The snow machine over the lake is cranking up and sending that horizontal white mist out of the Northwest. Sometimes is comes floating down and I can see one tiny flake at a time and follow it all the way down. Other times the wind drives it through and I can't see where it's landing. The paddock where the sheep relax in good weather is drifted over and they stay in the barn all the time. I just listed Wooster, my purebred registered Bluefaced Leicester ram on Craigslist, a first for me. Libby mentioned she saw a flock of Cashmere goats on it and I thought, why not check it out. I know Mia found Monika, her roommate, on CL. Why not give it a try? He is bred out and I don't plan on using him in the near future. He comes from Kathy Davidson's Potosi Farm in Glen Rock, Pa. I want to find him a good home, but once you let an animal go there's no telling what's going to happen to him, something that always plagues my mind. I'm no good in the animal business. They are all children and totally dependent on me for everything they need. I stayed up late last night sorting through a fleece to put in the dye pot. Have to get the bottles out to the lambs. I'm cutting Larry and Lester down to two bottles a day. They are a month old and growing like crazy. I want them to eat more hay and corn. I still have mom and boys in the pen so I can feed Lilly without her having to compete with other sheep. She's losing her wool so I'll get a coat on her. I had hoped to have three Lilly fleeces to have yarn made for a sweater someday. She has the softest, prettiest variegated brown wool. Her mom, Blue Tag, is still with me. Blue Tag is one of my founding ewes from Ohio, a BFL Romney cross, and must be 11 years old now. She can't have many more years on this earth. I'm headed to the feed mill in Waterville this morning, my Saturday ritual. I have to get to the B'field PO before 11 am. Carol sent a package of fabric from her local discount store. Great to have a personal shopper in the fiber arts business. She knows what people will like. She's finished my bag and I will send her 5 pounds of wool for it. Love that underground barter economy. Nobody I know has any money to spend these days, and things are slated to get worse. Thank God for our jobs.
3 comments:
Hi Maggie!
If Blue Tag is Dulce, tag #552, then her birthday is 5-30-99.
If she is the little lamb that I gave you when you picked up the bred ewes, then she was born 6-3-01
Is Lilly her first daughter, sired by our moorit Border Leicester ram, Trump? If so, I can just imagine how beautiful her wool is. I had some of his daughters, and they had such wonderful colors to the wool. My friend, Jane, still has one of his daughters, Patina.
Jane likes to overdye her fleece with an olive green and add some gold highlights, making the yarn the colors of the forest.
Barter is a fabulous thing! My sister barters with a friend in Sweden for handknit socks. I rec'ved a pair of the socks for my birthday and loved them.
Hope the ram finds a great home.
Maggie - I just finished spinning a skein of the purple you left in my room Friday. It is gorgeous! I can't wait to make it into a hot mitten. Great color mix. I'll email you a photo.
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