Cassandra Harada is a knitter. Like millions of women (and some men) around the world, she uses two simple wooden sticks and a single skein of basic yarn to create items from simple socks for daily use to exquisite sweaters. Unlike most knitters, Harada uses yarn from sheep she raises on a farm in the United States, then exports the locally spun yarn around the world, including to her own business in Fuchu, western Tokyo.
¡°Wool has always been my passion,¡± she says, ¡°and it ended up being a way for me to create a community in Japan.¡±
In 2006, Harada, who grew up in a farming village of fewer than 1,600 people, scraped together enough money to travel to Tokyo after a friend raved about his experience teaching English there. Harada was bedazzled by Tokyo¡¯s sophistication and art ¡ª she has a degree in fine arts from Western Illinois University ¡ª but wool and knitting kept her tethered to her farm home in the U.S., and she searched for a way to combine the two worlds she loved. In 2012, she opened Hitsujidama (ball of sheep) in Fuchu, a shop that specialized in small-batch yarns, including the cashmere-like wool from the Cormo sheep ¡ª a mix of Corriedale and Merino breeds ¡ª that she raises on her family farm.
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