Winter 2010-2011

After you have read this issue focusing on Tibet we promise that you will not only understand life on the "roof of the world" from a very different perspective, but you will become so enchanted with yaks they will probably wind up on more than one or two lists for Santa.

The great beauty of the Tibetan plateau, which is defined by an intriguing combination of soaring mountains and interminable desert all wrapped in the ancient allure of Buddhism makes this issue an exceptionally fascinating read for the fiber industry. Goats, sheep, yaks, and more yaks, and more yaks, set the stage for a country that was once believed to be the land of Shangri-la.

Zeilinger Wool Company celebrates its centennial and we managed to pull Kathy Zeilinger away from the carding machine (or was it the spinner?) just long enough for a delightful interview on four generations cloaked in wool. And just as this issue was sent to press the future of the only farm on the Isle of Portland in England that raises Portland sheep is suddenly at risk of losing their lease with the Crown.


Portland Isle has long lived in the shadow of England's resort town, Weymouth, where sun seekers and swimmers flock to like the beach in Atlantic City. But just a few miles out of town over a narrow causeway lies a high security prison, and a flock of Portland sheep, which had a near miss with extinction. Learn how the prison's pastures ultimately led to helping preserve this primitive breed.


After traveling 26 hours from Xining to Lhasa in the only train specifically designed to go 18,000 feet above sea level, I witnessed both the beauty and devastation in this land that is being scavenged and scarred by the minute. Even the wool industry has been effected as livestock numbers continue to drop as nomads are forced to leave their life on the land and resettle in newly built cinderblock homes and noisy cities. It is reasonable to ask if the way of wool will survive.


What can you say about a man who lets his yaks in the house and names them after the neighbors just to keep peace in the event of a breakout, which happens more often than not. Chris Devaney, a former Silicon Valley slave who used to grow crystals and keep a pet skunk, now lives off the grid in northern Maine with Mossy, Peanut, Yoyo and other members of the herd. "Wild" doesn't even begin to describe the scene at the Yak Outback.


A century ago, Kathy Zeilinger's grandfather found his life's calling in the wool industry and created a wool mill that catered to the farmers who wanted their own wool processed and returned. My, doesn't that speak to the importance of sustainability one hundred years later? We know you will enjoy our interview at Zeilinger's to discover what it was like then, and now. Photo credits: Zeilinger carder (Cindy Crain Newman). William Abraham (Kathy's grandfather) courtesy of Zeilinger's Mill.