Behold, the grand visage of Charles the Shetland ram! We picked him up last fall, driving south in our rickety old truck to the farm we got our four ewes from. After telling the story of our scrotum-less surprise wether last year, the farmer only chuckled and shook his head. “We’ll make sure you get [...]
Archive for the ‘fibre fun’ Category
Hello, Charles
Posted in fibre fun, meat growing, sheep on February 25, 2013 | 2 Comments »
April means…
Posted in around the farm, chickens, fibre fun, garden, goats, spring on April 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Pussy willows: Chickens helping us work fresh nutrients into the garden: Fencing for goats (something tells me this will be an infinite task): Sorting the wool harvest! I think this is Clementine: And, because this IS Alberta… the occasional snowstorm.
Mark’s sweater
Posted in fibre fun, mark on April 2, 2012 | 3 Comments »
This darn thing was a year in the works. I started it off way too small and would not accept the truth for 6 inches. When I finally ripped out my progress, it took me a long time to cultivate the motivation to try again. But the eyes of this bearded man would light up [...]
Shearing day… and sheep balls
Posted in around the farm, fibre fun, meat growing, sheep, spinning, with child on April 1, 2012 | 3 Comments »
The spirit was willing, but the flesh was 6 months pregnant. So instead of hunkering down and risking a hoof to the growing gut, a shearer was hired. Look, someone is shearing my sheep and it’s not me! Above is Eleanor being sheared. Below is her glorious fleece. She is my favourite of the five. [...]
The antique spinning wheel
Posted in fibre fun, spinning on December 28, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Is there anything more lovely than a very old spinning wheel and a basket full of rolags? This lovely item is a work in progress. One of the flyer arms is broken and the bobbin’s got quite a loud chatter, but even though it sounds like it’s about to take off, the thing spins wonderfully. [...]
Making funky colours with Wilton’s black cake dye
Posted in fibre fun, spinning on December 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I wasn’t going to take pictures of this process, but it was too strange to let pass by undocumented. I’m not sure on the science behind why black makes so many crazy colours–I know it’s because black is a combination of various colours, but I don’t know if it’s the vinegar that breaks up the [...]
The importance of being felt
Posted in fibre fun on November 8, 2011 | 1 Comment »
This is how it started: a ginormous knitted sack-type thing that fell off my too-large-for-the-yarn needles in a loose clump. A quick trip in the washing machine, and the wool fibres wound around each other in a sweet embrace, tightening up the whole ensemble. Scrotal sac no more, behold the new lunch bag!
The things we’re making
Posted in around the farm, autumn, cooking from scratch, fibre fun, meat growing, sheep, spinning, weaving on October 16, 2011 | 3 Comments »
A winter home for the goats. We’re using galvanized stucco wire as a hopeful alternative to page wire, and crossing our fingers that it stands up to all the ruminant sex that will take place. Beautiful yarn! This is one ply of dyed polwarth and one ply of handcombed romney. It’s a beautiful yarn indeed, [...]
2011 wool harvest
Posted in fibre fun, mark, nathan, sheep on June 6, 2011 | 2 Comments »
It’s one of those things that sucks to do, but once done, makes you feel pretty damn smug about yourself. No matter that I needed two people to hold one tiny sheep down, because I had good, patient helpers. No matter that there are second cuts galore, because I still got a lot of really [...]
Preparing for shearing day
Posted in fibre fun, helpful advice, sheep, spring on April 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
My four sheep are Shetlands, a primitive double-coated breed that, in the early days, would shed wool (or roo) every spring, eliminating the need to be shorn. That’s before Shetlands started being bred for thick, even, single coats. Now it’s a mixed bag: some Shetlands are double-coated, some are single. Some shed and some don’t. [...]
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