Margie Dyck grew up on the Gold Standard Fruit and Stock Farm in western Chase County. Her great-great-grandparents, William and Jane Shaft, homesteaded in pre-Civil War Kansas Territory. Margie uses different pieced quilt patterns, using some that were published by the KC Star in the 1920s and 1930s. She will also make commissioned t-shirt quilts and 18” doll clothes.
Bison Yarn
Bison are native to North America. At one time, their numbers were estimated as high as 70 million, but the 1800’s saw a huge decline, down to only about 1000 in the 1880’s. Due to ranches that now raise bison, mainly for meat, their numbers have returned to about 600,000. Nonetheless, there is only a limited amount of fiber available – estimated at 10,000 lbs per year, vs 2,100,000,000 lbs of sheep wool.
The super soft fine undercoat of the downy hair used for premium bison yarn has a 1 1/2-2 inch staple length that has been assisted by modern technology that has allowed the fiber to be made into a luxury yarn. The “down” micron count is between 14 -18. The hair contains no lanolin, which is the source of many wool allergies, making it an excellent allergy-free fiber. Buffalo down is a very warm, insulating fiber that is warmer and more comfortable to wear than sheep’s wool.
Bison fiber is bison tough, pure bison can be machine washed in warm water and dried in the dryer on gentle cycle. Machine washing will create a soft halo to your garment. Should you choose not to create the soft halo effect hand wash and lay flat to dry.
Bison down is also:
- Hypo-Allergenic No known allergies to the fiber.
- Water-wicking- Bison down has a moisture regain of about 30%, keeping you warm and comfortable even when wet.
- Easy Care- Because it is not hollow or have barbs like wool; it does not shrink.
Excerpted from www.thebuffalowoolco.com
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