2024-12-18 ... Single-Source Batches
Work continues on Batch Innes-1 (numerically, Batch 11), our first Single-Source Batch of fiber and sometime in 2025, Fabric.  Until now, our "Batch Tags" have been repurposed numerical size tags (6,7,8,9, etc), but I want something a lot more informative and interesting for Single-Source.

In the center of the label is the Innes Ranch Brand, used with permission (and THANKS) of the Innes Family.  The Brand is legally registered with the State of Wyoming.  It is not normal to brand sheep, but Innes Ranch uses the brand on cattle ... so ... I couldn't resist!

We won't actually be sewing this tag into any garments for several months, so this is a draft.  Our kinfolk at Olie's Images (Copper Cactus) will make some of these in a laser-on-leather version that I will bring to the American Sheep Industry Annual Meeting next month in Arizona.  And hopefully next month I will also hand a few to Bob Innes when I'm in Wyoming.

Yesterday, we were discussing whether Single-Source makes sense, given the additional time, logistics and expense.  But I am committed to the idea.  And right on cue, shortly after yesterday's discussion, a customer emailed that a traceable, single-source garment is exactly what he wants.

2024-12-17 ... Followup from Yesterday
Yesterday, I should have explained that, without preventive measures, not only are there people who will subscribe with fake emails or other people's emails, but there are malicious robots that will create bogus entries.  So, sign-up security measures are necessary.  My Dad would have reflected that people who will expend their own time and energy to create problems for someone they've never met must be truly miserable.

When we did free Fabric Samples, we had similar problems.  People would request Samples using fake emails and false physical addresses.  A couple of months ago, I started charging $10 for Samples, refundable with the next purchase.  The number of Sample orders dropped about 90%.   We frequently noticed people making a purchase a few days after receiving the free Samples, but I don't think anyone truly considering a purchase would be deterred by the refundable ten bucks.  And I don't think many people who handle the Samples will be disappointed.  Considering the time and expense invested into our Samples, I think we're a lot better off with the $10 approach.  BTW, $10 doesn't cover our expenses for production and delivery of Samples.

2024-12-16 ... Lessons from Free Samples and Newsletter Sign-Ups
Back in the 1930s or so, Russell Annabel wrote some entertaining and, at least for me, instructive stories about living, surviving and adventuring in the Alaskan wilderness of 100 years ago.  Annabel wrote in the first person, and although there were accusations of stealing the material and stories of other people, his work was popular.  Ernest Hemingway was a fan.  As I remember the gist of one of his stories ....... Annabel told about riding horses into the outback with a couple of comrades, planning to build a cabin in the warm weather and establish a solid base of operations for winter trapping.  As they rode, they came across some people shooting their metal chimney-pipe.  Annabel and his companions figured what people did with their own chimney pipe was none of their business.  Annabel's group built their cabin and eventually had a pretty sweet setup.  As the warm weather passed toward fall and winter, they felt secure in their bog-peat heat source.  But one night they were awakened by fire and had to flee, losing everything.  With the cabin and supplies destroyed, they had no choice but to head back to town.  On the way out, they again encountered the chimney-shooters, and related how they'd been burnt out.  The chimney-shooters explained that if you're going to burn the peat from the bogs, you need to shoot holes in your chimney pipe or else embers will eventually ignite your roof.

I've always been annoyed (Debby says I am much, much too easily annoyed) by websites that put up impediments to me signing up for their newsletter.  First they want you to click on the photos with bicycles, then click a button attesting humanity, then finally respond to an email proving that I do in fact control the address used for the sign-up, and agree that I want what they send.  On this website, I rejected those barriers to sign up, and we let people add their names to our mail list, in various ways, without impediment.  And in some cases we still do.  BUT ... I should have remembered those guys shooting their chimney pipe.  We now have an email list with a lot of bad addresses.  As a result, I cannot send mass emails.  When I initiate a mass mail, the email software sends a small portion, and tracks the number of bounces, unsubscribes and SPAM rejections.  Our bad numbers were too high, and we were quickly shut down after only a small subset of our subscribers were attempted.

So it looks like I'm going to have to hire an email-pro to get this mess straightened out.  That's what I get for disregarding the lesson of the chimney-pipe.

2024-12-14 ... Reviews
People can post reviews of any of our products here on the website.  At the bottom of each product-page is a place to add a review.  Since May of this year, the reviews are handled by JUDGE.ME, an independent 3rd-party application.  Anyone can post, but Judge.me has access to our customer records, and will attach a VERIFIED note to reviews posted by people who have purchased from us.  I think all the reviews have been verified, but I haven't paid strict attention. 

I can delete reviews, but have never done so.  Somewhere, Judge.me shows the percent of reviews that we have deleted.  And of course, it's not a good thing to delete reviews.   I think we've only had two reviews that were less than the 5-star top rating.  We got a 1-star review for our Sample Pack because the Pack was not received.  I sent another Pack when I saw the review, but that was a couple of months after the review was posted.  I guess reviewers can delete their own posts, because that one disappeared after the replacement Pack was sent.  It's not that unusual for Sample Packs to disappear en route ... the USPS has been doing a back-and-forth with Debby and Alex about them, and the Postmaster paid us a personal visit (Blog of 31 October 2024) to return a stack of Sample Packs for technical reasons.  The only other bad review was 3-stars for our Shemagh.  The reviewer said the Fabric is too thick to be a Shemagh.  I have no experience with Shemaghs and can't disagree, although a lot of people do like ours.

The reviewers censor themselves, tho.  I have direct contact with a great many customers, and once that happens I think people want to keep any negatives private.  I appreciate that of course!!  BUT I need to hear the negatives.  Every bad seam, busted zipper, uneven pocket ... whatever it is, we need to know about it.  That info comes to me privately, but I hope it all comes to me.  I spoke with a guy a couple of days ago, who told me whatever he buys he keeps, no matter what, no complaints.  From a seller's standpoint, that might be great, but addressing problems is an extremely important avenue toward improvement.

BIG THANKS to everyone who gives us feedback, public or private!!

2024-12-13 ... Forever Chemicals
Last week, in the course of a long, rambling and delightful phone call with a new customer, we got round to the subject of healthy vs non-healthy textiles.  Turns out he is a water-purification professional.  He had not thought about his sort of work in relation to textiles and clothing, but his work is very strongly affected by recently-adopted standards regarding PFAS, which are widely used in industry, including the textile industry.

In response to the question WHAT ARE PFAS?, perplexity.ai gave me this:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used since the 1940s in various industrial and consumer applications due to their unique properties, such as resistance to heat, water, and grease. These chemicals are often found in products like non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, waterproof clothing, firefighting foams, and food packaging

Characteristics of PFAS
Chemical Structure: PFAS are characterized by strong carbon-fluorine bonds, which contribute to their stability and persistence in the environment. This means they do not break down easily, leading to long-lasting contamination.

Types: There are thousands of different PFAS, with two of the most studied being perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). These substances have been phased out in many regions due to health concerns but remain present in the environment from historical use.

Environmental and Health Concerns
PFAS have been detected in water, soil, and even in the blood of humans and animals worldwide. Their persistence raises significant environmental concerns as they accumulate over time. Exposure to certain types of PFAS has been linked to various health issues, including immune system effects, hormonal disruption, and increased risk of certain cancers.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies PFAS as emerging contaminants due to their widespread presence and potential health risks.

Applications
PFAS are used in a variety of applications:

• Consumer Products: Non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpets, and waterproof clothing.
• Industrial Uses: Firefighting foams (especially aqueous film-forming foams), metal plating, and electronics manufacturing
• Food Packaging: Some PFAS are used in food packaging materials to resist grease and oil

In summary, PFAS are a complex group of chemicals with widespread use and significant environmental persistence. Their potential health effects continue to be a subject of research and regulatory scrutiny as efforts are made to manage their presence in the environment.

 

[I need to make a quick run into NYC and will finish this entry later today! ... Back from NYC ... took longer than expected.  Midtown traffic is awful this time of year, but the runup to Christmas is still a great time to visit NYC.  On the way out of town, I was stopped by the police to make room for some VIP motorcade.  But the road was wide open once the police waved me through.]

Last week's caller had some interesting things to say about PFAS and his own work.  Because the clean-water standards have recently become must stricter regarding PFAS, the water filters need to be replaced five to ten times more frequently, which has caused overall operations to become around 85% more expensive.  Plus, the activate charcoal filters are getting difficult to acquire.  Other points he brought out:

• We encounter PFAS frequently in fast-food wrap, and can ingest it as a result of it touching our pizza, burgers and fries
• Cash-register receipts are normally printed on paper coated in PFAS because they make the paper less prone to jamming the printer.  He predicted there will soon be strong demand for PFAS-free printer paper

A couple of years back, I had an interesting impromptu experiment with DWR (Durable Water Resistant) finishing on fabric.  The finishing treatments are based on PFAS.  I was meeting with someone who suggested we start using DWR on our Fabric, which I did not want to do.  So he poured a little water on some DWR-treated fabric to show me how it beaded up.  Then we poured some water on some WeatherWool Fabric, and the water similarly beaded up.  Nice.  We moved away from that spot and discussed some other issues for maybe 20 minutes, then we checked on the fabrics again.  The water had soaked into the DWR-treated fabric, but was still sitting up top of the WeatherWool.  Particularly when WeatherWool is new, and the "nap" is really standing up, water rolls right off our Fabric.  Usually, our Fabric wouldn't be situated so that water can pool on it, but it was great to see that even then, with new Fabric, the water just sat on top.

 

2024-12-12 ... Sheep Industry Convention
The American Sheep Industry is holding its Annual Meeting January 15-18, in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I'll be there, along with Cody.  It will be good to see a bunch of the folks, but this year I hope also to have Cody film some interviews.  If anyone has suggestions, please LMK! -- THANKS

2024-12-11 ... More Chore Coats Available
We just re-upped on Chore Coats.  On hand now are at least a couple of Chore Coats in all three colors and all nine sizes.  Announced here first.  Tomorrow, they'll be on the website Landing page and Social Media.  Thanks for checking out the Blog!

2024-12-10 ... MAHA for Textiles?
I just signed up to be part of RFK Jr's MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) at MAHANow.org

Near as I can tell, MAHA does not focus on textiles.  The sign-up had an IDEAS box, and I told them that we spend almost our entire lives wrapped in textiles -- clothing or bedding -- and that textiles should be part of MAHA.  I also volunteered to talk to community for 5-10 hours per week.  It would be somewhat amazing if they get back to me.  But now that Healthy Clothing is so lodged in my head, I feel like it would also be amazing if they DON'T get back to me.

Challenging "big-polyester" would seem cupcakes compared to challenging big-pharma!

2024-12-09 ... APOLOGIES to Jonathan and Mrs ... Opening Day
A wonderful couple and valued customers from Tennessee stopped by this morning, and apologies to Jonathan and Mrs for not being here to greet them personally until just before they left.  Last week, Jonathan informed me they'd be coming, and Alex and Debby were here for their arrival.  They even brought some wonderful homemade Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip cookies!!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Today was Opening Day of "Buck Season" in New Jersey.  I grew up in a hunting family.  My Dad and his buddies, uncles, cousins ... lots of hunters.  Many people will understand the traditions.  As a very young boy at family gatherings, talk among the men and older boys would invariably turn to deer, and I was just absolutely burning to be old enough to join them on the hunt.  And in those days, it was much more concentrated.  Almost all of Jersey's deer hunting took place during the 6-day Buck Season.  Now, with whitetails everywhere, deer season at The Swamp is over 5 months long, and there is literally no limit on antlerless deer.  But in the old days, the focus was a short period in December.  In rural areas, schools closed for Opening Day and large numbers of men would take vacation from work.  (Very few female hunters in those days, unlike now.)

So today is sort of in my blood.  It's fairly standard that people back off on things as the years go by.  I remember as a young guy thinking it was weird that my kin (women in my family did not hunt) would age-out of hunting.  They'd get into their 50s and slow down or stop.  Going out in the pre-dawn cold for some reason loses its appeal.  At this point, I'm nowhere near as enthusiastic as I used to be, but I still feel the call of Opening Day!

As it turned out, this morning was remarkably quiet at The Swamp.  Plenty of waterfowl around, lots of squirrels and songbirds.  A couple of hawks.  Even a beautiful red fox cruised by me as night turned into full daylight.  But no deer for me and not even any shooting within earshot.  The freezer already holds the venison from two Pennsylvania deer taken in October, but I'd like one or two more.  Plus, since 1998, the year we bought the place, I'm pretty sure we've taken venison from there every year.  Plenty of opportunity still to come, as Deer Season at The Swamp runs through mid-February.

Sorry, Jonathan and Mrs (in an Anorak!), but skipping Opening Day (Opening MORNING!) of Buck Season would have felt very weird and even a bit improper.  I hope to see you again in Jersey.

2024-12-07 ... One Step Forward, One Step Back
Following from yesterday's post about trailering into NYC's Garment District via the Lincoln Tunnel ... I called the Port Authority Tunnel Hotline again.  Alex called on Thursday and I called yesterday.  And it really does seem to be a hotline.  A person willing to speak authoritatively answered the phone directly on each call, and assured us we could drive our trailer through the Tunnel.  So, today, I did.  I kept feeling like someone was going to stop me, but NOPE.  Sailed right through!   Taking the Lincoln instead of the George Washington Bridge saved me about 45 minutes each direction.  A nice step forward!  And Midtown Manhattan on Saturday morning is cupcakes.  At 8AM, the road is mine.   So a Nice Step Forward THANKS to Alex.

But also, a step backward.  A couple weeks ago I wrote how surprisingly cheap it was to have our Fabric delivered to us from American Woolen by common carrier.  Well, it turned out the great price was due to clerical error, and the correct price was triple.  So, On The Road Again.

2024-12-06 ... THANKS ... and ... WELL, DUH!!
BIG THANKS to Avery J for an email addressing my post from yesterday.  ChatGPT provided a remarkably clear road map for achieving the goal.  And evidently a lot of what I want to do is already available.  Great to know!  Will still need someone to string the pieces together.

Yesterday, I was talking to Alex about a pickup I need to make in midtown Manhattan tomorrow.  Alex said he'd help.  I told him we'd need to leave early because going over the George Washington Bridge is more than double the miles of the direct route through the Lincoln Tunnel.  Alex said there is no problem taking our little trailer through the Tunnel.   I've had it in my head that trailers aren't allowed in the Tunnel since my days in trucking ... 50+ years ago.  But Alex was right.  The big trucks I worked on way back when did not go through the Tunnel because of height restrictions.  My little trailer is only about 8 feet tall.  No problemo!  WELL, DUH-DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN!

2024-12-05 ... Tech Help Needed
We will probably create a HELP WANTED section on this website before long, but if anyone can help with this ...

KYC (Know Your Customer) is hugely important.  I'd like our CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System to be more efficient and complete than me simply typing into my phone.  Ideally, what I want, or something better, already exists.  Here's what we do and where we need to go with it. 

For every customer, I try to save in my phone:

• Full name
• Phone
• Email
• What they bought or were interested in ….
• Date of first contact
• State or province or country where they live
• WeatherWool (to indicate this is not a personal contact)
• Notes … such as …. "Wolf biologist" or "Visited us Dec 2024 during family trip to NYC"

All the above info can be stored in and extracted from Shopify, the platform that supports our web-store.

We would run a weekly or even daily data extraction from Shopify that would automatically update my phone.

I need to hand off some of the phone calls to members of my family.  So I would want the extract to update their phones, too.

Probably we will all need to get phones that support two different lines, one personal and one dedicated to WeatherWool.  I want to keep CRM within the family.

When a customer calls, I everyone's WeatherWool phone would display the caller's extract, so we can answer "HI FRED!   WOW, it’s been a year already since we sent you the Anorak!   Hope it’s been working for you."

2024-12-03 ... Import Duty Vagaries
A few years ago, a customer asked about import duties to UK, and I spent an unhappy time trying to figure out what customs authorities would charge for an Anorak.  My main take-away was that the tariffs are mind-numbingly boring and complex.  I even corresponded with a polite customs official whose named rhymed with BORE (appropriately (sorry!!)).

It seems the complexity of the regulations and the application, in our situation, of those regulations on individual items by, probably, the lowest-level employees, leads to irregular assessment.  In October and November of 2024 a couple of UK customers sent some numbers:

• A Chore Coat (USD 495 ... about GBP 400 pounds) incurred VAT of 48 pounds, Customs Duty of about 5 pounds and Handling Fee of 8 Pounds.  The total of all import fees was 60.55 pounds.  Less than expected.  Thanks to Liam for this info!!  But in November, 2024, a Chore Coat attracted total fees of GBP 83.19.
• Also in November of 2024, same customer purchased a Basic Vest (USD 395) and was assessed customs charges of GBP 131.76.   In this case, the lower-priced Vest was much more expensive to import than the Chore Coat.

The tariffs are long and complex and I would be willing to bet are subject to wide interpretation at the level of the individual customs officer.

2024-12-02 ... Bigger Picture
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, advises investments that change lives.  Interesting.   WeatherWool has certainly changed the lives of my immediate family.  But (sorry to repeat somewhat) my perspective has grown since starting this company.

• We are hoping that people will wear clothing that does a better job of being "our primary shelter", as Advisor Bill McConnell put it to me years ago
• We are hoping that people will wear clothing that will not expose them to harmful/toxic substances (touched on in this space yesterday)
• We are hoping that people will choose clothing that is less harmful to the environment ...
• And this is a shocker to me, but ... I just received a text from a gent who said he has wanted WeatherWool for years, but could not afford it.  And so three years ago he changed his life, and now he can afford some of our wool.  WOW, I HOPE WE DON'T DISAPPOINT HIM!!!

2024-12-01 ... Big Synthetics
I've been on about this for a while.  My convictions and suspicions continue to grow.

There are very large companies making performance clothing, athletic clothing, "athleisure" apparel.  Companies with sales over US $1 billion.  And these companies spend enormous sums on advertising, endorsements and promotions.  But I don't recall ever seeing them put forth any material about their products being healthy to wear.  I think that is very indicative.  I think a tidal wave is coming.

We're going to see what we can do to make our products healthier.  And we're going to find out how our products compare to the products from the big boys.

2024-11-30 ... Wool and Fire Video
Cody's putting together some ideas for a video on WOOL AND FIRE.  People who are potentially exposed to fire, high heat or incendiary devices have long known that wool is non-flammable.  Most of us don't think about that until it's important.  But then it's REALLY important.  If you have any ideas or stories or materials, please forward to Cody@WeatherWool.com

Here is a link to our original Fire and Heat page, which I have not updated in almost three years.  On this page is a link to an intense old house-fire video made by the government of New Zealand.

THANK YOU! -- Ralph

2024-11-29 ... Buffett Quote
I just saw a 5-second video of Warren Buffett from many years ago:  "Lose money for the firm and I will be understanding.  Lose a shred of reputation for the firm and I will be ruthless."

Indeed.  We are going to make mistakes.   Maybe more than our share of mistakes.  But so long as we always strive to do what we have set out to do, I think we'll be OK.

2024-11-26 ... Al's Anorak Video from Cody
Cody just posted on YouTube a new video on Al's Anorak.  We will eventually have a video on every one of our products.  THANKS FOR GREAT WORK, CODY!!

2024-11-25 ... Small Items
We spent Saturday afternoon at the home of Melanie and Adrian, proprietors of Fernhall Estate and Sheep Farm.  Fernhall is an historic property, available for accommodations and private events and originally built in 1916 by the Johnson (& Johnson) family.  Melanie and Adrian have run a long way in the "sheep world", and so we had a lot of common ground to discuss and laugh about and explore together.  The day was a little crazy because they were digging out from 18 inches (45 cm) of snow and a power outage.  I'm sure we'll be back to see much more of the place and learn a lot more about the sheep operations.  THANKS to Melanie, Adrian, Scott, JP and Adrian Jr for a really nice afternoon/evening!!

Yesterday we had an Open House, which was interesting and fun as usual.  One of our guests is an owner of Bali Mandala, a resort and retreat on the spectacular Indonesian Island of Bali.  Every stay "is tailored to the different needs of the guests."  WOW, I want to visit!!

I did a little deer hunting this morning at The Swamp.  I always love to be in the woods as night turns to day.  No shots taken, although a deer or two did offer.  Plenty of Mallards, Wood Ducks and Canada Geese about, and even a Great Horned Owl.  Owl calls are frequently heard there -- mostly the WHO COOKS FOR YOU of the Barred Owl -- but I don't see them much.  They do not tolerate human presence.  The Great Horned is an extremely aggressive hunter that will kill even other owls and raptors.  A few years ago, I found a spot where a Coopers Hawk was eaten.  After doing a little research just now, and seeing some videos of owls preying on roosted raptors at night, I am guessing the Coopers was taken by a Great Horned.

This morning also offered an interesting experiment on the effect of the sun on our products.  The temp was only slightly below freezing before sunup, and a clear sunny day was correctly predicted, meaning quickly rising temperature.  I wore my old (2012) original All-Around Jacket over a short-sleeve wool base.  And to conceal my pale skin, white hair and white beard, I wore a Drab Green Neck Gaiter as a balaclava.  Waiting for first light, the Gaiter made my face and head feel absolutely toasty.  Later, with the sun on my right side, I could feel the Gaiter warming substantially as it picked up the energy of the sun.  The Lynx Pattern All-Around Jacket didn't seem to warm at all from the sun, although the Jacket was not snugged to my skin the way the Gaiter was.

2024-11-23 ... Doesn't Get Better!
Thanks for this wonderful message, Chris!!!!

Hey Ralph, this is Chris. This is where I come to pray and last night I was up here for four hours in the rain and I never got cold.  If you want to use this for whatever you can.  Ralph but I never got cold last night thank you brother.

2024-11-21 ... At The Swamp
It was really nice to see a Bald Eagle at The Swamp on Tuesday!  They are not common in New Jersey, but numbers are growing.  It was perched high up in a tree overlooking the Rockaway River, and I didn't notice it until it flew off at my approach.

Beavers are back again this year and this morning I noticed this tree that was girdled in the last day or two by beaver:

I didn't realize that beaver would eat so much bark off a tree with no attempt to cut it down.  This tree was about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, but the beaver take down bigger trees than that.  This tree was completely girdled and so it will die.  It will be interesting to see if the beaver returns to drop the tree.   I'm guessing if the beaver was going to do that, it would have done so right off, tho.  I would have thought the bark down low on a tree would be thicker and tougher and less nutritious than the bark on the young branches up high.  I don't know beaver, and haven't thought about them, but assumed (you know what they say about ASSUME!!) the best eating would be on the thinner branches, and that was the reason they cut down trees in the first place.

Below is another photo taken today of a different tree the beavers have been hammering.  Also in this photo is the jawbone of a deer (lower right corner), Toward the left-middle of the photo are some small, white-gray clam shells.  What critter digs these clams out of the riverbed and deposits the clam shells on the bank is a mystery that nobody has explained to my satisfaction.  Sometimes there are hundreds of clam shells in one small area.  At this spot are a couple piles of otter droppings (identification based on photos on websites) which don't really show in the photo but strengthen my suspicion that the shells were left by otter, which are very common here.  BUT ... the shells show no sign of breakage or teeth marks.  They never do.  I wonder if the otter deposit the shells on the bank and then wait for the clams to open on their own?  Just thought of that!

 

 This is a nice photo of the pulse of life The Swamp. 

2024-11-20 ... Communications Limits/Triage
Half my life ago, I was hired by a guy who became a big deal in Wall Street technology.  My hire was really overdue, and pretty soon I was overwhelmed with requests for whatever.  My boss told me this was good, and if the phone stops ringing, that's when you have a problem.  He also told me just because someone asks for something, doesn't mean you have to do it.  He explained that people will ask again, follow up, if it's important.  He was right.

I've been trying hard to respond to every email, phone call, text message, Facebook message, YouTube comment, Instagram message, Instagram comment, WhatsApp message, snail mail (yes, still!).  Every single contact comes direct from a person who had something to tell me or ask me.  But if I'm away from things for any length of time, meaning a matter of hours, not days, a lot of contacts will build up and I'll need to devote a lot of time, which I don't really have, to get current.

Right now, I've got about 300 unread emails.  I'm going to have to mark about 250 of them as READ, and just hope that anyone who doesn't get a response either tries again or lets it go, without being offended!!  Probably I need to re-arrange my workload, and maybe get an assistant, but that's not in the cards at present.

This is routine business stuff, not really interesting, I know.  I'm putting it here in hopes that some of the people who didn't get their deserved response will see this post.

-------- An email just arrived from the gent in the photo from the blog of the 18th:  "the Capercaillie can go up to 5kg so even 10 times the weight of the ruffed grouse and can live for more than 10 years."

2024-11-19 ... Lending Library
We established the Lending Library about three years ago.  The Library has been more popular than we anticipated.  It's a convenient way for people to sell back to us garments that are too big, too small, too warm, etc., and it's an inexpensive way for people to try/test/borrow a garment.

For $30, people can borrow an item for a couple of weeks, and either buy it outright or return it.  We don't ask for a deposit or any other type of security.  We send valuable garments with nothing more than an understanding the wool will be purchased or returned in a short time.  Out of hundreds of transactions, we've never been stiffed.  The closest we came to a bad apple was one guy we had to chase for months.  He repeatedly mailed us that he'd return the item, but a lot of time was going by.  I told him we'd pursue legal action -- and I would have, even though it would have been a ridiculous waste of money -- but then I thought of embarrassment.  A little web-searching showed me where the guy worked.  I phoned him at the office, and told his assistant that we were ready to take legal action if he didn't honor his given word and return the wool.  That quickly provoked a return phone call.  The borrower felt I'd GONE OVER THE LINE, leaving such a message at his office.  This was probably six months into his borrow, so I didn't at all feel I'd gone over the line, and told him I'd call his office again, and take legal action, if the wool didn't get back.  He quickly returned.

This was a trivial episode with an important lesson for me.  What mattered to that guy was being portrayed in a bad light at his place of business.  Embarrassment, humiliation, shame ... powerful motivators.  Fast, easy, simple.

And HATS OFF to the hundreds of other people who've handled themselves with integrity.

2024-11-18 ... Capercaillie
In the USA, quite a few upland (non-waterfowl) bird hunters refer to the Ruffed Grouse as THE KING OF GAME BIRDS.  For those not familiar, the Ruffed Grouse is an immensely energetic and somewhat crazy bird that reminds of an undersized chicken.  Their drumming sounds during spring mating season and in particular their habit of sitting very still and then suddenly flushing with a LOUD explosion of wings will be remembered by everyone who has spent time in grouse habitat.  Wonderful as the Ruffed is, it weighs only a little over a pound (500 grams).

In various parts of Europe and Asia is the closely-related but MUCH bigger Capercaillie, about FIVE TIMES the size of the Ruffed.  One of our customers is a very serious student and researcher of the Capercaillie, and acquired some of our wool for his work in snowy woods.  We'll probably have more about this in the months to come, but here's a nice photo:

Anorak, Watch Cap, Neck Gaiter.  All in Natural White (undyed and unbleached) Wool.  And a little more info from the fellow in the photo:  "The Capercaillie can go up to 5kg so even 10 times the weight of the ruffed grouse and can live for more than 10 years."

2024-11-17 ... Struggles
Yesterday, JR told me some of the best production shops in the Garment District are really hurting for business now.  Last week, three customers asked us for hardship refunds.  (We refund anyone who needs the money.)   I don't think we've ever had more than one such refund in any given previous week. 

2024-11-16 ... Garment District
Nice delivery this morning to Factory8 in NYC's Garment District.  It's surprising to me how quiet the city is on Saturday morning, compared to a weekday.  It seems like more companies should do their deliveries on Saturday.

Our little trailer was holding 2500 pounds (1150 kg), which is 100% of reco'd load.  If necessary, the truck could have handled an additional 50% of that weight.  We were carrying FullWeight Black Fabric for All-Around Jackets, Double Hoods, Hooded Jackets and Blankets.  We also had some Natural White for Blankets.

We found out a week or so ago that what we had thought were Medium Blankets were instead off-size, 52 x 58 inches (132 cm x 147 cm).  Not sure how that happened, but ... these Blankets in FullWeight and MidWeight Natural White, are offered in the LENDING LIBRARY PLUS section.  So, Advisor JR Morrissey's Factory8 will soon complete the Medium Blankets that I owe to several people and expected to ship a while ago already.  SORRY FOLKS!!  Mea culpa!!!

One of the things I really like about working with Factory8 is that almost everything needed to turn our Fabrics into garments happens in one building.  And now, the owners of some of the other companies that work under JR's direction know me a little.  Before JR came outside, the owner of the Cutting Room (yes, a company devoted to cutting) greeted me, and shortly thereafter the owner of the sewing company also said HELLO.  It's a very good thing to have such a tight-knit team.

JR was working in one of our Hoodies made way back in 2014, maybe the first piece we did with him.  He still wears it very frequently.  We haven't made the Hoodie in a long time.  Maybe we will again.  A more-casual version of the Hooded Jacket.

Before we unloaded, JR showed me a ShirtJac he's been working on.  Audio not great, but the ShirtJac is.  We have these sidewalk meetings frequently, and it seems appropriate to the Garment District!

Debby has inspected the ShirtJac, and has some ideas she'll hash out with JR.  It's a great piece and I hope we can put this into production in FullWeight Brown Fabric around the end of 2024.  The Heritage Fabric JR is talking about is our own stuff ... 100% worsted wool made from Batch 9 fiber.  We will probably be switching over to  our own Whipcord, tho ... also 100% worsted Batch 9 fiber.

2024-11-15 ... EASY!! ... Black Fabric
American Woolen Company finished up some Batch 9, FullWeight Black Fabric on Tuesday, and Factory8 told me they'd be ready to receive it on Saturday (tomorrow).  Alex suggested we get a commercial trucking quote, rather than make the 7-hour round trip pickup ourselves.  Wendy, who handles shipping at AWC, said Old Dominion would have the Fabric here by Friday, for $350.  No-brainer.  

This morning at 9:30AM, right on time, the OD truck pulled up.  Alex and I started transferring the rolls of Fabric from the 18-wheeler into the little WeatherWool trailer.  A few minutes later, my nephew arrived, and so I stood by with my clipboard, checking off the piece numbers and jawboning with the trucker while the boys did the lifting.  Old-man style ... not too bad!

I'll be on the road about 6:30AM, headed for NYC's Garment District.  Black All-Around Jackets, Double Hoods, Hooded Jackets and Blankets coming up.  I did make the Black AAJs and Double Hoods available for pre-order on the website, partly because Lynx Pattern and Natural White were already there (already being made).  If you want a True Black Blanket or Hooded Jacket, please get in touch with me directly.

2024-11-14 ... Vision/Strategy ... Batches 10 and Innes-1 (Batch 11)
I just heard from Chargeurs that Batch 10 and Batch Innes-1 will be ready to ship next week.  That's a big jump!!  Taken together, these two Batches are far larger than anything we have previously processed at one time.  All of Batch 10 will become Denim.  Batch Innes-1 will be FullWeight, MidWeight and Whipcord Fabrics.  Except for the Blog, we haven't even mentioned Whipcord on this website.  But we'll be using Whipcord for pockets and some other components, AND we are testing Whipcord shirts.  More on that to come!

Further on the Denim ... The Denim Fabric is a little bit of a departure from our usual Hardcore Luxury in that it is not as weather-resistant as our FullWeight and MidWeight Fabrics.  On the other hand, it is probably more durable, although Denim is our only Fabric we've tested with an orbital sander.  Denim is expanding our Vision/Strategy, though, and this is really important.  Most of the people who have purchased our Denim Chore Coat are new to WeatherWool.  Of course every business loves new customers.  But I particularly love new Denim customers because these folks seem largely distinct from our usual customers.  As we've become more and more involved with wool and the wool industry, we've become real advocates.  And we hope the Denim can bring more people around to the wonders of wool, helping to support the Ranchers and everyone downstream.

 

2024-11-12 ... Couple of Things
Yesterday we had a long, wonderful visit from a customer.  But it turned ugly when he left, and his car had been stolen from in front of our house.  This was a professional job.  In broad daylight, in a very residential, suburban neighborhood, the thief/thieves were able to break into his car and get it started without any commotion, bypassing the alarm.  The car had been gone for an hour or so before our customer discovered the theft.  By that time, the thieves had made a bunch of attempts to use his credit cards (he'd left his wallet in a valise on the back seat).  The car was equipped with a locator, which was signaling from only a few miles away.  The policeman said most likely the locator was removed from the car and just sitting on the side of the road, and strongly advised us to NOT go there.  But we went anyway, and the officer was correct ... the car was not there.  This was a 2024 BMW, and I am guessing the car is already on a ship for export.  This is very distressing, and we feel we somehow let our customer down.

REDDIT is a very popular discussion forum on the web.  I only went there once when it seemed necessary for me to respond to something.  Cody just sent me a couple of links with some discussion about WeatherWool:

https://www.reddit.com/r/madeinusa/comments/1ez9e4j/south_shore_chore_coat_weatherwool/

https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/comments/16kmbgz/weatherwool_vs_filson/

It throws me off balance a little bit that people are bandying WeatherWool.  Whenever I come across discussions of WeatherWool, the negatives are cost and availability.  Those would be my own negatives, too.  We'll never be low-priced, but we are working hard to increase availability!!

2024-11-10 ... Mountain Jacket/SkiJac
We're making a small number of Mountain Jackets/SkiJacs in Drab Green and Classic Brown.  If you want one, please mail me your color and size.  I don't think I'll offer these through the usual dedicated website page because this run is so small and there are already a lot of people interested.  I mailed the people on the "brown-list" yesterday and will mail the people on the "drab green list" shortly.

2024-11-08 ... MOUNTAIN MEN TRAPPING IN WOOL
(Following from yesterday’s entry, below.)  Our Lynx Pattern did get considerable airtime last night on TV's Mountain Men.  We are definitely happy about this because it’s purely merit-based, because the show is seen by about a million people weekly, and because we really like Ivy, Bret, Mike (all wore WeatherWool last night) and others involved with the show.

One of the things we frequently wonder about is how to present ourselves.   We’ve always been in something of a no-man’s-land because our Hardcore Luxury approach is unusual.  Our products are definitely compatible with city, restaurant, church, professional settings.   But especially before the introduction of our 100% Wool Denim, our Fabrics offered weather-resistance that would seldom be appreciated by the typical person who mostly shuttles from modern shelter to modern shelter, and rarely experiences significant exposure to severe weather.

Although I’ve never surveyed our customers, I do communicate with many of them.  My perception is that our customer base is changing.  We don’t intend to change, at least not significantly.   When I started WeatherWool, I never really thought about being nearly the advocate for wool that I’ve become.   Five years ago, I don’t think I would have chosen to get involved with Denim (ours is 100% Wool Denim), because it does not offer the Hardcore weather-resistance of our FullWeight and MidWeight Jacquard Fabrics.  But I hoped that the many lovers of typical cotton denim would be intrigued, and give wool a try.  And compared to typical denim, our Denim (sorry for high-handed use of capital D) is Hardcore Luxury.  So far, it really does seem that our Chore Coat, our first Denim product, is attracting many first-time customers, and is helping to change thinking about wool.

Until the introduction of Denim, the great majority of our customers have been hunters, campers, backpackers, bushcrafters.  And I think that is still true.  But now, largely because of the Denim, people write/say things like I DON’T GO INTO THE WOODS AT ALL, BUT I’M REALLY INTERESTED IN YOUR PRODUCTS.   And even better, I DON’T GO INTO THE WOODS AT ALL, BUT THE CHORE COAT IS PERFECT FOR MY LIFESTYLE, AND MY FRIENDS ARE VERY INTERESTED.

Since we started the company, we’ve deliberately avoided presenting ourselves as a hunting brand.  Partly because we aren’t specifically a hunting-brand, but also because we did not want to deter prospective non-hunters.   Hunting is definitely more widely accepted now than ten years ago, but at the same time, we still don’t want to present that way because we are certainly not so limited.  And if hunting disturbs some people, that ain’t nothing compared to trapping.  But last night on TV, WeatherWool was seen by a million people in trapping and hunting situations.  I guess the people who are offended by hunting and trapping wouldn’t be watching Mountain Men in the first place.  But, with respect to the way that we’ve tried to present ourselves, it is kind of funny.  And it is maybe ironic, too.  The people offended by hunting and trapping are almost invariably lovers of Nature.  Generally armchair-lovers of Nature, but lovers nevertheless.  (Quick detour into the intersection of outdoor activities.  Most people who fish don’t hunt.  But the great majority of hunters are also anglers.   Most hunters are not trappers.  But the great majority of trappers also hunt and fish.)  The irony is that the Nature-lovers who view hunting and trapping unfavorably don’t realize that (serious) hunters, and trappers in particular, have the deepest understanding and love of animals and Nature in general.

I think it would still be too-heavy a lift for us to feature photos of Bret and Ivy with a “double” of wolverines (two wolverines trapped at once in the same spot), as shown last night on TV.  But in ten years?

THANKS to Ivy and Bret and Mike!!

2024-11-07 ... MOUNTAIN MEN TONIGHT
WeatherWool on tube tonight?  Probably!

Mountain Men … we’ve provided wool to the cast of History Channel’s Mountain Men for several years. We’ve gotten to know some of the people in front of and behind the camera, and it’s been a lot of fun.  I’ve just updated this website’s Mountain Men page with some new info and links to our recently-released video interviews with Mountain Man Josh Kirk and Cameraman Brad Veis.

TV folks can get free clothing and gear from any maker, so it’s a great compliment that our wool has appeared so often on TV.  We have provided free wool to some TV folks, but never paid them.  And some have purchased without us even knowing the wool was headed for TV.  Big brands will pay big bucks to get their products on tube.

A few hours ago Bret Bohn wrote me that he and Ivy O’Guinn, his wife, will be on tonight’s new episode of Mountain Men at 9PM Eastern on History.  I think Mike Horstman will also be featured tonight.  Mike, Bret and Ivy are all Alaskans.  I don’t think Bret would have written me if he and Ivy wouldn’t be seen in WeatherWool – they don’t always wear our stuff.   And I don’t know what Mike will be wearing.

 

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