A Ball of Yarn

     For five years I avoided eye contact with the spinning wheel.  The purchase was made lovingly by my husband with good intentions and visions of colorful fiber.  Reality set in shortly after we brought it home.  I thought it looked better as home décor instead of a useful tool.  In the back of my mind I knew I had to tackle that spinning wheel eventually.  It just felt too intimidating. And taking care of the sheep was much more fun.

     As the mountains of wool stacked up however, I realized the time had come. Plunging in (not very eagerly), I took a spinning class, asked tons of questions and set to the task.  It took one very kind and patient fellow shepherdess to finally make the process click.  After I understood, I never looked back.


   With the amount of fleece to choose from I decided on a champion  ewe named Jellyby.  Her color is Red and White Bioget.  Although being partial to  her two tone color, I decided to dye her wool with black walnuts.

                                   

                                          


      I employed my son to harvest buckets of black walnuts.  He was a little distracted with pine cones but we finally filled a couple of buckets and boiled the rich, dark brown color from the walnuts for an hour. 

                       

      After soaking the wool in clear water to better accept the dye, I put the wet wool into the walnut dye and simmered for an hour.  I wanted a rich color so I left the wool overnight in the pot.

     After a gentle wring I set the wool outside to dry.  The final product was a beautiful fawn and deep brown variegated wool.  After carding,  it was ready to spin.  I choose to do a thin spin and a two ply weight perfect for a pair of mittens or scarf.  I can't say it wasn't time consuming, but the rewards are tremendous.  A true testament to buy and live local.

                                          

                                      Inspired by nature. The yarn is on the lace at the left :)




    

Name the spring babies contest!

Welcome our Spring Ram and Ewe

  Name the babies contest

Our little black ram was born to Nancy on the evening of March 19

Weighing in at 2 lbs he loves his mama.  Notice the little white patch on his forehead.

Mother Clara gave birth to this adorable ewe in the wee morning of March 20.  She loves to sleep and eat.

Join the fun and name the babies!  Submissions due by April 30, 2015 to lydiafrancis21@yahoo.com.  Put "submissions" in the subject line.  If your name is chosen you will win handcrafted soap made from our herd of Alpine goats.

Felting Wool in Winter

Shepherd's tutorial on felting goat soap with shetland wool.

A final product.  To order felted goat milk soap call 609.724.5147 or email lydiafrancis21@yahoo.com

Of Kids and Vaccinations

     It's that time of year again. Our baby goat is ready for his 3 - 5 week C D and T (overeating

disease and tetanus) vaccination.  The vaccine is administerd sub - Q (under the skin). Watch as

Jonathan gives a tutorial on the process of administering the vaccine.  Listen carefully for the

 creative way he manage's  an active kid.

     After his shot, Prince Albert went back to the barn and snuggled with Mary.  He will be

ready for a booster in one month.

     Instead of throwing away the remainder of the vaccination, we decided to go ahead and

vaccinate the pregnant does.  This is done about one month before freshening (birth) and since

they are due in about 4 - 6 weeks it seemed the thing to do.  After their shots they did not snuggle

however.  They continued eating like nothing ever happened :)

Snow Quiet

     It was snow quiet as I trudged a five gallon pail of water to the sheep pasture.  The snow absorbed the sounds of nature and early morning farm activity.  My footsteps sounded hollow in the crust topped snow.  The sheep waited patiently for their early morning drink to quench their thirst.  

     After taking care of the sheep, I decided to enjoy the cold, quiet morning and go for a walk.  I was curious to see if any animals from the wild had come to the pasture perimeter during the night.  This is rather easy to do because what cannot be proven in the summer grass, the snow gives away.  

     The first sign of animal activity was a rather large print.

     These prints circled a bush at the bottom of a hill behind the pasture.  They are from the canine family and could possibly be a coyote.  Not very good company for the sheep!  The coyote seemed to initially  be following a racoon.  He did not travel far however, gave up and wandered in the direction of the creek.

     While the coyote wandered off to the west, the raccoon went farther into the meadow towards the east.  His solitary footsteps where soon interrupted by a fox.

     Naturally the fox was chasing a rabbit.

     And the rabbit ran for safety into a thicket.

     If you look closely, you can follow the rabbit's tracks into the bush.

     Animal tracks tell a powerful story about the world around us and also in our own backyards.

Even the deer who came afterwards will know who was in his playground before him.

  

Wool in the Winter

     

      Sheep's wool is one of the warmest fibers available for hobbyists and clothiers.  Wool has the amazing ability to create warmth in winter and keep skin cool in the summer.  It does this by keeping a dry airflow around the animals skin.  When cold air or  moisture (like sweat) is present, the outer layers of wool act as a buffer and take the brunt of the weather.  Meanwhile, the wool next to the skin stays dry and maintains a  manageable temperature.

     On a person, wool traps warmth from the skin next to the body while keeping wind and moisture away. Wool is naturally adept at optimum performance due to its elasticity and durability.  Some wool can  feel quite itchy against the skin while other wool feels soft and comfortable.  Shetland sheep produce a wool that is soft and pleasant to the touch.  This is because its wool is 19 - 29 microns in fiber diameter ei; the smaller the diameter the less itchy it will feel. If you have a preference for a particular breed, wool can be blended or treated to remove the uncomfortable itch.

      Interesting uses for wool:

      Lay around eggplant and potatoes in the garden.  Although it does not keep pests (like the infamous Colorado Potato Beetle) from invading the plant,  the young vegetables are able to perform with  amazing vitality and produce an abundance of fruit for your summer harvest.

     Education in the classroom.  Working with wool is an engaging way to teach students about history, farm life, textiles or home economics. Teaching kits available at theshepherdspasture.yolasite.com

     Warm bedding for small animals.

     And of course:

     Spinning
     Dyeing
     Weaving
     Rug Hooking
     Knit and Crochet
     Felting
     Quilting