Archives for Handspinning

Brown and White and Wooly all Over

March 2, 2010 | 10 Comments

I am so enjoying the different colored fleeces in the wool clip this year! Thought you'd like to see these photos of Latte's first shearing. Such a peanut, Gabriel scooped him right out of the holding pen and sat him down on the board. He and his sister Bailey have the finest wool of the four moorit yearlings. I am loving every second of comparing the shades of brown, the different textures and varying lengths of the wool staples. Since the fleeces are now snugly wrapped like "wool burritos", I haven't snatched any lock samples for close-up shots, but
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Cilantro’s Awesome Fleece

February 28, 2010 | 20 Comments

Cilantro is a handful. If you're a regular here, I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard before. Although he was wethered at an early age, he is just as combative as any ram. The bad boy of the big boys, we give him plenty of room. One of the things I like about shearing day is working closely with each animal. In the confines of the holding pen, there's no room for a ram to draw a bead on you. I enjoyed wrapping my arms around Cilantro's wooly head to extract him from the pen, and he didn't give
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White Out

February 23, 2010 | 11 Comments

Holly took the hoggets for a stroll in the snow today – moving them to the big barn for their very big date with the shearer on Friday. Since fleeces need to be absolutely dry for shearing, we moved them as early as possible this morning to get them tucked into the most protected building before the storm really got cranking. Which it is right now. I can barely make out the barn from my window. It's suppose to storm all night and we could get as much as a foot here in the hills before it's over.
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Spread the Love

February 5, 2010 | 52 Comments

We're going to have a little fun with Valentine's Day this year. I can't play favorites, since I'm the shepherd. But you can send Valentine wishes to that special someone in the flock. Does your heart go pitter-patter for the debonaire Butch, or do you have a sweet spot for his gal-pal Gypsy? Are you sending love to Cocoa, our wiley-wooly flock matriarch, or do you adore her handsome grandson, Cinder (or perhaps Cinder's sister, Blaze?) Maybe your heart already belongs to our humble guard llama, Crackerjack (unless you're a secret admirer of his elegant but fickle counterpart, Caitlyn).
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Crackerjack

January 23, 2010 | 12 Comments

I'm not sure how we've managed to score another perfectly fine Saturday, but I'll take it. While last weekend's post featured a moment with Caitlyn, my diva llama, this morning I had a moment to appreciate what a truly amazing friend Crackerjack is and how fortunate I am to have him in my herd. A few weeks back we placed him with the bred ewes in the birthing barn since we're nearing the time of year when his guardian role is needed to protect our newest and most vulnerable flock members, the lambs. I couldn't ask for a more patient,
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Sheep Shares Colors – Sneak Peek!

January 22, 2010 | 9 Comments

A quick post for inquiring minds. While the sheep are lounging around, eating bon bons, I'm slaving over the dye pots, wending my way through the color samples for the Spring Shares: Cormo Silk Alpaca. Here's a look at what's a'cookin'! Three (duh, make that four) of my favorite colors pictured above. Starting at the left: duck egg, katydid, hen of the woods and hyssop. This shot shows a few more colors. Clockwise from upper left: duck egg, lavender buds, bluebird, hyssop, hen of the woods, katydid, ladyslipper. It's so tricky photographing colors and showing them accurately. But these
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Fruit Loop

January 20, 2010 | 6 Comments

Have you ever wondered if goats prefer strawberries or clementines? The answer is: both! Gypsy is our little fruit loop, brightening our spirits on an otherwise gray morning. Thanks everybody, for your very kind words about my blog, in response to Monday's post. The contest runs through next Tuesday (which means I'll announce a winner by 7 pm EST Tues. evening). The rest of the Sheep Shares Farm Yarn memberships are going fast. By the end of the week, the contest may end being the only way to get one. Please spread the word!
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About Sheep Shares (and a special Kick-Off Contest)

January 18, 2010 | 118 Comments

This evening I'm going to talk about Sheep Shares and let you know there's still time to sign up for this year. Sheep Shares is the farm yarn and fiber club I started just a year ago. Prior to last year, most of my marketing had been either through my website or face-to-face with customers at shows and events throughout the Northeast. My business has grown this way, and so has my farm for more than a decade. I'm truly grateful to those who have so loyally supported my work over the years, casting on countless stitches with my yarns.
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Visitors & Weekend Scenes

January 11, 2010 | 4 Comments

Lazy greetings. Cilantro, Teaberry & friends at afternoon nap. Winter feedings: gold finch and sparrow. Buster, nattily dressed in my purple sweater – minus sleeves (sacrificed for lambie sweaters last spring!). I'll leave off with some scenes from and a few words about my St. Distaff's Day gathering on Saturday. I so looked forward to this coming together of a handful of die-hard, local fiberists who I knew would be here regardless of weather. On my iphone calendar I had written the word "FUN" starting at 4:30 after evening chores. And it was. Cozy. Great friends. Scads of fiber. And
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Sheep Moves

January 9, 2010 | 6 Comments

One of yesterday's tasks was moving the little ladies from the open barn on the west side of Reynolds Road to the birthing barn on the east side of the road. The wind and driving snow added to the chaotic frenzy and, after weeks of same-ness, the girls were thrilled to have a little adventure. Holly at the lead. It was snowing pretty hard! The dash through the gate. Cognac takes a little detour to flirt with the boys. Signs of sheep traffic. The scramble to the big barn. The little ewes will stay in the big barn until shearing
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