process.

The picked wool is ready to be used as stuffing.
If I intend to use the wool for spinning, I process it further using traditional methods: carding, combing, or flicking.

Once the wool is prepared, it is spun by hand. All of my Warm and Wooly mittens and accessories are knit from 2-ply lofty yarn that is spun to give it the most insulating value possible.

WOOLgathering’s primary product is our line of Orthopedic Dog Beds.

They are Orthopedic because we use 'Comfort Tufting' to cradle arthritic joints. Our thick wool-filled mattresses keep their loft. That keeps a pet's tender joints off of the floor.

WOOLgathering's wool filled mattresses are naturally insulating, keeping pets cooler in hot weather and warmer in cool temperatures.

WOOLgathering offers beds in a range of standard sizes. I also offer custom sized beds.

All WOOLgathering Orthopedic Dog Beds feature 100% cotton canvas covers that are machine washable and dryable. I use heavy, durable zippers and industrial weight thread to ensure pets can enjoy their Orthopedic Dog Bed for years to come. I call them ‘forever beds’!

WOOLgathering Orthopedic Dog Beds are made from 100% natural, renewable materials.

Wool filled Dog Beds have been recognized to provide calming comfort for an anxious pet.