Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Great Wool Fiasco


Earlier this year we sent a good bit of raw wool from our sheep to a processing mill to be washed, carded, dyed and spun. This was the first time we have done so, and it was a bit tricky to figure out exactly what to do with it. Now, I hate to make this post a complain-o-rama, but frankly, I am a bit disappointed with the result. Our sheep are shetland/cotswold crosses, so I thought it would be nice to have it spun fairly fine, and have some dyed in rich, autumnal colors with the idea of trying my hand at some Fair Isle knitting.

We sent it off on April 20, and a few days later got a call from the mill. What had not been clear on the order form was that, in order to spin, they require a 15 lb clean weight minimum per lot. Ours was in 5-10 lb lots. This seems a bit ridiculous, as that is just a whole lot of wool. Several sheep's worth. 15 pounds-think about how many sweaters that is! The trouble was, our fleeces were in four different natural colors: white, brown, black, and grey. So I asked the nice lady at the mill, who was very helpful, if we forgot about the dying, and just put the four colors in lots, if that would be enough to spin. It wasn't. So we settled on having rovings done, and went ahead with the dying.

They were running a little behind at the mill, and my anticipation grew. Yesterday I came in from the field to find these boxes on my front porch. So exciting!
Now, as I said, I had envisioned deep, vibrant colors for the knitting. We selected colors that would be appropriate for fall and winter, when woolen items are most appreciated. Hmmmm. At the upper left we have what was supposed to be "scarlet". This is something like watermelon or bubblegum. Definitely pink. It couldn't be pinker if it tried. Next to that is the "vermilion". What we picked was a lovely, rusty orangey red. This is wine. Not good wine, either. Less a robust cabernet and more like a watery pinot noir. Below that, we have "turquoise". Meh, not really. It was supposed to be pure white wool dyed this color, and for some reason they mixed in the grey, which just makes it sort of a murky blah blue. The "golden ochre" is sort of mustardy, it has grown on me, I rather like it.

Now the "violet". That I like. The natural colors are beautiful, too. I suppose we can experiment with overdying the others, but when you have paid good money to have it done right the first time (grrrrr)....

Now for the spinning. I am a knitter. I have tried spinning, but found it not to be my cup of tea. I have the old drop spindle out, though, and am giving it another whirl (so to speak). Maybe I can learn to love it. I suppose now a spinning wheel purchase is in order. We have a mountain of this stuff to work through! I will just set my mind to all the lovely knitted things it may become. It really does have a nice sheen to it, it's gorgeous wool.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Maybelle's First Trip to the Beach

Alternate title: I Have the Best Dog in the World

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, and Maybelle's first birthday, we farmers shirked our responsiblities for one day, put the dog in the car, and headed to the beach.

Maybelle has never been in the car for so long before. After some initial anxiety, she was consoled by the fact that it is basically like a couch that rolls.

After the 3+ hour drive there, she had a few shrimp and some french fries for lunch (Naughty! But she was on holiday). Then she was introduced to the ocean!
Turns out, she is a beach dog. How did we get so lucky?

Thursday, June 18, 2009

A Month of Rain

Lots and lots of rain. 10 inches and change so far. As Steve wrote in the farm blog, with that much rain comes rot. It has me gravely concerned for our potatoes, near ready to harvest, sitting there in the slop. It has been too wet to cultivate or weed, which is frustrating. It's not all bad, though. The frogs are living easy, they have stocked all our catchment ponds with tadpoles.


We have been enjoying some beautiful wild oyster mushrooms, a variety named Angel Wings, and have been admiring all the lovely fungus growing everywhere.
Did I mention the wildflowers? Untidiness does sometimes have its benefits. There are some areas on the farm that I protest being mowed. Well, so far I haven't had to lay down in front of the tractor. This year, my "weeds" have been spectacular.
In other news, all the kids are growing up and doing well. The little turkeys will be ready to go out on pasture before too long. The Buff Orpington family continues to be delightful. These are the most playful bunch of chicks I have ever known. I am especially impressed with how good a father the rooster is. He has infinite patience, and is very gentle with them, even when they invent such games as Hop on Pop to play.
Not to be outdone, the lovely Ms Elberta has hatched some wee ones of her own. Her hatch was more complicated, unfortunately. She hatched her babies in the goat house, which was a pretty good idea in terms of security from predators, but I couldn't feed them in there once they hatched. She was also living with another hen and a rooster, one of which killed three of the babies before I realized what was happening and relocated them. I kept a close watch, and when she was done hatching, moved her and her six biddies to a little cottage nearby, where she can bring them up in peace and safety.


Our little goat Djali, a Saanen cross, has begun to produce milk. She has never been bred, but being a dairy breed, they sometimes lactate anyway. This was news to me. We have been milking her, and so far have about a cup and a half, but hope we will perhaps collect enough to make a little cheese. I have enjoyed learning to milk, never having done it before. However, I am hindered somewhat by the antics of our other goat Thunder, who doesn't have, shall I say, the most sparkling of personalities. While I am hunched over, she likes to sneak up on me and grab a mouthful of my hair, then jerking it out of my head. When I scream, she looks at me with a devilish smirk, several strands of long blond hair dangling from her lip. My threats of barbecue don't seem to faze her at all.