Midgard Meadows in Washington
When people hear about my goal to visit every organized town in Maine, they often express concern that it will be difficult to find things to feature in some small places. That wasn’t the case in Washington, a Knox County town with a population around 1500. I had been following the Instagram account for Midgard Meadows for a while and knew it was a perfect fit for the blog. It’s home to Will and Misty who chose this beautiful little spot out of a myriad of national and international places they considered. They moved to the Pine Tree State in 2017 and started their farm of Icelandic sheep.
You know you’ve arrived someplace special when the first building on the property is the “Hobbit Hole.” This is currently the site of Will’s office and Misty’s fiber studio. In early summer 2020, the plan is to open it part-time as a shop in which to sell some of Misty’s creations.
The Hobbit Hole
The fiber studio is charming, in a word. It makes you wish to be a weaver. To observe Misty’s work and listen to her talk, you would think she had grown up around the craft. Her knowledge of the subject is expansive. Prior to our visit, mine consisted of knowing that a weaver uses a loom and a shuttle. I’m not sure I retained much of all that was shared with me, but the next time weaving shows up as a category on Jeopardy! I’m going to give it my best shot. What I walked away with is the awareness that each item produced is a complex work of art.
I’m also quite convinced that Misty is a genius. She has only been weaving for two years. She taught herself. As if that wasn’t enough, my brain became boggled when she talked about the arrival of her loom. It arrived as a box of many pieces. Two pages of assembly instructions were included. They were written in Swedish. Misty figured out how to put it together. Here’s the proof…
And as even greater evidence that she knows what she’s doing, here’s a close-up of her current project. Gorgeous!
It’s beautiful and impressive beyond description. If Misty is producing this kind of work after only two years, I’d say she’s off to a great start!
I asked an abundance of questions about the process involved to get from sheep to rug. It was quickly obvious that I was in over my head. Bottom line: the sheep get sheared, the fiber gets sent away for processing, it is returned, the weaver begins a multi-step process that eventually leads to a rug, or blanket, or towels. For additional details, please contact Misty!
As my capacity for absorbing any more information about weaving had reached its max, we headed to see the source of the fiber: the sheep. On the way to the barn, Misty showed me HER BLACKSMITH SHOP. What?! Jill-of-all-trades, ladies and gentlemen.
Weaving and blacksmithing. They now go together in Washington, Maine.
Without daring to ask too many questions about process here, we slid on over to see the Icelandic sheep. I am truly fond of sheep. Few animals make me laugh more. This was my first introduction to the Icelandic breed. They are in a category all of their own. For one, their fleece is very unique and beautiful. But what struck me most was their curiosity. In my previous meet-ups with sheep, I’ve found them not overly interested in the human. They’re preoccupied and quite busy bleating and doing other sheep things. But not this crew. They stood and watched me without hardly batting an eyelash (this is likely an inaccurate term). The only time they were temporarily distracted was when Will brought them some treats.
Even here, you can see one of them couldn’t be taken off guard!
The Icelandic sheep of 2020 is basically the same as one from 1100 years ago. It is illegal to import a sheep into Iceland. Without the option for mixing, the breed has stayed pure for all these years. Icelandic sheep were flown into North America only about 35 years ago. Will and Misty are members of the Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America.
As I wrapped up this fun visit, I kept thinking how well Will and Misty fit into this Maine community. Aside from Misty’s giveaway southern accent, you wouldn’t know they are “from away.” I asked Misty to share a little more about “why Maine?” and what they love about their new community. In her words…
“Washington has a caring, tight-knit community. The Gibbs Library and Washington General Store are our hubs. It is very rare to enter either one without running into someone we know. I’m the secretary of the Washington Ladies Guild, and our group works all year, as well as hosting the annual Strawberry Festival in July, to raise money for the community. All of our profits go right back into our local charities such as the food pantry and volunteer fire department. You just can’t help but love a community who cares so much about one another.
“People here value kindness and community more than we’ve felt in other places.
“Things move slower here. It isn’t for everyone, but for some of us, it is everything.”
I can’t add anything to that other than to encourage you to check out the Midgard Meadows website. If you’re on Instagram, you can follow along at @midgardmeadows. Thank you, Will and Misty, for such a great time. I’m so glad you chose Maine.
I’m on a mission to visit every town in Maine. Check here to see if I’ve featured yours yet: All The Visits. To learn more about this adventure, see the about page.
