The Green Goat Project started innocently enough. Just a personal challenge to hand make sustainable Christmas gifts for my family. No big deal, just something fun to escape into. Yeah, right.

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How about felting wool?
Even better, cashmere.
Overnight, I was obsessed.

I learned the hard way, cashmere isn’t exactly the easiest type of wool to work with. But once I get my mind set on something I have to see it through. I was determined to create something fluffy, soft and machine washable and dryable. Comforting on a cold winter day. Being the overly ambitious type, I started out making blankets. The gifts were a big hit, but once Christmas was over, I couldn’t stop. I wanted to explore this more and ideas kept popping into my head.

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What can I do with the scraps? How about a scarf? Can I stabilize organic shapes? Dots started connecting between some of my favorite sources of inspiration: Alabama Chanin, Amish quilts, Emilio Pucci.

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Over time, I developed a reliable process to felt, or more accurately “fell”, thrifted cashmere sweaters into workable material. I experimented with different stitches and color combinations. My compositions grew more complex. I learned a lot. I made a bunch more gifts.

And my obsession continues to evolve…