Check Out Sherry Mitchell’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherry Mitchell.

Hi Sherry, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It started in 2018 when I learned to knit. A garment sewist, I sought a craft that I could take on the go as I traveled. On one of those trips I read Vanishing Fleece by Clara Parkes. The seeds were planted.

American Fiber Production was in crisis and in my mind that meant that WE needed to fill our own pastures with sheep to send wool to the 4th generation family owned mill just 40 miles from our farm. Obviously right?

It’s now 150 sheep give or take any random day and that’s exactly what we did. A mother and son venture who went all in to make that radical life change. We launched our own farm-raised plant-dyed yarn in 2021. We hired family and neighbors to produce with us. Then we decided that the only way to change the greater narrative of American wool production was to make an impact beyond our own fences.

American Fiber was born in November of 2023.

It started with a family who wanted to help other family farms by providing a resource to sell their fleeces at equitable rates. This will keep American wool on US shores, in US mills, in the hands of American makers.

This is knowing where your farm grown yarn comes from. It’s beyond USA made, it’s

FOR FLOCKS SAKE
FOR PLANETS SAKE
FOR COMMUNITYS SAKE
FOR FAMILYS SAKE.

For the right reasons, long term.

We are Mitchell Wool

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing involving livestock is easy. This is a 24/7/365 job. I reflected upon that one day during our first lambing back in 2021.

https://mitchellwool.com/farm-blog/f/farmer

There are all sorts of challenges to running a family operated rapidly growing yarn company that happens to be a functional producing farm simultaneously. Least of which is the business itself. Everything stops when an animal needs our attention, there’s nothing that matters more than them.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We dye the yarn exclusively with plants. This is the hardest way to achieve this but it’s the most sustainable process for our planet long term. All of our products are produced in the USA if not directly on our farm. Our packaging is sustainable and does not include plastic.

My personal enjoyment in the creative process is to design all of our company branding and product development. This harkens back to my days as an interior and graphic designer.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Perseverance. We set goals that matter and achieve them.

And we are guided by our company ethos.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mitchellwool.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellwoolco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MitchellWoolCo/#
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3ItgFAibT4Z3sJ8_VTa4YA
• Other: https://www.ravelry.com/people/MitchellWoolCo