The Girls are Nekkid!

Yesterday was shearing day. Six of us trailered our sheep to a central location to be sheared. It looked like a circle of wagons more or less as we waited for the shearer to arrive. He was hours late because his first stop of the morning took longer than expected as he had to round up the sheep. Silly woman did not know that she had to have her critters in a pen waiting for him. What was she thinking??? The weather was cold and cloudy, and very windy. The rain did hold off so I guess the shearing gods were favoring us. We stood around for a long time while waiting, throwing sicks for some of the dogs and visiting. Finally after 2 PM we got started. There were about 40 sheep sheared and by the time we left to come home the shearer was starting on the angora goats. Some of the people do not spin so did not want the fleece. I came home with seven fleeces besides my three. Today I went to get the mohair as the lady where we had the shearing does not spin either and throws it all away. There are three gray angoras there and I think it will be nice to blend some with my Coopworth. As you can see from the picture, the girls look much different then they did when I got them last month. We had heavy frost this morning so I put extra bedding in their pen in the barn. Good incentive for that wool to start growing again!

New Toy

My Will Taylor 6-ply kate and distaff arrived yesterday. UPS left it in the driveway. Good thing no one saw it before we got home from town! It is oak. Here you can see the pieces and the way it looks when all together. Very clever. Obviously plying is done without the distaff attached. It just slips into the center. Very easy. It even came with a ribbon for tying up the flax. I will change it however since it should match the spinner's eye color or station in life. Hmmmmmmmm, what color does one use for *crone*? Can't wait to use it.

Bags

Here is a spindle bag that my friend Yvonne made. Jeans leg and pockets, trimmed with some of her bobbin lace, antique buttons and a small guardian angel I used a candy tin that slips inside to protect the spindle. The strap is long enough that the bag hangs at my hip making it convenient to spin right out of the bag.

Plying and playing

Here is the ball being plied, then I wound off three skeins. Two are 100 yards and one is 50 yards. I thought I would play with some Kool-Aid to see how the silver gray would turn out. I like the heathered appearance. The smaller skein is done with Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade, then we have Mango, Blastin' Berry Cherry and the unspun fiber in the basket is Grape. Click on the picture for a close up look at the colors. I put some water into a pot and then the skein, heated it a bit and added the Kool-Aid. I simmered each pot about 20-30 minutes until the water was clear. Playing with small batches is fun, but if I were going to do a large amount of fiber or yarn, I would use commercial dyes. It did make the kitchen smell good.

Coopworth wool

I have washed up some of the wool that was trimmed from the legs and belly of Sequoia Silver. She has an 18 month growth and the sheep guy (Hi Bill) thought she needed trimming so she would not be a sponge when it rained. It is not prime, but not too bad. I love the silver sheen of the ball ready for plying in the first picture. Here it is Washed and some has been combed and skeined.

Alpaca

I am combing some alpaca that is so soft and wonderful. Hardly any vegetable matter but it does have some very fine dust. It looks beige, but once it is washed it is really cream. I think it will become scarves and perhaps a wimple. It is yummy! If you click on any of the pictures they will open larger.

Sheep!

I have not updated in a while. Health scare. That took up time and focus. On Sunday the 17th I bought three Coopworth ewes. The one one on the left is the mother to the one in the center and the dark one is unrelated. Mama is four years old and the girls are two years old. I am trying to come up with some names, but so far I am thinking it will be Sequoia, Sierra and Mocha. Mocha is actually dark charcoal underneath. According to color genetics these gals are Silver/Blue with teardrops. See the light teardrops and the white on the noses? Perhaps I should get fancy and call them Sequoia Silver and Sierra Silver and Mocha Blue. In the end they may end up with totally different names. If you are so inclined, please leave a comment with suggestions. Click on the picture and it will open larger where you can really see those teardrops.