WONDERFUL WOOLLIES SALE May 12, 2018

Hi Strangers! Just a little post to update you, in case you hadn't heard. Hubby and I have retired from shepherding. We sold the farm last winter, and our flock was dispersed to farms all the way from Oregon to North Carolina. While we miss our sheep, we know that they are in good situations, many to breeding farms, and some of the older ewes to a flock near our new home. We get to visit them often. The Wonderful Woollies Fleece and Fiber will continue, but will move to the Little Orchard Farm in Bow WA. Rocky Long, the shepherd from whom we got our original flock, will be hosting many of the same farms from previous years in his new, spacious barn with many new little lambs playing nearby. Rocky has decided to change the schedule from our usual second Saturday in April, to May 12 this year. Here's the scoop: Little Orchard Farm Rocky & Michele Long 6414 Worline Road Bow, WA 98232 (425) 493-3060 littleorchardfarm@live.com Look for the green barn! Thank you so very much for being such awesome customers at our farm. We had a wonderful time, and loved every minute working with our sheep and their wool. I hope you'll continue to support Wonderful Woollies as it moves to Rocky and Michele's farm. Happy Spinning! Yvonne and Doug Madsen Bellingham WA USA

WONDERFUL WOOLLIES FLEECE & FIBER SALE, April 9, 2016

Hi Everybody! I have to apologize for my lack of posts over the last year! I'm happy to tell you, though, that we're still here, and still planning our annual fiber sale for the second Saturday in April (as we always have done). This year, happily, we don't conflict with the Whidbey Island Spin-in in Oak Harbor (April 2 & 3) or Shepherd's Extravaganza in Puyallup (the week after our sale). We will again have shepherds who raise different breeds from our Romeldale/CVM sheep. So the lineup will include Romney and Romney crosses, Icelandic, Gotland, Dorset, Shetland, Angora (mohair goat), and llama. In addition, our favorite woodworker will be here with his treasures. I've gotten some processed roving back from Snow Peaks Fiber mill - a luscious confection of our dark chocolate-colored wool blended with alpaca & silk which I call "The Dark Side". Also some sweet gray yarn, a blend of CVM and kid mohair. I think the mill will be able to finish another batch of yarn which I think I'll call "Snickerdoodle". There will be some handspun yarn available, too, in case you're in the mood to get to your knitting quickly. Two of our dear friends have been busy at their wheels. Thank you, once again, for braving the elements (I sure hope we don't have snow again this year!), and coming up to shop from our local farmers. Address is 5740 Mertz Rd., Bellingham WA 98226. From I-5, exit at Sunset Blvd./Mt. Baker Hwy & drive east. At Hannegan Rd., turn left (north) and drive past the Smith Rd. intersection to Axton Rd. Turn right (east) on Axton, and it's 1.1 mile to Mertz Rd. Turn left onto Mertz. We're the first barn on the right. If you get lost, please call me on my cell, 360 770 6044. See you then!

WONDERFUL WOOLLIES 2015

It’s that time again! We are busily preparing for the upcoming Wonderful Woollies Fleece & Fiber Sale, April 11, 2015, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. here at our farm. The sheep are sheared (all except Bliss & Raoul, who were sheared late last year), the fleeces are skirted and I’m in the process of weighing & bagging them up for the sale.

We got wool back from our two favorite processors - Snow Peak Fiber Mill in Lebanon, Oregon - (previously Creekside Fiber Mill) and Evergreen Fleece Processing in Woodinville, Washington - Both are very capable of working with our fine, soft wool. We also recommend Zeilinger Wool Company in Frankenmuth, Michigan - They are excellent and very experienced.

Kathy and her staff at Snow Peak made some gorgeous bumps of roving, in a pale variegated moorit - think light “café au lait”, and some gorgeous gray CVM/alpaca blend. Kathy also made some yarn for us. We have white 3-ply worsted weight yarn which knits up like a dream, and sport weight 2-ply in white and moorit brown, great for knitting and weaving. So if you think of your non-spinning, knitting/weaving friends, these might be good gifty things. :-) Chuck at Evergreen Fleece made some creamy white roving for us, from our ewe, Bliss and her friends. This was the first time we have had fleece processed by Chuck, and he did a wonderful job. It’s so nice to have a good processor nearby. As you know, we invite several other farms to participate in our sale. We love being able to offer a variety of fibers from our local farms. With us this year are: Dawn Deshmane - Romeldale/CVM & crosses, Joanne Martinis’ Windy Hill Farm Gotlands, JNK Llamas, Kathy Green’s Ferndale Fibers & Romney crosses, Rocky Long’s Romeldale/CVMs from Little Orchard Farm, Margaret Magic’s Magic Batts, John Park’s Shetlands from Marietta Shetlands, Nancy Giordano’s Shetlands and crosses from Nancy’s Farm, Janet Maricle’s dorsets from River Glen Farm, Rhonda Wregglesworth’s mohair from River Ranch Angora Goats, Allen Berry - the Spindle Smith’s hand carved treasures, and Tina Thomsen-Park’s handspun yarns 
& crochets. We’re keeping fingers crossed for good weather, and thank all of you for venturing out (even in the snow, a couple of years back)! Directions: From Interstate 5, take exit #255 and head east on Sunset Drive. Continue about a mile to the Woburn/Hannegan intersection and turn left (north) onto Hannegan. Continue north on Hannegan, go past Smith Road intersection (light), and at the next main turn, go right onto Axton Rd. It’s 1.1 mile to Mertz Rd, which turns only left (north). We’re the first barn on the right. Address is 5740 Mertz Rd., Bellingham WA 98226. If you get lost, my cell # is 360 770 6044.

WONDERFUL WOOLLIES 2014

IT’S ALMOST HERE! Yes, friends! Our annual Fiber & Fleece sale, WONDERFUL WOOLLIES will be this coming Saturday, April 12, 2014, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. I hope you will be able to come. We have a great variety of fleeces & related products. Here is a complete list of participants: Dawn Deshmane’s CVM/Romeldale crosses - fiber Felicity Fibers, Karen Washington’s flock of alpacas - fiber Windy Hill Farm, Joanne Martinis’s Gotland crosses - fiber & spectacular pelts JNK Llamas, Niki Kuklenski’s llama fleeces & fiber (including blends) Ferndale Fibers, Kathy Green’s sheep fiber & roving Little Orchard Farm, Rocky Long’s CVM/Romeldale fleeces, roving & combed top Marietta Shetlands, John Park’s Shetlands, fleeces & roving Nancy’s Farm, Nancy Giordano’s crosses - fiber & batts River Ranch Angora goats - Rhonda Wreggelsworth’s mohair fiber Spindle Smith - Allen Berry’s hand-carved spindles, needles, hooks & other delights (Allen says he has some new specialties - I can hardly wait to see!) Tina’s Treasures - Tina Thomsen-Park’s hand made yarn Spinners Eden Farm - CVM/Romeldale fleeces, roving, yarn, & blended batts We are planning to have demonstrations on carding, combing & spinning, and please bring your questions about our wonderful fiber animals, washing/processing fleece, whatever! We will do our very best to help you with your fiber-related questions. And if you’re considering adding fleece beasties to your family, this is a wonderful place to connect and talk directly to yarn farmers. And for your viewing pleasure. . . LAMBS! We had nine ewes & two rams born this year. All are beautiful, healthy & full of personality. Here are DRIVING DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 5, take exit #255 (Sunset/Mt Baker Hwy) and go east. Drive about a mile to the intersection at WOBURN/HANNEGAN. Turn NORTH (left) onto HANNEGAN. Continue a few miles, go past the Smith Rd. traffic light to the next intersection & turn EAST (right) onto AXTON Rd. Drive 1.1 mile & you’ll see Mertz Rd. Turn left onto MERTZ & we’re the first barn on the right. If you get to Shuksan Golf Course, you’ve gone about three blocks too far, so turn around & drive back. If you get lost, phone 360 770 6044 for directions. Looking forward to seeing you!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

For those of us who are shepherds, this is like Christmas. We are having lambs. After last summer, carefully choosing which seven of our precious ewes to breed, and to which rams (two champions), making sure all are happy together, then watching nutritional status throughout five months of gestation, the little ones are beginning to arrive. This is the most exhausting time of year, what with frequent barn checks and births occurring at all hours (frequently very early mornings). I really like to be present for the births. So this is the time of year that I’m most likely to put cat food in the coffee grinder instead of beans, or brush my teeth with hand cream. But with occasional naps, fueled by sufficient amounts of coffee or breakfast tea and Scottish oat cakes, we manage to get through it. And it’s a joy to see the new little ones & make sure they get off to a good start.

Bliss surprised us a little early with Jerome, a stunningly handsome CVM ram, white with caramel markings. Bliss is a wonderful, happy mother & I enjoyed watching her with her babies last time. She is mostly white. I call her my “fleece machine”. Year after year she produces large, dense, long, fine-to-medium wool. And all this in a truly sweet & friendly sheep. If Jerome has her wool quality and his father, Abraham’s body structure, he will be a good candidate for showing, and may serve as another “stud muffin” eventually.

Isabelle had twins - a black ram & white/brown ewe, and Thisbe delivered stunning triplets, all ewes - Ziva, Abby & Barrett. These are her first lambs, and although she was apprehensive at first, she’s doing a beautiful job of keeping them all warm & well-fed. They are in the lambing jug this morning, but should join the rest of the flock this afternoon.

BLACK SHEEP GATHERING!

Yes, We'll be there! Please stop by the sheep barn to say hello! We'll be there with 12 of our little darlings to show. So if we're not by the pens with the sheep, we're probably in the show ring. Hope to see you there. :-)

The Day is Almost Here!

Tomorrow, April 13, we will host several farms for the Wonderful Woollies Fleece Sale! This is our third annual event & we are looking forward to seeing many of our old & new friends. We have some new farms participating, so here’s the complete list: Carol Boswell Camelot Ranch Alpacas; Dawn Deshmane CVM/Romeldale; Karen Washington Felicity Fibers/Alpaca; Joanne Martinis Windy Hill Farm Gotlands; Jeff & Niki Kuklenski JNK Llamas; Kathy Green Ferndale Fibers, various crosses & fiber; Rocky Long Little Orchard Farm CVM/Romeldale; John Park Marietta Shetlands; Nancy Giordano Nancy’s Farm, various crosses, fiber & fun batts; Patty Yager alpaca; Rhonda Wreggelsworth River Ranch Angora goats; Doug & Yvonne Madsen Spinners Eden Farm CVM/Romeldale; Allen Berry Spindle Smith carved spindles & tools; Brigget LeClair Wake Robin Farm, Icelandic. As you can see, we have a lot of variety this year - hopefully something to please everybody. I know I love to experiment with fleece from different breeds of sheep. Each has it’s unique place & best purpose in the fiber world. Here's one of our fleeces: As for our farm, we are happy that we got all our fiber back from the processors in time for the sale. A Great Big Thank You to both Creekside Fiber Mill in Lebanon OR, and Fantasy Fibers in Canby OR for their excellent work! We highly recommend both. We have roving from both mills, and some beautiful mill-spun yarn from Creekside available this year. And as a special treat, Spinners Eden collaborated with JNK llamas to create two gorgeous roving blends. One is a combination of our Athena, with JNK’s Sirmione - a great pairing. The other is a CVM/llama/silk blend that is to die for. I had some moorit yarn spun, and wondered how it would do in the dyepot, so I tried some bright primary colors. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome, using Jacquard Acid Dyes in Brilliant Blue and Fire Red, and Dharma Trading’s Acid Dye in Brilliant Yellow. The thing I like about using acid dyes is that the only mordant needed is vinegar. That’s the acid. Not scary at all. :-) Using acid dyes does require some heat. I did the blue yarn in an old Goodwill crock pot that I use only for dyeing, & left it in for a couple of hours to cook, and a couple of hours to cool. (If I had wanted a more uniform color, I would have used a bigger pot with more room for the yarn to move around.) Back to the fiber sale, we will open at 10 a.m. Early birds pay double. Just kidding. Address is 5740 Mertz Rd., Bellingham WA. We are 1.1 mile east of Hannegan Road on Axton. It’s a straight shot east from downtown Ferndale, & if you get to Shuksan Golf Course, you’ve gone three blocks too far. :-) Hope to see you!

2013 - The Year of the Ram

We had three sets of triplets and two sets of twins this year (one stillborn). That’s ten rams & two ewes. Yes, it’s one of thooooose years again. The last time we had a year like this was 2007, the year Blossom was born. She was the *only* ewe out of that year’s crop of lambs. One of the rams is a runt - seriously. For our breed, a three pound lamb is tiny. Other flock members are double to quadruple his birth weight. Little “Tyrion’s” body temperature dropped severely (92.8) after birth so I brought him into the house & put him in a sink of warm water to bring it up. He had a few pretty significant ups & downs through his first few hours, but he made it through, and is now strong, healthy & back in the barn with his siblings. He still gets bottles of lamb milk replacer three times a day, but he is learning to be a sheep out with the flock. Although we miss having him in the house, charging around like a little version of the cartoon Roadrunner in his oversized diapers & onesie, I’m glad he’s able to be out there.

The two keys to getting these little ones off to a good start are colostrum (the “real” stuff from mommy), and keeping body temperature in a normal range (101.5 - 103). That meant going out to the barn & milking Tyrion’s mom, Contessa, and making sure he got that through his first few days. And of course, the colostrum doesn’t digest well if the body temperature is too low. So those are both critical ingredients to having a good outcome. We were especially lucky in that Tyrion had no other complicating factors - no infection or respiratory problems. He’s a little miracle, up to 7.5 lbs now at two+ weeks of age.

Waiting. . .

Lambs are due any day now. We’ve been saying that since just after Christmas. The barn is ready, with lambing jugs (stalls for the ewe & lambs’ first couple of days) in place, veterinary supplies updated (just in case assistance with birth is needed), a pile of clean towels to dry off newborn lambs, and warming lamps in place. The pregnant ewes have been sheared, immunizations updated, pedicures done, and the ones that want (particularly Helena) get back rubs whenever they want. They all look to be in good condition, well-nourished but not too heavy (which can cause difficulties with birth). So we’re looking forward to some healthy lambs very soon. At this point, the barn is very peaceful, with the girls up & around during the daytime, and tucked into ample amounts of fresh straw bedding at night. I’ll post photos as soon as something happens. Think pink!

A Quick Hello

What a busy Summer and Fall this has been! I should start with a huge apology for not making it to Black Sheep Gathering in June. It was a disappointment for us, but we were very grateful that Doug had the time blocked off from work. Doug's Dad's health took a turn for the worse, and Doug needed to travel to Arizona to organize Dad's relocation to Bellingham. Dad is now getting the kind of care he needs, and is just a few minutes away from family. We did get to Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival in September. What a great event! As one fellow shepherd commented, there is no place we'd all rather be at that time of year. . . the perfect end to Summer, in the company of our many fiber friends. We have set the date for Wonderful Woollies next year - April 13, 2013. More later. . .

THANK YOU!

to everybody who participated in or attended our annual Wonderful Woolies sale! I hope you had a fun day.

The little lambs have grown since then, and are fast approaching the time when they will be weaned from their mommies. The little ram boys will go to stay with the wethers (non-breeding fiber dudes), and eventually all the guys will be together. As for the girls, we’ll see how it goes. We may or may not need to separate them from the moms. We plan to have this all done well before Black Sheep Gathering in late June.

Yes, we will be showing lambs and yearlings at Black Sheep! They are a little younger for the show this year. We usually plan for January lambs. This year, they were born in March. We got a little behind last fall because of our travel plans. I hope this will not be a huge factor in the show ring. . . we’ll see. Every time we show, it’s a learning experience. We are relatively new at all this, and have been focused on fiber quality. But part of a healthy flock is having beasties with good body structure. We are working on that as well. Black Sheep Gathering is always a fun event - a great place to take classes, shop for treasures, and connect with fellow fiber fanatics & yarn farmers. The Spinner’s Lead is not to be missed! It’s in the evening, following the potluck dinner. It’s a fashion show, with the related fleece beast in tow. I participated with our ram, Elmer two years ago. This year, I’ll be walking with our yearling ewe, Olive, modeling a shawl (which is still in progress). . . .

I hope to get over to the Pavilion to watch the judge assess the vast display of fibers, but most of the time I will be in the sheep barn. I hope that if you’re there, you’ll stop by the Spinners Eden banner to say hello!

WONDERFUL WOOLIES FLEECE & FIBER SALE at Spinners Eden Farm!

The 2012 fleeces have been sheared & carefully skirted, and will be available for sale on Saturday, April 14, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at our farm. Spinners Eden Farm is at 5740 Mertz Rd., Bellingham WA 98226. We have a wonderful assortment of colors & different fibers available, and some *to die for* hand-made Turkish drop spindles.

From Interstate 5 northbound, take the Sunset/Mt. Baker Highway exit (#255) and head east. After a mile, turn north onto Hannegan Rd. Continue past Smith Road (light) to Axton, and turn right (east) on Axton. It’s 1.1 mile to Mertz Rd. Turn left (north) & we’re the first barn on the right. If you get lost, my cell # is 360 770 6044.

From Interstate 5 southbound, take the Ferndale Main Street exit (#263), and head east. The road will turn into Axton Road. Continue east, past Hannegan 1.1 mile, to Mertz Rd. Turn left (north) & we’re the first barn on the right. If you get lost, my cell # is 360 770 6044.

Our other participants this year:

The Spindle Smith - Allen Berry’s hand-carved Turkish drop spindles
Nancy’s Farm - Nancy Giordano's flock
Little Orchard Farm - Rocky & Michele Long’s CVM/Romeldale
Riversong Farm - Christie Stewart Stein’s Lincoln, Cotswold, and Romeldale crosses
Marietta Shetlands - John Park & Tina Thommsen Park’s Shetlands
Felicity Fibers - Karen Washington’s alpacas
JNK Llamas - Jeff & Niki Kuklenski’s llamas
Brenna Brown - Brenna’s CVM/Romeldales
Rhonda Wreggelsworth - Rhonda & Vicki’s Angora (mohair) goat
Ferndale Fibers - Kathy Green's flock, washed fleeces and carded wool

There will be raw (unwashed, well-skirted) fleece, washed fleece, roving, top, batts, & the most beautiful hand-crafted Turkish spindles you’ve ever seen, and little lambs romping in the field.

Lambing 2012

I’m happy to tell you that little Zoroaster survived & is doing well after his birth ordeal. After emerging from his mommy he found himself in a mud puddle up to his armpits. Thank goodness he started out a vigorous little tyke, with a determination to survive. The first night was iffy, but since then he has been flying along with the rest of the flock.

Among sheep, births usually occur without too much difficulty. The ewes are often independent, requiring little intervention other to make sure that the mother has a safe & warm place to deliver her lambs. I’m not sure what mortality is like for range sheep, but here we try to keep a close eye on everybody for good nutrition throughout pregnancy, and to watch before & during labor for problems. This year, we have mostly first-timers, so this is new territory for all except for two of our girls. It is our fourth year of lambing.

Here are Rachael & Quinn. They're from two different mothers, but are good friends. So much cuteness!


Ellen has been uncomfortable for three full days. The vet has been out to see her & felt that the lambs were getting repositioned for delivery, which could occur any time within the next few days. We have watched her fidget, stretch, sway, paw (and I’m sure this is where the expression “piss & moan” came from). But no labor. You may see fireworks of celebration when she finally gives birth.



Three more ewes left to give birth. And then we can get some sleep, at least until our new puppy comes! (More on that later)

Lambs!

We have been watching our pregnant ewes for the last week or two, guessing that because of her enooooorrrmooouse belly, Glenda would be delivering lambs first. At least twins. But every time we’ve gone out to check, she’s been cheerfully munching on hay, alfalfa pellets, & begging for what we call “donuts” (actually Show Lamb Grain, which resembles a concoction of granola with molasses). None of the predictive circling & pawing on the ground, none of the soft baaing that usually accompany sheep labor. So at noon, when I heard some of those soft baas on the baby monitor, I went running in anticipation that Glenda might be ready to go.

To my surprise, it was little Contessa who had delivered twins, her very first lambs. I heard baby lamb bleats, quite determined ones at that, and found little Yo Yo Baa (lighter of the two) standing & being groomed by his mom, and Zoroaster (black with white star on head) lying in a mud puddle, yelling his little head off. So we pulled him out, warmed him up, trimmed & cleaned off umbilical cords & got the three settled in a lambing jug for a couple of days of bonding time. Yo Yo was up & eating vigorously in no time. Zoroaster was a little less vigorous, but seemed to be getting some colostrum.

All went pretty well until late afternoon, when Zoroaster’s energy level plummeted. A quick check of his mouth indicated that his temperature had dropped, and he was standing with back arched. . . not a good sign. Time for warm towels, milking mom for colostrum, and feeding him with a syringe. He was able to swallow, fortunately. I lent out my one and only gavage tube last year & haven’t gone back to retrieve it. Zoroaster was able to drink & probably got at least half of what I tried to feed him. I thought it a good idea to touch bases with the Vet about the possibility of antibiotics, but he suggested a couple cc’s of corn syrup to bring up the blood sugar quickly. What a miracle! Of course, I’ll be going back out to keep an eye on the little tyke. His temperature is up to normal, although his mouth is still cold. If he needs, I’ll continue syringe feeding, and hopefully he should perk up soon once his temperature & intake stabilize.

Contessa has been a champ through this. Although I see a lot of question marks hanging above her head (these are her first lambs - this is all new to her), she is cooperative when I need to milk her, and seems to comprehend that this little fellow is still *her* lamb (not mine). Keeping fingers crossed!

SHEARING DAYS!

This time of year is almost as much fun for us as Christmas. Our sheep, who have been growing their wonderful wool for a year, look forward to the day when it all comes off. Yes, it is still February, but they seem to come through the event feeling more comfortable & relieved to get all that heavy wool off. Just imagine an instant 10 lb weight loss. We’ve literally had grown-up, adult ewes & rams do the “Happy Spring Dance”, pronking in the field following shearing.

The pregnant ewes are more likely to stay in the barn after shearing, and after they deliver the lambs, the teats are easier for their little ones to find. And even though the rams don’t have these concerns, they, too, are happy afterwards. All our sheep are coated, so they do have that protection, as well as their 1/2”+ of wool remaining to keep them warm.


So here we are, with a wonderful bunch of fleeces. Several were promised to repeat customers, and those have been shipped off. One went to Judith MacKenzie and was used in her CVM class at Madrona Fiber Festival just a couple of weeks ago. The rest of the fleeces are here, and I am working hard to get those ready for the sale at our farm April 14, 2012, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. So there’s still some sorting & pricing going on, and I am having a great time just fondling the scrumptious wool. Mmmmmmm!

Here is a photo of Helena’s dense, velvety fleece. Helena has been a dark espresso color in years past, but now (after having birthed & raised 10 lambs in three years - two sets of triplets & one set of quads), she has some gray in her wool. It’s a more charcoal color this year. She is a very precious lady, and has this year off for lambing. If I could give her a real vacation & send her on a trip to Hawaii, I would. But she’s just going to be Auntie this year, and have some time for her body to recover from her very busy last three years.




The really nice thing about dense fleeces is that it’s hard for VM to find its way in. It’s more likely to stay on the top of the fiber, and then is pretty easy to pick off before shearing. It also helps that we have coats on everybody to protect the fleeces from dirt,VM, & sun-bleaching. During the course of the year, as the fleeces grow, we change out the coats to larger sizes to accommodate the wool. That means that the sheep wear four to five different coats through a year. Those coat changes are also a good time to assess body condition, to make sure that each one is at a healthy weight.


The next thing to happen here will be lambing. . . any day now! We’ve been watching the girls very carefully & it appears that Glenda will be the first to give birth. Her udder is enlarged, her belly has dropped, & her nether regions are looking rosy. She is big as a house & I am sure she has at least twins. She is our champion ram, Elmer’s daughter (looks just like her Dad), and since we lost Elmer last year, I am so very happy that we still have his genetic line at our farm. Can hardly wait to see the lambs!

A Smile

As I returned to the house after morning chores today, I realized that I once again came in with a smile on my face & warmth in my heart. Trite, I know. It’s an impossible thing to comprehend, probably, if you’ve never made a connection with sheep, but they are the sweetest beasties one could imagine. Well, mine are, anyway. (Okay, not always the rams. . . they can have an attitude & it’s wise to keep eyes open. But even our rams are pretty mellow.)

We sent four of our ewe lambs off to start a new farm - Isabelle, Josephine, Kathleen & Nadia. I do miss those little ladies. All were born here last February. All four have *spectacular* first fleeces which I will probably never have a chance to spin. But knowing that they went to a good young shepherd helps to make up for the loss.


The young lady who started her very first flock with these girls was well-prepared. She is in FFA, has read & studied the books, and came twice a week for *many* weeks to work with the girls. That says a lot to me. She worked on halter-training (or, as we call it, “fancy pageant walking”), so the girls will be ready to show next summer. She helped with hoof trims, something that needs to be done every few months with this breed. She learned about nutrition & general health. Her family was supportive in building a small barn and getting fences in order before bringing the girls home. This is just the kind of situation that we hope for, for our lambs’ new homes. Nevertheless we miss those little faces. We still have three little ewe lambs from last year, Mary (white), Olive (gray) & Bianca (a white Corriedale).

For ram lambs, we will be keeping Ulric & William, two of Elmer’s boys. If you recall, Elmer was our National Champion Ram in 2009, at Estes Park, Colorado. He also won Best Fleece at Nationals that year. We sadly lost Elmer last winter, but we are so happy to have his little ones. One of them has already been out as “Traveling Stud Muffin” to another farm. I can hardly wait to see his offspring.

Our new lambs will be born in March this year. Lambing is like Christmas. One of the reasons is that we never know what we’re going to get, in color or sex. We had one year of 7 rams/1 ewe (Blossom), which prompted considering a ceremonial estrogen dance around the barn before breeding the following year, but we never got around to it. Then we had a couple of years with more balanced gender outcomes. As for colors, Romeldales are all one color (well, maybe a star on the head). CVMs are badger-faced, multicolored sheep. But they’re basically the same breed. Blossom (black) had white twins. Amity (black) had triplets - a white/gray CVM & two moorit (brown) Romeldales. Christiane (black/white CVM) had two duplicates of herself. It’s all good. We gave the breeding ewes a stunning black/white CVM ram last fall - Esteban El Guapo, from California. So it’ll be fun to see his little ones.

Mayvember

I really shouldn't complain. Seriously, other parts of the country are completely under water. But up here in the Pacific Northwest, we have had one day of joyous springy sunshine followed by a week of gray, cold, dismal drizzle, outright downpours, and everything in between. Repeatedly. We had snow in April, for Pete's sake. I never knew the definition of “graupel” before. I thought that was Rubeus Hagrid's brother, in the Harry Potter books. But we've had that, too, and FYI, it's soft hail.

Our pasture is extremely soggy, which is holding up start of our new perimeter fence. And my tomato plants? Well, I just hope they don't just freeze their little pieces off. My stepdad used to say that we needed to wait until we had 55 degrees before putting out tomato plants. I went ahead, and now, in addition to the weather concerns, I am wondering if chickens like to eat tomato plants. We could be doomed.

The chickens have begun laying eggs again. We have a few different breeds. The Auracanas give us blue/green eggs. The Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, Barred Rock & Gold-laced Wyandotte give us various browns. The little one? No clue who that came from. If it had been white, I'd have suspected pigeon. We still have four homing pigeons. Hard to get rid of those little buggers.

On a happier note, all our precious little lambs are weaned. They went to a pasture within view of their mommies, and all spent the first day calling to each other. (My apologies to all our neighbors for a rather noisy Easter.) Things settled down quickly after that first day. The lambs were under the tender loving care of their Uncles Raoul & Little Guy, both wethers. They have been apart from mommies long enough now for milk to dry up, and now, the little ewe lambs have moved back to the ewes' barn. The ram lambs are now with their daddies & the wethers in Barn #2. The boys all got acquainted without mishap. It's always a concern with rams, but in this breed of sheep, even the rams are pretty mellow.

A Great Big Thank You!

To everybody who participated in or came to shop at our First Ever Annual Wonderful Woolies Fiber Sale! We are grateful to all the other farms that participated:
Allegre Alpacas Alpaca
Ferndale Fibers Romney X, Border Leicester X
Humble Home Goat Farm Angora goat (Mohair)
Thistle Dew Studio Alpaca
Marietta Shetlands Shetland
JNK Llamas Llama, including Suri llama
Nancy's Farm Blue Face Leicester X, Shetland
Little Orchard Farm CVM/Romeldale
Wake Robin Farm Icelandic

It's fun for spinners to be able to work with a variety of fibers, and together we were able to offer a nice variety of raw & washed fleeces, processed wool & handspun yarn. We were happy to have a day without rain, & although the weather was pretty chilly, the atmosphere was warm & friendly. Thank you, everybody that put on warm mittens, hats, & wool socks, to venture out to the farm!

Wonderful Woolies Fleece Sale 2011, or Nearly Naked Sheep

The sheep have all been sheared now, and are sporting their new spring coats. It's always a nice feeling for them to get all that wool off. Most are very patient with the process, and even though it puts them in some awkward positions for short periods of time, it's even more challenging for the shearer, who shears several sheep over several hours. Thank God for ibuprofen & Therma-Care Heat Wraps!


Also, Great Big Thanks to Dori and Lea for their most excellent help on shearing day! You both helped make the day run smoothly and efficiently. :-) We are all very grateful.

People often ask why we coat our sheep. I submit this photo of our yearling, Glenda, and it should answer your questions. All our sheep are very enthusiastic about the organic hay that we get from Sumas (near the Canadian border), but she seems to find particular joy in adorning herself with hay garlands. Soon the grass will begin growing, though, and the flock will enjoy the fresh pasture even more. As fleeces become longer and longer, the sheep will need larger coats. I think we go through about four or five coat sizes on the adults, in the course of a year. In the long run, though, coating makes for easier fiber processing and less fleece waste because of VM. Below Glenda's picture is one of her fleece, which is on its way to Florida.



We will be hosting the Wonderful Woolies Fleece & Fiber Sale on Saturday, April 16, 2011, 10 a.m. til 4 p.m. We are particularly pleased that several other farms have agreed to participate, too. We will have several breeds represented besides our CVM/Romeldale, including Romney X, Shetland, Icelandic, Angora goat (mohair), alpaca & llama, both Huacaya & Suri. We will have raw and processed fleeces. Of course, the sheep will be here to visit our guests as well.

Early Mornings & Late Nights

The icy January & February middle-of-the-night labor checks are over. The early morning scramble for warm, ragged lambing towels from the dryer are done. All our lambs are on the ground and doing very well. We have 14 little ones romping around, eight ewes & six little rams. Helena outdid herself with quadruplets this year – all black, two boys & two girls. All together, that's 10 lambs in three years for her. It's no wonder her fleece is turning gray, poor dear. She is such a trouper. I am doing my best to keep poking food into her. She's making a lot of milk for those babies.


There's nothing quite like the exuberance of these little guys. Why stand still, when one can jump straight up in the air? (I don't recall putting Mexican jumping beans in their feed.) Why lie down on the ground when it's much warmer on top of mommy? What does grass taste like? Who is that lady that keeps bringing hay? If I run really fast can I get to the far end of the field before my siblings? Where's my mommy? Their curiosity is unending. Some are more friendly than others, and I'm finding that their dispositions are often a reflection of their mommies'.

We have lots more color variation this year, clearly the result of choosing a different ram for the girls. Last year, we had Brutus from Colorado, a stunning black stud muffin, who gave us stunning black sheep. Lots of them. This year, Elmer (our champion moorit - brown) and Eugene from Oregon, a black & white badger-faced CVM, did their work and produced a great variety of colors. And the markings – OMG. Such cuteness!


Two of the little lambs are bottle babies – one of Helena's, and one of Amity's. Sometimes a third will join in. That means mixing jugs of lamb milk replacer & taking warm bottles out to feed several times a day. Those frosty early morning & late night feedings are most wonderful beginnings & ends to the day. I can't imagine a more peaceful place to be. Late at night when most everybody is sleeping, the little ones determinedly climb up to the hay feeder for their bottles, which are emptied within a few minutes. Then they tuck back in with their flock. I top off the hay feeders, just in case somebody needs a midnight snack, and head back to the house & a warm bed. What a perfect place to be!

The Pre-Christmas Flurry of Knitting

It's this time of year that I am busily working on Christmas gifts. Last year I didn't finish until May. I hope to avoid that this year, so am choosing to do smallish projects for some special friends. We have the most wonderful people that are part of the large-animal veterinary practice that takes care of our sheep. Doug & I have taken our beasties in to the clinic for several visits, and many of the doctors have come to the farm to help in emergencies. So I am busily spinning yarn from our flock's fleeces. There will be hats from Bacchus, our ram who passed on following an injury, mitts from Arlyss, who had a vaginal prolapse before lambing, and mitts from Blossom, who had pneumonia as a newborn, nearly two years ago. All together, I believe we have seen seven veterinarians in the last year.


As you can imagine, it takes the sheep about a year to grow a fleece, and then after that, processing (washing & carding) can take awhile, too. So here I am. Fortunately, spinning well-prepared fiber which is free of debris (like bits of hay) & neps (second cuts that cause little snarls) goes pretty quickly. I don't mind having a good excuse to spend time at my wheel. The knitting has gone well, for the most part. . . except this afternoon, when I hit a little snag. As I worked on a hat, I thought it might be helpful to be able to try it on for fit. So I went to a two-needle circular method of knitting, and somehow, wound up with this little mess. I will be able to sort it out. I just needed to take a break, have a bite of dinner & regroup.

I did complete a little gift for a dear friend, who is expecting her first grandchild in January. Given Debbie's fondness for ducks, I made this little pattern from Knitty.com. We had dinner together on Friday night & I gave her the gift, and asked her to open it before she passed it on to her daughter-in-law. I'm so glad I did. As we enjoyed the evening's festivities after dinner – a walk up the street to take in the annual Figgy Pudding Caroling Contest in downtown Seattle, the bag vanished. It must have happened in the crowd. She doesn't recall setting it down anywhere. . . and I have a photo of her with it. . . so I am guessing that somebody snagged it along the way. I do wish I could have seen the person's face when they opened it. Given the size, they may have expected jewelry or some other small treasure.




Back to my knitting. . . After I finish the Christmas gifts, I will do another pair of duck booties.