The Rhody Warm Blankets were a sell out item this year!!!
Thanks to all who supported our local sheep farmers
by buying a blanket or throw.

Look for an upcoming reservation form for the 2012 blankets and throws,
which will be posted on the websiter after the first of the year.
And again, thanks for all the support !!

2010 Rhody Warm Ashland Collection
from our Lost Village Series -- LEARN MORE
SOLD OUT!

Ashland

2011 Rhody Warm Richmond Collection
from our Lost Village Series -- LEARN MORE
SOLD OUT!

Richmond - Light	Richmond - Dark

Background : How It's Done : Our Partners : Participating Farmers

The Rhode Island Resource Conservation & Development Area Council,
the RIDEM  Division of Agriculture, and the Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative
are working  together to create a market for wool blankets made with Rhode Island wool.

Background

Rhode Island sheep farmers are having difficulty selling their wool. The decline of wool textile mills in New England and low wool prices have turned much raw wool into a nuisance rather than a product. As a result, excess raw wool is often stored on the farm, used as compost, buried, or disposed of at local landfills. Rhode Island sheep producers approached RI RC&D with a request to investigate options for the local use of their raw wool.

RI RC&D facilitated the formation of a project steering committee to move the project forward in 2006. Committee members include representatives from the Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative, RI RC&D, URI, USDA-NRCS and private citizens. The Committees project goal was to produce wool blankets by fall of each year to have for sale during the holiday season.

Members of the RI Sheep Cooperative gathered at the Urban Edge Farm in Cranston, RI for the 1st Rhody Warm Wool Collection

This year, wool collection day was held on June 6, 2009. Producers collected over 2500 pounds of wool at the Southside Community Land Trusts Urban Edge Farm in Cranston, Rhode Island. The group then collaborated with the Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association, and Worcester County Sheep Breeders Association to ship the wool to South Carolina for cleaning and processing before returning to southern New England for blanket production.

Clean wool arrived back in New England for processing into a finished blanket in late August 2009. The blankets were completed in mid November.

The long term goal of this project is to develop a process to produce quality wool blankets to bring more income to farmers. Ultimately, we hope that more wool producers will participate in the project and serve to promote the sustainability of local agriculture and agricultural products.

Current Partners

• Rhode Island Sheep Cooperative
• RIDEM  Division of Agriculture
• USDA-NRCS
• USDA-Rural Development
• University of Rhode Island-Department of Textiles & Fashion Merchandising
• Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association
• RI Rural Development Council

The Process

Shearing	Raw Wool Collection	S&D Spinning, Millbury, MA
Spinning Yarn	Finished Yarn	Napping
	Finished Blanket

Rhody Warm wool blankets and wool throws are available in the following sizes:

• Lap Throw  45" x 60"
• Long throw  45" x 72"
• Baby Blanket  45" x 45"
• Twin  72" x 90"
• Full  80" x 90"
• Queen  90" x 90"
• King  90" x 106"

Participating Sheep Growers

• 3 Acres Farm, Greene, RI
• Almi Farm, Coventry, RI
• Amour Acres,  Foster, RI
• Bally Duff Farm, Harmony, RI
• Birchwood Farm, Clayville, RI
• Black Rose Farm, Coventry, RI
• Camelot Farm, Warwick, RI
• Close To H'Evans Farm, Richmond, RI
• Dakota Livestock, Wakefield, RI
• East Meadow Farm, Foster, RI
• Echowoods Farm, Foster, RI
• Good Karma Farma, No. Kingstown, RI
• Haven Hill Farm, Greene, RI
• Holdsworth Farm, Foster, RI
• Hopkins Southdowns, No. Scituate, RI
• Hoppin Hill Farm, Dayville, CT
• Howling Oaks, Rehoboth, MA
• Lady Slipper Farm, Foster, RI
• Leaping Lamb Farm, Chepachet, RI
• Malachowski & McNamara, East Greenwich, RI
• Maple Tree Farm, Foster, RI
• Maybe Tomorrow Farm, Chepachet, RI
• Mistwood Farm, No. Smithfield, RI
• Moniz Farm, East Freetown, MA
• Nest Egg Farm, Rockville, RI
• Red Horse Farm, Exeter, RI
• Sederback Farm, Chepachet, RI
• Seldom Seen Farm, Chepachet, RI
• Siegmund Family Farm, No. Grosvernordale, CT
• Simmons Farm, Middletown, RI
• SVF Foundation, Newport, RI
  Sweet Hill Farm, Burrillville, RI
• Sweetness & Light, Upton, MA
• Sunny Acres, Chepachet, RI
• Tall Oak Acres, Greene, RI
• Twin Valley Farm, No. Scituate, RI
• Watson Farm, Jamestown, RI
• Woodland Acres, Chepachet, RI