Growing up the oldest of a large farming family in the Ozarks, along the Missouri River, David Gentzsch and his family were very much a part of nature. It was all around them.
Over twenty years ago, David and his wife bought a small farm and they inherited two ewes. The next spring, they had two fleeces, and Ozark Handspun was born.
Six years later, with a growing family to support, there was not enough time to be an artist, a father, a farmer, and a provider. So, they left the farm and moved to town to provide greater opportunities for their daughter. That winter, in 1986, all the spinning equipment and Ozark Handspun went in to hibernation.
In 2003, semi-retired and visiting their daughter in California, they walked into a yarn shop and could not believe the interest in knitting and all the unusual yarn s available today. Some were wonderful, but David told his wife, "I can make yarn s better than some of these."
They came home to Missouri and called an old friend from 20 years back to buy some raw wool and mohair. Out from storage came the spinning wheel and equipment. David immediately began washing, dyeing, carding, and spinning. Ozark Handspun was reborn.
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Ozark Handspun minimizes the processing of their yarns to preserve the special natural qualities that most modern yarns lose. Which means you will occasionally find small bits of nature in the material! (Machine yarns are often over processed using strong chemicals that cause the breakage of the fibre and lowers the quality of the yarn).
 When purchasing their yarns, try to buy enough for the entire project from the same lot. Each batch is a unique combination of dyed wools. Additionally, every year, as the sheep and goats age, their coats change colour. These two factors make the yarn colours extremely difficult to duplicate later, so it’s important to purchase enough for your entire project.
The colours of Ozark Handspun stocked by loop are: Turquoises, Spring greens, Hot Pinks and Blues, Natural brown and pink, Pale green, Rain Forest, Slate Grey & Maroon
www.ozarkhandspun.com
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