mama farm wool
Mama Farm’s mission to promote conservation and biodiversity extends to our herd of sheep, all of which are heritage (endangered) breeds. Our sheep are the foundation for our educational programming about wool creation from sheep-to-spool, which is available to the public, students and fashion universities. We also offer knitting workshops and create our own wool collections. This page contains information about all of our wool projects and offerings starting with the most recent. This page is updated annually. You can also find out more about our knitting classes and workshops by following us on Instagram @mamafarm.
january 2026
The Mama farm herd of 8 sheep is unusual because it consists of several different breeds. Most herds are the same breeds because sheep like to live in families with grandmothers, aunts, cousins and nieces. I didn’t know that and when I gathered my sheep from different local farms, they rammed each other banging their heads in terrifying loud stomps. I had to separate everyone by family. I placed them in different adjacent pastures. Only when I noticed that the aggressive pacing up and down the fence subsided, I opened the gates. Now they finally integrated and all live peacefully together but took several months.
I remain in touch with the local sheperds where I bought my sheep. We all rely on Mary Jeanne Packer who 15 years ago opened a Battenkill Valley Fibers to serve small artisan farms like ours. Big industrial mills in fact require at least 500 pounds of fleece to be processed into wool. A small artisanal operation like Mama Farm produces circa 40 pounds of wool per year – enough to create 7 or 8 poncho/blankets.
My 8 sheep taught me a lot about agriculture, evolution of domestic stock and a movement called farm-to-fashion based on the desire of knowledge and the need for transparency.
The New York Fashion Innovation Center fosters
farm-to -fashion modeled after farm-to-table.
I am also part of the Hudson Valley Textile Project.
I like film credits because they list all people involved.
I want to do the same with my wool:
Shearer: Pete Clements | Processing fleece into yarn
Mary Jeanne Packer’s mill | Weaver: Lilly Marsh | Hand spun wool Cece Tkaczyk, Lila Frost, and my accomplice Mimi Prober, who assembles the ponchos, blankets and carpets with me. | Thanks also to: The Livestock Conservancy, Nazzy Benglari, Lisa Konnerth, Lou Ann Thompson, Gail Parrinello
Santa Cruz sheep, which are listed as critically endangered with less than 200 individuals left in the USA. My two Santa Cruz, named Dindi and Gertrude Stein, come from a farm in Pennsylvania owned by Ben Sugharts. The fleece is soft, but short and curly that gives wool an unusual elasticity but it is hard to spin it. Therefore, we felted it.
At Mama Farm we have…
My two Lincoln Long Wools are named after painters Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keefe come from Emmaline Long’s farm. This breed is listed as threatened with less than 1,000 sheep left in the USA.
My two Jacobs named after the great actresses Greta Garbo and Eleonora Duse are also of a breed listed as threatened. Cece Tkaczyk ‘s farm in upstate New York State breeds them.
My two Finn named Toto and Pepino are not endangered (Thank God!) They are named after two marvelous Italian comedians I grew up with. I got them from my neighbor Lisa Konnerth who breeds them. Toto and Peppino are castrated (just as we fix our dogs) to avoid surge of testosterone that leads male sheep to fights. In fact, in sheep society males fight to establish dominance and the winner mates with all the females. Sheep live in harems.
January 2026 poncho Collection, by Isabella Rossellini & Mimi Prober
This Bee Lined Wool Poncho is made from O’ Keefe & Kahlo, my Lincoln Long wool sheep – a heritage breed listed as threatened. It is lined with pink velvet bees motif – I am also a bee keeper! A present from my friend, Nazzy Benglari. $3,000 SOLD
The Tits Poncho is made of wool from Jacob sheep – a heritage breed listed as threatened. Mimi & I embroidered tits from different species: humans, goat, cow and opossum, which has 13 nipples!!! $2,000 SOLD
The BIG Poncho is made with wool from all of our heritage breeds: Lincoln Long wool, Jacobs, Santa Cruz and Finn. The yarn was spun thicker making it much warmer. $3,000
wool carpets
Mimi Prober and I created carpets from wool panels sourced from various heritage sheep breeds. We loved the idea that the moment you stepped out of bed barefoot, your feet could discover the unique qualities of each breed!
Wool panels mounted on burlap, $1,000 SOLD
Wool panels mounted on canvas, $1,300
Wool panels mounted on red vintage fabric, $1,000
wool blankets
Lilly Marsh weaved blankets with the wool from my heritage breed sheep. They were beautiful, but I missed the sheep and their natural curls. So Mimi and I added felted pieces to each blanket for extra flair.
Eggs & Curls: This blanket is made from shetland wool decorated with silk eggs inspired by my chickens. The central panel is curls from Georgia O’Keefe, my favorite Lincoln Long Wool. $2,000
Curls Blanket: The darker wool on this blanket comes from Jacob sheep. The lighter wool is from our Lincoln Longwools. Both breeds are listed as threatened. The central panel made with curls from our different breeds. The back is lined with scraps from Nazzy Beglari and some by my grandmother’s embroideries. $3,000
Cruz Curls: Mimi and I holding a Jacob sheep blanket. This a breed so ancient that it is mentioned in the Bible! The central panel is felted wool from Santa Cruz sheep, which are listed as critically endangered (only 200 left in the USA). $2,500 SOLD
Special thank yous again to the following people for their help and hands in creating our 2026 collection of ponchos, carpets, and blankets: Mimi Prober, Lilly Marsh, Battenkill Valley Fibers, Cece Tkaczyk, Lila Frost, The Livestock Conservancy, Nazzy Beglari, Lisa Konnerth, Lou Ann Thompson, Gail Parrinello, and Pete Clements.
May 2025
isabella’s may 2025
poncho collection
Mama Farm has launched the Mama Farm Foundation to support the farm’s long-term financial sustainability. By purchasing our poncho/blankets, you help fund this mission. The blankets were created by Isabella in collaboration with artisans including Mimi Prober (Atelier), Tabbitha Houbold (shearing), Mary Jeanne Packer (yarn processing), Lilly Marsh (weaving), and Nazzy Beglari (lining). Special thanks also to the Livestock Conservancy and Lisa Konnerth.
Wild/Domestic
This ponchos is lined with a tiger motif . When I was a little girl I wished I was born in Africa or India until I realized that our domestic animals like sheep are just as fascinating as the wild ones like tigers! Even at my University, when I was pursuing my Masters degree in Ethology, we were taught more about wild animals (some of them I never seen in person) than what is in front of my eyes every day like cats, chickens, goats, or bees. The great gift of Mama Farm is that it provided me with hands- on experience with animals.
Nonna
This ponchos is decorated with scraps of my grandmother crochet. She was my father’s mother, and the only Nonna I knew. The others were dead by the time I was born. I named my daughter after her. I adored her.
Glamour
This ponchos is decorated with the embroided dress by Dolce & Gabbana I had in my closet for years. It hasn’t fit me in a long time, but I never had the heart to dispose of it.This year Dolce & Gabbana created a new dress for me made with similar embroidery for the Golden Globe awards (I was nominated for my role in film “Conclave”).
BEES
This poncho is lined with a silk/cotton representing bees in a dyeing technique called ikat that makes the design look blurry. Bees are NOT cuddly and gladly sting me. As an actress I often play them.
NOVEMBER 2024
Since I was a little girl, I have loved animals. At 60 years old when my work as a model and actress slowed down and my children were grownups, I went back to university and took a master’s degree on Ethology (Animal Behavior) and Conservation. At university, I discovered that many breeds of farm animals are endangered because industrialization tends to lead to monoculture. Therefore at Mama Farm we only have rare, endangered breeds to maintain biodiversity. Last spring, thanks to your generosity, my collection of ponchos made with wool from our heritage breed sheep sold out within a matter of hours. We took the remaining wool and created some new offerings.
All small artisanal farms like Mama Farm are wonderful, but financially it is hard to sustain them. I have established the Mama Farm Foundation to open channels of support for the farm’s financial sustainability for the long term. I am not going to be around forever and so I am planning for the future. By buying our hats and blankets you are contributing to the Mama Farm Foundation and the future of our operation.
Thank you to the following people who helped to shear and process the raw wool to create the materials to make the hats & blankets:
Shearer, Tabbitha Houbold – @longislandyarnandfarm
Processing wool into yarn – Mary Jeanne Packer, Battenkill Fibers
Weavers – Lilly Marsh
Blankets assembled and sewn by Isabella Rossellini
Hats knit by Elena Getman - Kulish and Ellen Clyne
Thank you also to the following organizations and people:
Lou Ann Thompson
EGG HATS
Firstly, we have “egg hats” to celebrate our heritage breed chickens. We have two styles of hats: Flat like a beret (that reminds me of eggs cooked sunny side up) or a simple, cozy beanie with a “yoke” on the top.
SOLD OUT
Crest hats
My friend, Ellen, knits children hats and I added a chicken crest to it. (Both roosters and chickens have a crest, although the female crests are smaller. The crests are different shapes depending on the breeds).
Children’s Crest Hat: $150
Adult Crest Hat: $250
Heritage sheep wool blankets
I also created several blankets made of course with the wool from our heritage breed of sheep.
Heritage egg blanket
One blanket is decorated with our enchanting multicolored eggs that I photographed, printed in silk, and stitched on the blanket.
MY CHICKENS AND I BLANKET
One blanket is decorated with my drawings from my book, “My Chickens and I”, where I try to explain the fascinating process of domestication.
REVELATION blanket
I call this blanket “Revelation” because it reveals what inspired the logo of Mama Farm: Breasts. All types of breasts – cows, sheep, dogs, opossum (who have 13 nipples!).
The name of our farm was inspired by the numerous mothers who bring their children to visit the farm, and because we have mostly female animals: Chickens, ewes and bees (who’s natural population is 90% female and 10% males).
I also include here a photo of our Mama dog, Rosie, a labrador/golden dog who is a breeder for Guide Dog Foundation. I volunteered for this organization for the last twenty years.
As you can see, at Mama Farm we are surrounded by females!
SATIN BORDER BLANKET
One blanket has a red satin border made from a vintage Christina LaCroix shawl.
bee BLANKET
One blanket is decorated
with embroidered bees, because
at Mama Farm we also
produce honey.
APRIL 2024
Ponchos by
ISABELLA
Since I was a little girl, I have loved animals. When I became old I realized my dream and started a farm. At 60 years old, after a career as a model and actress, I went back to University and took a Master’s degree on Ethology (Animal Behavior) and Conservation. At University, I discovered that many breeds of farm animals are endangered because industrialization tends to lead to monoculture. Therefore, at Mama Farm we only have rare, endangered breeds of farm animals to promote biodiversity.
All small artisanal farms like Mama Farm are wonderful, but financially it is hard to sustain them. I have established the Mama Farm Foundation to open up channels of support for the farm’s financial sustainability for the long term. I am not going to be around forever and so I am planning for the future. I based these ponchos on an antique one that I bought many years ago in Peru. My ponchos are made with wool from our endangered sheep at Mama Farm. These ponchos are the first fundraiser for the Mama Farm Foundation. The money made from these ponchos will support Mama Farm’s operations and mission.
Thank you to the following people who helped to shear and process the wool to create the raw materials to make the ponchos:
1.Shearer, Tabbdthia Houbold, @longislandyarnandfarm
2.Processing wool into yarn, Mary Jeanne Packer, Battenkill Fibers
3.Weavers, Isa Rodriques & Emma Redmond 505textiles.com
4.Assembled and sewn by Isabella Rossellini
Thank you also to the following organizations and people:
Presenting Isabella’s 2024
Poncho Collection
KAHLO PONCHO
This poncho is made with the wool from Kahlo. I named her after Frida Kahlo, one of my favorite painters. She is a Lincoln Longwool Sheep. Her breed is listed as Threatened by the The Livestock Conservancy and their future is uncertain. The red satin border that decorated this poncho is from a vintage Christian LaCroix shawl from my modeling days.
DUSE/BEES PONCHO
This poncho is made with the wool from Duse. I named this sheep after Eleonora Duse, the actress who with Sarah Bernhard commanded the stages all over the world in the beginning of the 20th century. My grandmother talked to me about Duse. She preferred her naturalistic style of acting over Bernhard theatricality. The sheep Duse is a Jacob breed listed as Threatened by the Livestock Conservancy. This breed is so ancient that it is mentioned in the Bible. Although Duse has only two horns, some individuals of this breed can have up to 4 horns!!! I decorated this poncho with embroidered bees because at my farm we also have hives and produce honey.
Pink Poncho
This poncho is made with wool from Duse and Garbo, named after two legendary actresses of the 20th century Eleonora Duse and Greta Garbo. Their breed, Jacob, is among the most ancient and listed as threatened by the Livestock Conservancy. The interior lining is a Ikat (a special dyeing technique that makes the design look blurry) made of silk and cotton. My friend Nazzy Beglari, who makes the most wonderful kaftans, gifted this Ikat fabric to me for this project. I wore one of Nazzy’s creations at the Cannes film festival for the premier of “La Chimera” directed by Alice Rohrwacher (whose father is also a beekeeper!). Bees are like aliens …sufficient to say male bees have a grandfather but no father. I made a short film about them for my series Green Porno (Criterion Channel).
FOULARD PONCHO
This poncho is made with wool woven by hand to look like burlap and it is lined with silk foulards (some from Hermes) that I loved but never used. The wool is from our Lincoln Longwool Sheep, Kahlo and O’Keefe. I named them after some of my favorite painters, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keefe. Lincoln Longwools are listed as Threatened by the Livestock Conservancy. Their long locks can grow to at least 10 inches long. Their beautiful locks inspired my designer friend, Aisling Camps, to create a vest that I wore for the campaign for the Mama Farm x Moda Operandi x Aisling Camps collection in 2023.
SPIDER PONCHO
This poncho is a blend from two different kinds of wool from two different breeds of sheep we have on Mama Farm, Lincoln Longwool and Jacob sheep. The sheep are named Kahlo & O’Keefe (Lincoln Longwools) and Duse & Garbo (Jacob sheep). It is decorated with embroidery representing spiders which are not domesticated yet are everywhere at Mama Farm. Apparently the silk from spiders is of superior quality to that of the silk worms, but spiders cannot be farmed (raised to live together) because they are cannibals and would eat each other! Wild animals that could be domesticated have to have certain characteristics, chief among them all they have to be very social and like to live in groups.
2023
In August 2023, Mama Farm launched its first farm-to-fashion capsule collection in partnership with Moda Operandi & Aisling Camps. The capsule collection showcased the many different applications, colors and textures that heritage breed wools can offer. Additionally, to mirror Mama Farm’s commitment to sustainability, the wool did not leave NY State in order to be processed and turned from sheared fleeces to garments. The wool was sheared on Mama Farm, processed in Upstate NY (Battenkill Fibers) and woven by hand in Brooklyn, NY by Aisling Camps. Please click through our slideshow below to see photos from the campaign, photographed by Dan Martensen.
As we established our flock of heritage breed sheep at Mama Farm, we offered hands-on educational programming about the wool creation process, from sheep-to-spool. This included shearing demonstrations, beginner to advanced level knitting workshops, and partnerships with local schools and prominent universities such as RISD, Pratt & Parsons School of Design. The partnerships with local schools and Universities is ongoing and our goal is to help teach young designers about farm-to-fashion principles and the ripple effects of their sourcing decisions. If you are interested in joining one of our knitting circles or wool workshops, please follow us on Instagram (@mamafarm) for class related announcements.
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address
269 South Country Road Brookhaven NY 11719