Vanishing Fleece

Adventures in American Wool

By: Clara Parkes

Narrated by: Clara Parkes

A fast-paced account of the year Clara Parkes spent transforming a 676-pound bale of fleece into saleable yarn, and the people and vanishing industry she discovered along the way.

Join Clara Parkes on a cross-country adventure and meet a cast of characters that includes the shepherds, dyers, and countless workers without whom our knitting needles would be empty, our mills idle, and our feet woefully cold. Travel the country with her as she meets a flock of Saxon Merino sheep in upstate New York, tours a scouring plant in Texas, visits a steamy Maine dyehouse, helps sort freshly shorn wool on a working farm, and learns how wool fleece is measured, baled, shipped, and turned into skeins.

In pursuit of the perfect yarn, Parkes describes a brush with the dangers of opening a bale (they can explode), and her adventures from Maine to Wisconsin ("the most knitterly state") and back again; along the way, she presents a behind-the-scenes look at the spinners, scourers, genius inventors, and crazy-complex mill machines that populate the yarn-making industry. By the end of the book, you'll be ready to set aside the backyard chickens and add a flock of sheep instead. Simply put, no other book exists that explores American culture through the lens of wool.

©2019 Clara Parkes (P)2020 Tantor

I LOVED IT!

A beautifully written story of yarn making. Since I work in the industry it was so great to hear someone write of how it is all done. I laughed, I cried and I appreciated our work even more.

I learned something new

I had no idea what this book was about other than the fact there was a sheep on the cover. Boy did I learn a lot! It was an amazing journey and I loved every moment. Thanks for the experience it was fun!

Excellent story -

Although I don't knit or typically wear wool, the book intrigued me from the beginning and it was well written that kept my interest. All of the backstories and journeys that Clara and the wool took to become a finished product were well done and interesting.

Additionally, the insights about the people, their lives in the industry, and how they ended up working in the industry.

Everything was well written and kept me interested until the end. I highly recommend this book, which is not only about wool, but the textile industry, sheep farms/ranches, and the history of the United States.

Beautiful

I crochet, when I can. Hearing the entire effort of what goes into making our beloved yarns was both interesting and beautiful, in equal measure. I am inspired to continue crocheting, but now, will use more wool.

An Adventure

wow, what an adventure this book took me on along side Clara. As a total wool nerd and yarn fanatic I so enjoyed this journey.

Very interesting project

I learned a lot in following Clara’s journey. As a fellow ‘Parkes,’ I could relate soooo well to her statement about the common misspelling of our shared last name.

Our consumerism can fuel or cripple an industry

This has been on my TBR list since it was released. Seriously, I have no idea why it's taken me so long to read it. I'm also rather clueless about how much manufacturing of American goods has diminished. It's really not anything I think of... I'm an immigrant. I drive a Japanese imported car. Our consumerism can fuel or cripple an industry. As a hand knitter, I'm proud to say that I've purchased yarn from indie dyers that are located in the US as well as abroad. I'm also a fan of Quince & Co and am a subscriber of their Quince Quarterly yarn subscription. While I make it a point to purchase most things from small businesses, I am guilty of taking advantage of Amazon's Subscribe & Save. le sigh. I see there is room for improvement.

A revelation

For my family I pay close attention to every bit of food we eat, shopping locally for organic and healthy foods. Rarely, however, have I thought about the source of my clothing except to be pleased when I find something made in America but after reading this book I will make a priority to search out wool that has been produced start to finish in the US.

The story of a bale of wool from sheep to home.

This was more than I ever wanted to know about the making of small batch yarn. However it was somewhat interesting. Clara Parkes decides she will obtain a bale of wool and walk it through the steps to usable yarn. She begins by visiting a small farm with a special flock of Merino sheep, learns about and witnesses the shearing process, then takes this bale and divides it for processing in several different ways.

She begins with a small business with aging equipment for the baling, another for the cleaning, gets a portion spun and then dyed. Each batch goes through a different set of companies of various sizes until her final portion which she takes to a large commercial house for processing. Along the way we learn about the people, the process, the machinery, and the history of American wool.

If working with wool is one of your passions, you will enjoy this book.

Now, about the narration. An author generally should not narrate his or her books, but Clara Parkes is an excellent narrator! I commend her.

The Great White Bale

I was an armchair traveler for the original great white bale and looked forward to each update from Clara Parkes. This book wonderfully captures the sheep-to-yarn journey and the people along the way. I love Clara’s descriptions - she uses words that are filled with presence- and hearing her read them makes them even more rich. I am jealous of the people who managed to sign up for the yarn samples of the journey but this book is definitely the next best thing.