Projects

This fall after scrambling to get the "pre-winter" chores done I get to spin and crochet! (It gets dark early.) I still have to fix the ram pen aka the "jail" fixed. Between an aggressive Angora buck (now gone for slaughter) and an aggressive Shetland ram who is wearing a ram shield and will go to market soon, those two boys really smashed up the fence which is made of cattle panels- so time to rebuild. (Both those boys behaved last year, but then this year they turned naughty. Both were 4 years old.) I also need to fix the "cow" shed (cattle by the way a quite destructive-just for fun or maybe their just clumsy) and they knocked the boards down on the front side of their shed. (This is the last winter with a cow {actually a steer} in the "cow" shed, next year my Angora goats get it.) The last two "pre-winter" projects are to help my Mom put all the garden stuff away and fix the lambing pen fence. I just finished cleaning out two years worth of cow manure from the "cow"shed... last winter came early and that job did not get done.
This is a skein of intermediate Shetland lamb and mohair locks.
On the wheel is some short single coated moorit Shetland lamb and more mohair locks. Wow, the short wool spins so much better for this type of yarn (I tried it with some Coopworth, but that did not work at all and the intermediate Shetland was a lot more work to draft than the short single coated Shetland. Corriedale also works well for this yarn. I like longer wool for spinning plain yarn though.)

I just learned a new crochet stitch-broomstick lace. It is really easy and fun to do. The teal knitting needle is the broomstick. I'm using some of Craigrothie's (one of my Shetland rams) handspun lambswool. The scarf is very soft and airy. I also crocheted a scarf using some of the white millspun 67% Shetland/BFL lamb/33% mohair yarn that I sell. This yarn was space dyed/hand painted.

2010 Breeding Groups

I've been really busy around here. Last week we had a really strong wind storm and the goats' shed blew away and got smashed with the goats in it. The goats are fine, but were cold when I found them. They are temporarily living in the cow shed. The steer is a lot tougher than shorn Angoras! Got to work on fixing that now.

Did AI on 5 ewes this past Sat. at Hidden Valley Woolen Mill. There were a total of about 35- 40 sheep done. Breeds done included Shetlands, Coopworths, % Teeswaters, % Gotlands, one ewe was bred to Racka, and one Dorset to East Frisian. It's always nice to see other sheep producers.

PS23 Campbell- fawn katmoget (F1 Jericho) fine, very soft fleece is getting 7 ewes

PS23 Dingdong- fawn, very silky soft fleece, may carry spots (100% Dailley)
Windswept Lime-white, bold crimped, shiny fleece (F2 Jings)
PS23 Finch- black, cimpy fleece (F2 Greyling, F3 Holly/ Jericho)
PS23 Ferndale-black, crimpy fleece (F1 Gordon, F3 Jericho)
PS23 Flourance-white, bold crimped, very soft and silky fleece (F2 Skeld, F3 Brent, F4 Skeld, Jericho) smaller ewe
PS23 Evening Primrose-sheala gulmoget, long silky fleece (some UK way back)
PS23 Eastwind-emsket HST (spotted), long fleece (some UK way back)

PS23 Campbell's fleece

PS23 Fife- moorit (F1 Orion, F4 Minder/ Timothy) very fine and soft fleece is getting 5 girls

PS23 Daysong- grey katmoget, soft crimpy single coat, may carry spots and modified (F2 Jericho)
PS23 Edelweiss-musket katmoget, very silky soft single coat (F2 Brent, F3 Skeld/ Jericho)
PS23 Ely Cathedral-fawn katmoget, bold crimped fleece (F3 Jericho as well as some other UK way back)
PS23 Essex-moorit, soft loosely crimped fleece (F2 Jericho)
PS23 Finch-white, long silky fleece (F2 Dillon, F3 Jericho/ Skeld) PS23 Fife's fleece

PS23 Fairlight- white (F1 Jings, F3 Greyling/ Holly) very fine, crimpy and soft fleece. Polled/scurred. He is getting 2 Shetland girls and the Merino.

PS23 Emrald-grey katmoget (F2 Jericho) very silky soft fleece
SheepyHollow Sienna-moorit (F3 Timothy/ Minder, F4 Jamie) very fine single coat. Horned ewe
Alice-white purebred Merino PS23 Fairlight's fleece

AI Group (not sure who I'll use as a clean up ram/s yet.) I picked this group based on size, fleece, production (and potential production for the 2 maiden ewes) and all around conformation.

PS23 Funzie-grey katmoget (F1 Jings, F3 Greyling/Holly) very fine, crimpy and soft fleece. Horned ewe (Fairlight's twin.)
Sabbath Farm Sawn-musket (100% Dailley) Very silky, soft fleece (she had twins and one of her lambs, PS23 Goldenrod, is the biggest pure lamb I have)

Both these girls were AI'ed to Island Skeld a very nice white ram.

PS23 Forsythia-light grey (F2 Gretling/Holly, F3 Skeld) very fine, crimpy single coat

She was bred to Drum Jings a nice white ram.

Sabbath Farm Silvia-light grey (100% Dailley) Very silky, soft fleece (her twins are both good sizes and have better fleeces than her.)
Sabbth Farm Fonteyn-fawn katmoget (F2 Greyling/Holly) crimpy single coat (she had triplets that grew fairly well without being supplemented) Horned ewe.

Both these girls were bred to Drum Ram a nice black ram.


Cross groups for commercial ewes and market lambs:
(All PS23 sheep are purebred registered Shetlands.)

Cooper-white purebred Coopworth ram is getting 10 girls
5 unregistered Shetlands (3 light grey and 2 musket)
Febee-white Shetland x Merino
Fuzz-white Shetland X Corriedale/1/8 Dorset
PS23 Elm-light grey, fine double coat (100% Dailley)
PS23 Early Spring-mioget, fine double coat (Some UK way back)
PS23 Ewe Won-mioget HST (spotted), fine double coat (100% Dailley) Cooper's fleece

Windham-white (color carrier) purebred (Australian style-smaller than the show type) Corriedale is getting 7 ewes.

Fudge- charcoal Shetland X Bluefaced Leicester
Eco-grey katmoget Shetland X Bluefaced Leicester
PS23 Easterlilly-white, single coat (F2 Skeld)
PS23 Dove-white, bold crimped, silky single coat (F2 Skeld/Jericho)
PS23 Felicity-white, single coat (F2 Skeld, F3 Jericho)
PS23 Fairlie-fawn (F1 Orion), fine double coat
PS23 Ewe Two-moorit, single coat (F2 Orion)
Windham's fleece

#267 (need to think of a name)-charcoal purebred Coopworth ram lamb is getting 7 girls. (I got him as Cooper does not carry color and I have a demand for colored fleeces.)

Fronzie-white Shetland X Merino
PS23 Bluebell-sheala iset, double coat (F3 Jamie)
Bramble Jocelyn-moorit, fine double coat/intermediate (100% Dailley)
UnderTheSon Sorrelle-moorit, double coat (100% Dailley)
UnderTheSon Claremori-fawn, fine double coat/intermediate
PS23 Cinderella-black iset, double coat (Some UK way back)
Longshadow Amber-dark musket, silky soft fleece (100% Dailley) Both photos are #267's fleece

For goats:

Caspian-faded red CAGBA buck is getting 1 doe (was going to breed him to Pearl, but found out she is his dam's full sister. Also too related to the other CAGBA does as two are his daughters and one is a cousin.)

Belle-white color carrier CAGBA doe (threw silver once)

Albee-white AAGBA buck from OR (kids out of CAGBA x AAGBA can be CAGBA registered)

Eden-AAGBA white TX doe
Pearl-faded red/taupe CAGBA doe
England-grey CAGBA doe

Danburry-white AAGBA TX buck

Terra-AAGBA white doe
Jade-AAGBA white doe
Treasure-AAGBA white doe
China-black CAGBA doe
France-white color carrier CAGBA doe

Next year I am planning on buying or leasing a black or faded red buck to get color back into the herd as all the kids will be white or very pale faded reds.
#267