We are still collecting and sending yarn to The Children's House in Syktyvkar, Russia for the special needs children. If you have yarn you would like to donate please send it to us at Thistle Cove Farm and we will see it gets there.

Special Projects - The Komi Kids Yarn Project

In July 2004 I traveled to Russia as a consultant in agriculture, cultural, heritage and rural tourism. This was an incredible experience and my husband, Dave, and I met and made many new friends in Yaroslavl, Syktyvkar and Moscow. While in Syktyvkar we visited The Children's House where special needs children may live until they are twenty-five years old. The boys kept both the vegetable and flower gardens as well as worked in the wood shop. The girls learned sewing, knitting and crochet and made all the bedspreads, curtains and dresses needed at The Children's House. We saw some of the girls knitting socks with acrylic yarn, others doing fillet crochet work using cotton thread and some were doing needlework.

When we returned to Virginia (USA) we decided to send some yarn (wool of course!) to The Children's House. I belong to some fiber e-groups and asked each group if anyone wanted to participate. I also asked the Christian Artisans list and some fiber guilds and friends. The idea took root and people began responding with an outpouring of natural and natural blend yarns. The women on the Christian Artisans list had a contest to see who could hand spin the "best" yarn for this project. Dave was the judge of this tough project but he finally narrowed it down to a hand spun natural colored Coopworth "because it was honest and would make a fine pair of socks."

The following people were part of the Komi Kids Yarn Project and from a heart filled with gratitude, 'THANK EWE!'

Millie Bowen, South Carolina, USA Trish Barrows, New York, USA Gladys Bennett, Virginia, USA Sandra Bennett, Virginia, USA Dotsie Bregel, Maryland, USA Susie Bell, Virginia, USA Tricia Costello, Australia Norma Cowden, Oklahoma, USA Beth C., Indiana, USA Tom Conley, Virginia, USA Cathi D., New Hampshire, USA Eva Davila., New York, USA

June Fowler, NC, USA Susan Havens, Colorado, USA Marilyn L., MI, USA Kathryn N., Illinois, USA Joanne P., Texas, USA Leslie Shelor, Virginia, USA Cary Smith, Michigan, USA Dee S., Avenel, Australia Katherine S., Vermont, USA Amanda Todt, New York, USA Cindy Telisak, Texas, USA Summer, New York, USA

Thank you to the following groups for donating gifts of appreciation to the Russian people:

VA Dept of Ag & Consumer Services - www.vdacs.virginia.gov
VA Tech - www.vt.edu
Countryside Magazine - www.countrysidemag.com/
Sheep! Magazine - www.sheepmagazine.com/
Handmade in America - www.handmadeinamerica.org
Homesteader's Connection - www.homesteadersconnection.com/

The children also thank you and this is the note sent from Olga, our coordinator in Russia:

Dear Sandra,

Natalia Kornakova {The Children's House} got the box of yarn and says lots of thanks to you and all the participants of your project. She has distributed the yarn between the groups of children for working with it. The box was in Moscow before New Year already but came to Syktyvkar only at the end of last week. We gratefully appreciate your project and all your efforts.

We would like to see you with us so let's hope you'll come again. I'm glad everything is fine on your farm. I'm sure it gives you much energy. I know how farm life might fill us with new feelings and make us be close to nature as I spent much of my childhood in the countryside with my grandparents.

Take care and God's blessings to you and your husband.

You are in my heart with your generous souls and eyes full of tears for all the grief and happiness that mankind might experience.

Olga .

We have American Curly horses for sale.