Baa Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool?
Yes Sir, yes sir, three bags full...
This year has been a hum-dinger! I've had much going on in the last five months, but everytime I've thought I should put out a post it's either been too late or I've been short of time (i didn't make the time).
Above photo shows what I have left of my 2020 wool clip that I have finally sorted through and made three bags to be processed into combed top. All together about 45 - 50 pounds of wool.
The bag on the left will be a grey blend, the middle a brown and the right a fawn color.
Planning to send it out the beginning of January and hope to have it back in five months, in time for the 2021 Great Lakes Fiber Show.
Through out this summer I was determined to have more clean wool!! This is a priority for a hand spinner. So making several fabric purchases we have make enough sheep coats to get ALL of the sheep coated. We have played around with the "sheep coat design" trying different things.
Various sizes of coats and even trying to perfect one coat that will work for a sheep during the whole fleece growing season...still working on that one!
Our flock size has increased a bit. At this time our ewe and ewe lamb group is at sixty.
This is a large number of sheep, But these are not all mine. I am also keeping my friend Dave's flock in with mine.
Above are most of the 2020 ewe lambs eating off the hay bags. All summer they were out in their pasture and they had access to these bags, so they continue to like eating from them rather than the hay feeders.
So the adults have access to four hay feeder, plus the hay bags if they choose. This year we have made some really nice quality hay and I decided to take all of them off grain after weaning lambs. This has worked out really well. The body condition of all the sheep is very good.
This has helped to cut the cost of buying grain, but has increased our hay consumption. Our field has produced a record amount of hay this year, but we did also have to buy an extra 20 round bales to see us through till June, 2021.
But the sheep have paid their way...even this year. Private sheep sales, early in the year raw wool sales and many of the cross bred lambs and ram lambs sent to sale, bringing in excellent prices this year too.
This is the only ram lamb that I kept this year. He is a superfine ram. I was really impressed that we got a superfine considering his sire, who was not so fine, although his dam is.
We spend many, many hours figuring out our breeding groups this year. Down to actually figuring out percentages of the genetic pool of each ewe and potential sire. We needed to do this because we were putting some breeding groups together that were pretty closely related (we are trying to produce more of this particular pattern in the shetland breed).
We put our breeding groups together for the Month of October. Separating them a week earlier than planned due to having the ewe lambs outside in a temporary shelter during a week of rainy weather and I just didn't want to keep them out in those conditions any longer.
So all of my ewes may not be bred this year, but those things happen...I'm sure that we will have a nice lamb crop with our first ones expected on March 1, 2021.
This fall I submitted some photo's of our English Shepherd "Red" to the SHEPHERD'S CALL, the newsletter of the English Shepherd Club. They put a call out this year for photo's of the various breed colors and have shared them in the bi-monthly newsletter.
Red is considered a clear solid sable, his photo should be in the January, 2021 issue.
Being involved in a Spinning and Weaving Guild, as a group, we tend to get donations from generous people to utilize and care for precious old equipment that has been saved from being destroyed.
Recently a bunch of "old equipment" was recently donated, many parts and pieces. Some in decent condition and some not so much.
I had asked if their were any parts that could be put together and that needed some work to make a working spinning wheel. I had a young friend in mind to give this to if so.
Two dusty off wheels were dropped off at my home. Both had a true wheel, not warped. Both have some parts missing and need some TLC. I decided to clean up the one that looked to be a better option. First wiping off the layers of dust and grime with warm soapy water, then wiping off again with clean water. Scrubbing the orifice and guide hooks with a small wire brush. Then oiling all the metal and moving parts, along with the original leather bearing that hold the bobbin and flyer. Finishing up with tung oil over all the wood.
As I turned to the front of the wheel, at the tension screw to rub tung oil across the bench I was surprised to find the makers initials! MNS
What a find! I quickly snapped a photo and sent to my friend! This wheel has the makers mark! So I thought I better look at the bottom for a signature...no signature.
I continued to rub tung oil across the bench and only then did I notice the date! 1832!!
This was so exciting! To comprehend that this spinning wheel is almost 200 years old and has been held onto and saved by so many people along the way.
Notice the leather bearing that holds the orifice.
Although this wheel is not original to this particular spinning wheel as it is a bit larger than would have been on it.
So this was quite an exciting find, but then I was a bit apprehensive of giving this particular wheel to a young person to actually learn to spin with.
This wheel belongs in a museum or historical society.
So the search will continue for an appropriate wheel for a young person that wants to learn to spin.
Have a MERRY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS,
from our Family to yours,
DLS Shetlands
