Giving Away the Farm: How Kindness, Critters and Yarn Knit a Community Together

Knitters gather. It’s what they do. That means if you knit or crochet, you need to find Your People. Sounds like an easy assignment, with the yarn arts growing in popularity every day and groups popping up in every community room and Starbucks in town. But it’s tough, in fact, to find the right group with the right blend of people where you can feel immediately at ease and welcome.

Learn the hallmarks of true, joyful and gracious community as the story of the farm unfolds. Enter into life in the Little Red Barn through heartwarming stories and loads of gorgeous color photos.

Jacob’s Reward Farm challenges the status quo. The close but welcoming group of Barnies who gather at the Little Red Barn studio a couple of Saturdays each month hasn’t fallen into the traps that close off or disintegrate many gatherings of crafters. There are no cliques, no queens, no divas.

“It’s not that we’re hiding from the scary world,” says Kate, a long-time group member. “We’re refueling and restoring ourselves to go back out and fight the battles like the warriors we are…. Life is rough. The ‘Barnies’ simply refill our fuel tanks so we can take our creative, compassionate, fierce stand out there in the ‘real’ world.”

"Watching Cindy’s Jacob’s Reward Farm take its first shaky steps and then go on to become a thriving, sustainable and beloved business has been one of the greatest joys of my professional life... The world can learn a lot from Cindy Telisak, and it has nothing to do with sheep."
--Susan Gibbs, Juniper Moon Farm

"Ms. Cindy gives us a comfortable seat in the back of her truck and takes us on [the farm] journey with her. Enjoy the ride."
--Ron Miskin, The Buffalo Wool Company