Blatnaid Gallagher talks about Galway sheep with more passion than a preacher trying to save your soul.

I was standing in the middle of a pasture in Ireland surrounded by several dozen fat white sheep, and I mean fat as in “You need to...

There I was attending an Angora ram auction in South Africa’s Karoo, because the Karoo is the mohair capital of the world. Trust me.

Ériu was conceived not long after the birth of Zoe’s oldest daughter. She received a soft, handknit baby blanket from her grandmother ...

This enchanted landscape is precisely the matter now at hand. In a world where nearly every topic magically winds around to climate change,

Benjamin’s partner, John Atkinson, turned-up within the hour. It was lunchtime and I haven’t met a farmer yet willing to miss a meal.

John Atkinson and Maria Benjamin. Photo courtesy of Amy Bateman Maria Benjamin has moved over 40 times in her life so far. However, for the foreseeable future, she intends to stay put. Since 2015, Benjamin has lived with her partner, John Atkinson, on his family’s farm, Nibthwaite Grange. Located at the southern end of the Lake District in Coniston, England, the Atkinson family has farmed the land for 600 years. As an American who often views things through a lens that rare

In the world of mammals, bats are perhaps the most maligned and misunderstood. Often portrayed as leading characters in Count Dracula’s...

In 2023, the UK had 31.4 million sheep divided among 106 different breeds: some with long wool, some with short wool, some with lots of meat

Although it is the 20th anniversary of Wild Fibers, I am cautious about looking back for fear that I might dwell on the fact that 20...

It is the eve of Thailand’s Loy Krathong Festival (“loy” means to float, “krathong” means basket or vessel). It is one of Thailand’s largest

Chiang Mai still has rice fields—lots of them, but some might suggest it would be equally fitting to call it the “Kingdom of a Million Opium

The world of wild fibers casts a wide net, from the mighty muskox to the tiny silkworm. It even includes the downy undercoat of the fur...

When my brother was in the seventh grade he successfully coerced my mother into letting him bring home a guinea pig from school. Scooter...

I have discovered that foreigners frequently enjoy gifts from the States that we natives might otherwise regard as rather common or...

Several years ago, I decided Sri Lanka would be the new Wild Fibers tour destination. In part, because not everyone enjoys the colder...

During the summertime Transylvania is paradise. Centuries of farming have kept the hillsides green and bountiful, and the slow onset of...

Of the 7,500 elephants in Sri Lanka (about 10% of the Asian elephant population), only 7% possess tusks. Although they are now protected, ce

This article first appeared Wild Fibers Vol. 3, Iss. 3

It is nightfall by the time I reach my hotel on a mountaintop outside of Kandy, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka. For the past hour and a...