High Castle Traditional Crafts
Welcome! High Castle Traditional Crafts offers a wide variety of handwoven articles (including bags, wallets, purses, scarves, table runners, rag rugs, placemats, towels, pillows, and stuffed animals), contemporary, traditional, and historical knitting patterns and kits, knitting needles, hemp yarn, handspun yarn, spinning fiber, Cotswold sheep, and books on textiles and rural living.

Crafty sheep conquer cattle grid Hungry sheep on the Yorkshire moors have taught themselves to roll 8ft (3m) across hoof-proof metal cattle grids - and raid villagers' valley gardens. The crafty animals have also perfected the skill of hurdling 5ft (1.5m) fences and squeezing through 8in (20cm) gaps. They have destroyed several gardens and even graze on the village park, bowling green, cricket field and graveyard. The grids were installed 10 years ago after a gardener in Marsden, near Huddersfield, held stray sheep hostage. Dorothy Lindley, a Conservative councillor in the former textile town on the edge of the Pennine uplands in West Yorkshire, said: "They lie down on their side, or sometimes their back, and just roll over and over the grids until they are clear. I've seen them doing it. It is quite clever but they are a big nuisance to villagers. They eat plants, flowers and vegetables in gardens." From BBC News, 7/30/04.

Handweaving	Let me introduce myself. High Castle Traditional Crafts is really me, Diane Braun. A native of Arizona, I live in Wilhoit, AZ (about 15 miles southwest of Prescott). I raise white and colored Cotswold sheep. Visitors to my studio/shop are welcome to meet our sheep! I learned to spin in 1989, the summer before I entered graduate school. The following summer I took weaving lessons and shortly thereafter purchased a used four-harness floor loom. My fascination with textiles has led me to knit, weave, and spin and to design an ever-increasing line of knitted items. I would like to share with you my love of fiber and textiles. These pages include some of the handwoven items, handspun yarn, and knitting patterns I have created. More items will be added as each becomes available. Spinning fiber is available year round. Cotswolds have long staple lengths of 6" to 10". Take advantage of the Cotswolds' lustrous wavy locks to spin yarns like no others. Their gorgeous ringlets also make wonderful Santa beards and doll hair. Our sheep produce white, silver, gray, and black fleece. Many fleeces contain a combination of colors: silver, gray, black, and, sometimes, bits of brown. Visit my Shearing page to learn how I shear sheep. News from High Castle Ranch - Archives (1/1/06 - 1/10/08) What My Customers Think about High Castle Traditional Crafts. Please feel free to contact me by email or call me at (928) 442-9291, if you would like more information or if you simply want to chat about textiles.
Woven Greeting Cards
Anniversary Gifts
Knitting Patterns
Knitting Needles
Handspun Yarn
Hemp Yarn
Spinning Fiber	Heloise, one of our first sheep
Cotswold Sheep
Classes
Books
Ordering

© 2001-2008 by Diane Braun