Sheep

We have some sheep.  Okay, this is not new news to us, but certainly it is to you.  Let me introduce you to our fabulous Shetlands!  First there is Gladys.  She is a few years old, shy and absolutely gorgeous.  She looks like a marshmallow when she is in full wool.  I like to call her Missy.  She answers, mostly, to neither.

Next is a two year old wether named Cub Cadet, Cadet for short.  Of Mister Itchy, Senor Itchy, or The Captain (though that one can get confusing) All names he does mostly answer to.  He is a born leader, but loves to have his chin and poll scratched.  He has been known to get the back foot going when we scratch his sides, too.  What a baby!

Our last addition is a one year old wether aptly named Cappuccino.  That is a pretty big name for a pretty little fellow, so he is Cappy.  Which is why The Captain can be confusing.  Cap'n and Cappy.  Uh huh.

 Together, these three have added an interesting facet to our farm.  I am anxious to find out how their wool processes out and how it spins up!

It is well into the new year now.  The holidays are behind us and we look forward to great things to come in 2013!  Just to let you all know what a wonderful and talented daughter I have, she MADE a spinning wheel for me for Christmas.  Sure, she had help from a wheel-maker, but what an awesome gift! ( Both the spinning wheel and my daughter!) It is hard to believe that my sweet girl that was just a wee little one not so many days ago just turned 18.  I do not know if my Mama Heart can handle it.  I guess we all do survive having our children grow up, but she and I have such a good relationship and so much fun together, and I am just starting to realize how much I am going to miss our times of giggle-fests and mind-melds.  She has been, and is, a tremendous blessing to both her father and me.  No big rebellious streak in the teen years, no sneaking out at night or getting in trouble with the law.  She has been so easy it is almost embarrassing!  But enough sentimental blubbering and weeping for what I haven't even lost yet.

Going back to my beautiful gift, I have been spinning up a variety of wool and even have a few skeins listed in my shop.  I have spun Southdown, Suffolk/Texel, Angora rabbit, and something called "potluck roving" (100% wool, 24 microns but a mystery beyond that).  I am having a blast!.  I even took the time to dye up some completed yarn and some unspun roving! 

 Here are pictures of the yarns I have spun up!  I have no idea why they are sideways or how to fix it!

And here is a picture of the surprise.  These little cuties are felted wool balls with needle felted designs added to them.  I have had quite a time keeping them in my shop.  Toss them in your dryer with the wet clothes and they help cut down on drying time and the need for fabric softener.  We do still get the static, but I have an idea I am going to try in the next week.  Always trying to improve!  Anyway, these have been a runaway best-seller since the beginning of December.  I am all stocked up on wool to keep up with demand for a while and have 2 sets ready to be needle felted to order.  I even made a couple more for my own dryer!  My kids love to look for them when the load is done, too. 

 

On the home front, we have been dealing with weather changes from below zero to almost 60 degrees in about a week's time.  We have been having snow over the last few days, but the temperature is thankfully a bit warmer. Events in the "barn"  over the last month have kept us hopping. Miss Becky's rabbit, Majestic, had 10 (!!) baby bunnies on one of the coldest nights we have had.  Despite the heat lamp over the nest, we lost 6 babies the first night and the rest on the second night, even though we brought them in the house. The approaching due date for our baby goats helped us pick up and carry on.  Blossom finally decided it was time and gave birth to triplets!  All boys, of course, but hale and hearty and cute as can be.  Valentine birthed a day later to a single, big girl we have since dubbed Heidi.  Sadly, Valentine had to be put down due to a prolapsed uterus that didn't respond to our ministrations.  I am very grateful that Blossom has enough milk to feed all four babies, though she won't accept Heidi. These are the goat kids and my youngest two "kids".  I think they all look pretty happy! 

Blossom

 

(And please, if anyone has suggestions on how to rotate these pictures, let me know. The originals are in the correct orientation, but when I add them to my blog post, they are back to skewed. )