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Jules Slootweg

@woolmaiden

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yarn farmer :: wool spinner :: natural dyer
grower of fleeces, flowers, and dreams
mama to my three favourite humans

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Pillowy softness.

If you have spun with Haunui combed top, you know it is heavenly…truly fibre decadence.

There are six different coloured Haunui combed tops in the Homespun Yule & Yarn Advent. In addition, there are six mini batts and one jumbo batt with a generous amount of Haunui in each one. (As well as six merino hand dyed rovings).

Pop on over to my website to learn more about the advent calendars. Shipping by the end of October. by @woolmaiden

It’s almost time to ship the 2026 Yule & Yarn Advent calendars! After 6+ months of hard work, they are nearly ready!

And if you still would like to purchase a Homespun collection for hand spinning, please visit my website as there are a few left. I have been spinning my own calendar and the Haunui combed top adds a silky softness to each batt! Heaven! by @woolmaiden

What a beautiful October weekend. It was so good to step away from the studio with my daughter.

I have been busy finishing up the last of the Yule & Yarn Advents…just a few left to offer to handspinners, available in my shop.

Hoping you find ways to slow down and drink in the beauty from your corner of the world. by @woolmaiden

It has been 12 days. I still can’t bear to go down to the empty pasture. It’s not how I thought my days of shepherding would come to an end. But here I find myself.

I never expected that these woolly creatures would take such a hold of my heart, and of my life. I started off with four girls when my children were young, and soon enough we had up to 27 sheep at one time! I was much more comfortable with 10 to 14 but even then, these last few years have been more challenging.

As my marriage ended a few years ago, I didn’t anticipate the monumental shift in so many aspects of my life. Thanks to my daughter‘s help, and my boys of course, we made a good go of keeping sheep together. And it was hard! Mending fences, and fixing wonky water systems that we knew nothing about. But in the darkest days of winters and the rainiest days of spring, we were out there, caring for our sheep as we always did for years and years.

Until it became just too much. Juggling two, and sometimes three jobs, coming home to farm chores was overwhelming.

With much reluctance, I decided that I needed to take a break from shepherding. Within 24 hours, I had a lovely family interested in my entire flock plus my young LGD. It was a whirlwind and I’m still trying to find my footing.

With all my heart, I hope one day I’ll have sheep again. Thank goodness I have 50 bags of wool to sort through and share with people. Not to mention over 1000 skeins of yarn.

But my heart literally aches for my woolly friends. Aside from the impact on my children, this aspect of divorce has really hurt.

As I write this, my old LGD, Clover, is laying upon my feet. I think she’s as disoriented as I am. But she’s in her last phase of life and so attached to me, I’m grateful for her company.

I am so thankful I have all these photos of my children and my flock , as well as all those bags of wool. There is some comfort that my hands will be busy for many many moons to come.

This is not the end of Wool Maiden…I am still dedicated to sharing fibre, yarn and stories from my farm to your hearts. Deep breath, one foot in front of the other.

Thank you for continuing on this journey with me.

🫶 by @woolmaiden

Working on making silky soft batts for the Homespun Yule & Yarn. Here is a sneak peek of a misty lavender grey batt made up mostly of Haunui combed top plus merino/silk. Spinning it is a dream! I am now needing names for the colours.

There are a dozen more left in the shop…the Folklore is now sold out (thank you!)

Wishing you a lovely start to your week. by @woolmaiden

Hello friends…I am still here, working away in this busy season of harvesting and dyeing and helping my kids ease back into school. While I get ready to return to my cozy, woolly handwork classroom at our local Waldorf school, I am also busily finishing up the Advent calendars.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your messages and kindness and of course, your purchases! I still have a few Folklore Advents available, and several Homespun.

For those asking and wondering, the Yule & Yarn Advents are now only available through my website…Etsy ended up taking too significant of a cut and it was unaffordable for my little business.

So if you are interested in scooping up one of the last Advents from this year, please go visit my shop at www.woolmaiden.com

Thank you! 🫶 by @woolmaiden

A favourite view from a very special island in Muskoka. My youngest and I soaking up a whole lotta love and kindness and peace with some of my most beloved humans. Waking up to the sound of loons calling evokes so many happy memories. by @woolmaiden

Greetings from our little mosquito breeding slice of paradise. If you can regulate the insanity that millions of skeeters can induce, you’d love it here. The rains have kept the pastures lush and have limited my need to hand water all the gardens.

Some years, the bugs are bad and after four years of nothing, they all came back this year, with a vengeance. But we know it only lasts six weeks or so, and during the heat of a sunny, cloud free day, it is bearable.

The good news? It is allowing us time to do some fruit prep for winter, and lots of canning.

Luckily, the sheep have an impenetrable layer of wool to protect themselves. And look how chubby my lambs are getting! Willow is huge!

Wishing you all a lovely early summer.
Xo by @woolmaiden

Welcome to the world, Willow! I have been waiting for you!

Mama Lilac was a superstar and birthed twin sisters (Hazel is just as sweet!) in the middle of the night.

I awoke at 3:30 AM Monday night (or early Tuesday morning) to the sound of our guardian dog Chloe yipping excitedly. She was determined to get me down there because as soon as I arrived, she quieted and was so happy. As soon as Hazel was born, and I scooped up the little lambs and in the dark, we fumbled into a pen for Lilac to nestle down with her lambs.

All is going so well with the two mamas. I only bred my two ewes as I was planning on downsizing. Both Summer and I think we should keep all four though! They are so adorable. by @woolmaiden

On this day, I thought of my mom and how this is my first Mother’s Day without her.

We picked up a yellow magnolia tree to plant beside the creek, sprinkled with her ashes.

On this day, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my three favourite humans. While one is treeplanting up north, my younger two put so much effort into loving me up with feasting and gardening.

And on this day, we were gifted the precious surprise of newborn lambs to first time mama, Rosie. She was a champ and all three are doing well, nestled in the barn.

For all of you who mother someone dear to you, I hope you felt appreciated and loved. For those of you who mother alone without a partner, I see you…and you are a hero. It is not an easy path, but one I wouldn’t change for anything.

Thank you Leif, Summer, and River…for giving me this precious gift of mothering you. Xoxoxo by @woolmaiden

The 2026 Yule & Yarn is live!

I am so happy to offer my fifth annual Christmas Advent calendar. As always, this year’s advent calendar is inspired by a very special custom painting by @sleightholmfolk , “Home Comfort”.

I am planning on offering all three collections, but for now I have listed just the Folklore (beautifully hand dyed luxury yarn using conventional dyes), and the Homespun (woolly batts and combed top (lots of Haunui!) for the hand spinner.)

There is one gift for each of the days leading up to the 25th. Eighteen are fibre gifts and six are other treasures.

A reminder this is a pre-order item that will ship in late October and early November to arrive well before December 1st.

I look forward to putting these all together for you to enjoy from the comforts of your home!

Please visit my website for more details.

❤️ Jules
Wool Maiden by @woolmaiden

Shearing day was a beautiful day yesterday and all 10 sheep are so fresh and so clean now!

And I have bags of wool to pick through and list in the shop in the near future.

Shearing is a big event and takes a lot of hands to make it run smoothly. After set up (pens made to keep a swift processing flow), to the gatekeeper (opens gate to let sheep back in their home pen after clipping and pedicures), to the sheep wrangler (don’t ever underestimate the speed and power of a teenage girl who amazed even the shearer), to the fleece gatherer and bag stuffer (my favourite job!), all went smoothly. A good job by our regular nomadic sheep shearer!

And now time to dive into the first fleece for sorting and picking. A good year’s worth of yarn farming! (Coming soonish to the shop).

(Not sure OutKast ever imagined their song to be on a sheep shearing post! Haha 🤣) by @woolmaiden