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Archives for Handspinning
Foggy Farm
Nothing yanks me out of bed as fast as the sound of lamb in distress. That's what I thought I heard at 5:30 a.m. today. Patten Hill is socked in by mist this morning, making it hard to do a head count. But when I arrived in the pasture (above) all was well. But the farm looks like a different place in the fog. Late yesterday afternoon Holly and I had moved the entire lamb flock with mothers and Crackerjack to the open barn pasture on the west side of the road – the lambs' first experience crossing the street.
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Sheep Afield
After a stormy weekend, it's always good to get back to our usually scheduled program. As I mentioned last week, we're already well into our rounds of grazing rotation. The flock is divided into several groups based on age and gender. Caitlyn's charges (top photo), a mixed group of Cormo yearlings and adults are bivouacked in the upper pasture for the moment. The mothers and lambs are centered at the "home farm" pastures – safest and closest to the barns – under Crackerjack's watchful eye. The rams hold the high ground up by the house, their usual summer digs
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Sheep Shares Members Lamb Visit Open House – Rain Date
What a tough call. I waited right up until 9 this morning to decide to postpone our Sheep Shares Members Lamb Visit Open House, although the outlook was bleak from the start. After waking at 6 a.m., sipping coffee to the sound of a torrential downpour and comparing the local news to the weather channel, I gathered we were in for a rocky day, weather-wise. By 8 there were rumbles of thunder. The hour by hour forecast on the Weather Channel showed scattered storms throughout the day. After the severity of the storm just over a week ago, I
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Lovely Llama
Just remembered – you haven't seen Caitlyn's new haircut! I found her in a quiet, meditative moment in the upper pasture the other morning, enjoying the warmth of the sun. I love her regal posture, like a monarch surveying her domain. Did you know she was a show llama before she came to us? She came from Heritage Llama Farm in East Longmeadow, MA. Her former owner, Jan, gave me a photo of her sporting a blue ribbon at a show many years ago. Caitlyn's glory days. If you compare her midriff to her brisket, neck and hind quarters,
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Back Online
It's been a challenging two weeks at the end of one of the most hectic of springs here. After a short hiatus from the farm to help with a family situation. I arrived home to nearly four days without power after last week's severe electrical storm. It's a great excuse for not doing the laundry, but it certainly creates an email back log. It also wreaks havoc on show preparation. I've never missed a Mass. Sheep & Wool Festival and was especially sad to miss this year. Thanks everyone for your concern and for checking in. We're fine – and the
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Llama Minus Pajamas
Shearing llamas is different from shearing sheep. The llamas are haltered and tied in a pen where there's not much room to dance around (but they dance anyway). They stand the entire time. Sheep are seated on their fannies for the whole thing. Andy can shear anything that grows fiber. For the llamas he usually does a "barrel cut" – which means just shearing the midriff from behind the shoulders to the waistband. It kind of looks like a poodle cut. Caitlyn got a barrel cut. I forgot to take my camera to pasture today but will try to remember
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Shearing Day and Some Good News
Friday was a monster work day. And since I was preoccupied with Mishka's progress at the animal hospital and getting the last of Sheep Shares finally out the door, Holly and Andy tackled everything on their own: shearing (border leicesters, llamas, goats), deworming everyone, hoof trimming. All the spring flock maintenance tasks that could possibly get rolled into one day. I'm so grateful for their help, since I'm both physically and emotionally drained after the events of the last four weeks. Ben Barnhart was on hand to snap some photos for future projects. The border leicester fleeces are spectacular. I
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Mistral
It seems it's a good thing I didn't go to New Hampshire this weekend, as Mistral has given me reason to be concerned. What started as a mild limp a few days ago has progressed to swelling in her left front leg. She can't bear any wait on it. After watching her barely able to keep up with the others in the rain in the pasture this morning, I've brought her into the studio for the day. Although I made a little corner in the kitchen with hay and some grain, she's mostly interested in resting where she can keep
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Spring Appearances
It feels very strange to not be packing a van to head to the NH S&W Festival today. Family circumstances, a book to finish on the heels of lambing season and a general energy lag are all contributing factors in this really tough decision. Sometimes you reach a moment when you say to yourself, "whoa – something's got to give." I send my love to everyone there and look forward to being back in my usual spot at the festival in 2011. Here's where you can find Foxfire Fiber this spring: – WEBS Fleece Market and Tent Sale, Saturday May
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