Collage of weaving loom, grassy field, textiles, goats in shelter, black goats in meadow, and indoor weaving setup.

Handwoven Textiles

I’m literally weaving a new venture…

You may have known us over the last 25 years for our farmstead goat cheese.

But in a twist of fate, floor looms have replaced our goat herd. I’m designing and weaving textiles that I promise will be produced with as much care and be as lovely as our nationally awarded cheeses.

Take a look.

A black goat in a forest with fallen leaves

Alys in the woods, scouting a new direction.

January 2025: The New Normal

Besides weaving, I’m designing new projects, taking textile photos, working on packaging and this website. More throws with Peace Fleece are on the loom as I get ready to work, in homage to our goats, with more mohair. A second loom arrives next month. Linen lace panels are in the works to complement tea towels, throws, scarves, and some one-off projects.

November 2024: Re-Settling

In mid-November we moved back to Massachusetts (where we’d always been prior to the 2021-2024 Maine experiment) — to Ashley Falls in the Berkshires. Great news for us! A lovely space for a weaving studio. We can walk out into the countryside in 10 minutes. Life changed drastically this past year and in ways hard to evaluate or discuss, but we’ve felt instantly home on our return to Massachusetts. We’re not “other” or “from away”, we’re just us again. Quite wonderful!

Early 2024: Tumult

We realized early in the year that our construction contract for the Maine house and creamery was worthless, that completion of our third creamery was not on the horizon, that legal recourse was only there with endless time and money. Three years of trying to settle into farming in Maine was dust. We turned our attention to the welfare of our goats and sold the herd on Valentine’s Day. Back in Massachusetts, they, at least, would continue their dairy careers. The Maine milkroom became my weaving studio as I turned to something I’d always wanted to do if we were not able to live with goats and make cheese. It was a harrowing few months as we planned our escape.

In the studio

woven textile with plaid pattern in beige, pink, and blue
colorful striped textile hanging indoors
Close-up of a woven fabric on a loom with colorful threads in shuttles.
Red and black plaid table runner on a wooden table with three empty black bowls.

On Instagram

Should be interesting. Just about ready to warp the loom in Ashley Falls for the first time -- a color gamp and a cat. What could go wrong. #ruggleshill
More civilized location for the loom than the Brunswick milkroom! Beginning to get this set up... #ruggleshill
We've pulled off six days of logistics flawlessly: closing on the MA house, moving out of two Brunswick locations and bringing belongings out of storage from 2019 and 2021. Still lots of unpacking ahead, but it's wonderful bringing almost everything
Milo looking down into the kitchen from the 2nd floor hall. #ruggleshill
Camping with the cats. Waiting for Michael and the household to arrive -- some things we haven't seen since 2019. #ruggleshill no #oberhasli
Fall migration, Berkshire bound, two weeks. #ruggleshill
Return to the Motherland, mid-November. One man, one woman, two cats, and a loom. #ruggleshill
Enjoying late afternoon in what was the one of the goats' night yards.
Well... I lost it when our market sign was pulled off the truck. But we've brought up all the creamery equipment, and it's hard to imagine that we don't do this anymore...
We're blue with the goats gone. One huge challenge is how to replace all the physical activity associated with daily goat husbandry and cheesemaking. I'd been reliant on plain physical work to keep us aging well. Long walks aren't cutting it, parti