Ewe & I Farm

Happy Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T11:58:00.000-05:00

Winter has finally arrived in NH. About 6" of snow yesterday and freezing rain today. So very glad I don't have to go out. Even my chickens are not going out. No interest whatsoever! They have fresh water, food, and some scratch to scruff up the shavings and poo when I go out to collect eggs, and to open or close their doors. The rescue chickens now have a red heat lamp at night, and any day that it is below zero, as they still have no butt feathers. )o:

But, I walked up 9 dozen eggs to the fridge at the top of the drive, and so far there is another 3 dozen in the cooler. There will be more eggs when I go out later to check on them and then to close them up for the night.

AND...I found my scale last night!! That means this afternoon I will be weighing fleeces and hopefully getting them posted tonight.

TTFN

Happy 2012 one and all!

2012-01-01T08:09:00.000-05:00

May your new year be full of wooly goodness!

May 2012 be full of health, happiness and prosperity.

May your health be good. May your happiness be from within and not from things or people. May your prosperity be no more than you can handle and that you would willingly share with others.

Merry Christmas to all from our farm to you!

2011-12-25T12:12:00.000-05:00

Ewe & I Farm wishes you all a very Merry CHRISTmas!! And we thank all of our customers this past year. Next year we want to support the Heifer Project again. We are thinking about how to do that and to get our customers involved. Stay tuned... www.heifer.org To give a sheep it is $120, page below.

https://secure1.heifer.org/gift-catalog/sheep.html/?msource=kwgb3&gclid=CN26kNrYna0CFUio4AodNAKRGg
These pictures were taken a couple of days ago when it was 48 degrees. Therefore there is mud. The next day it was 33 and snowing. This morning it was 7 degrees and the snow is simply icy.
I am building a movable greenhouse on our deck. It will stay there until I make a spot in the garden for it. I am hoping to start at least lettuces and peas early this spring. And maybe tomatoes all summer long. We will see. The company I ordered my clear panels from missed up my order and did not deliver it on Friday. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. )o: I wanted it done before my daughter got here last night, but it was not meant to be. I hope to finish it and get it enclosed on Wednesday. We are using recycled storm windows from a friends father and heavy duty plastic. All windows would be nice. Sometime...
I will have to post a request on Freecycle.

Shearing will start in 2-3 weeks. Lambing will start January 27th to February 20. As you can see from the pictures, most of the sheep are covered. Some of the sheep are test driving Rocky Mountain sheep covers. I think these ROCK! Much better than the Matilda covers that we were dealers for. As we can afford it, we will switch over. http://www.rockysheep.com/sheepcover/ Those are the green coats.

Victoria should be giving us twins.

The greenhouse to be

Bardo and 2 of his girls

Madame dirty nose.

Something to think about.

2011-12-09T09:19:00.002-05:00

I know it has nothing to do with the farm, but it does with our faith.

http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2009/08/bait-and-switch-of-contemporary.html

2012 NH Sheep & Wool Festival

2011-12-08T21:24:00.001-05:00

Yes, the festival is moving to Deerfield, NH.

Yes, I've been fired as the vendor contact, via a message on my answering machine.

I was fired by the committee, who decided there needed to be a vendor committee. Right now that is a mother and daughter team. I feel for them. It is a hard enough job without a whole new venue on top of it all. And without all the information that Shari and I have had. But, I am helping when I can.

Yes, I am fine. I am looking forward to being 'just' a vendor.

No, I have no real answers about anything.

This is the email I sent our vendors. I just want to show I have absolutely nothing to hide!!

Good day all!!

Some of you have heard the news, but for the rest of you that I've not seen in the past couple of weeks here goes.

#1-I've been fired as your vendor contact person via a message on my answering machine.

Jeff Jordan, the NHSWGA and the NH Sheep & Wool Festival president, called and left a message on my machine as follows- '...the festival committee has decided to go with a committee for the vendors this coming year...' (I know WHO fired me, and the petty reason behind it, but I am looking forward to being ONLY a vendor after 8+ years of working directly with all of you!!)

And your new contact person is Joan Chapin - 603-755-3825 or stillmeadowjoan@gmail.com

#2-We are moving to Deerfield! I was told Saturday that it was voted on, and got an email today confirming it.

34 Stage Road

Deerfield, NH 03037-1607

http://www.deerfieldfair.com/

Since I know no more than any of this, I suggest you contact Joan Chapin, or the NHSWGA's president or vice president. http://www.nhswga.com/nhswga-contacts

See you in 2012.

Cindy Yeager

Ewe & I Farm

Sutton Mills, NH

By the way, Shari Mead and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your help and cooperation in the past years.

So. That is all I have to say about this.

See you in Deerfield!

Our newest item. Wet felted wool pads.

2011-12-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

Instead of taking up picture space, I will just send you here. You can either purchase it through Etsy, or email me and go direct.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87713983/wet-felted-wool-pads

2011-12-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

I have finally finished with all of the fleeces!! Yeah! Now to find the scale...

It is raining today, so after a few errands I will spend the day downstairs in the 'shop/mill'. More to come later... (o;

Happy December 1st

2011-12-01T08:50:00.000-05:00

This is the view from my bedroom at 7am this morning.

I so love living in the country. I laid in bed for the longest time just watching this cloud change.

It is 32 and the wind is blowing like a banshee. It is supposed to get up to 40 with light and variable winds... At least I can finish getting the yard ready for winter and the last of the fleeces taken care of.

2011-11-30T23:00:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to come visit us this Saturday, December 3rd, from 9-2 at the Wilmot Community Association building for the annual Holiday Craft Fair. We will be selling our hand knit wearables as well as our newest line, 36X48" felt pads. AnnieM Creations will be selling her jewelry and her hand knits alongside us again this year.

64 Village Road, Wilmot NH 03287

And next week anything unsold will either be posted on the fleece page or on my Etsy site.
http://eweifarmfleece.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/eweandifarm

Yes, the garage does exist

2011-11-25T04:31:00.000-05:00

As the Jeep had to be worked on NOW...the last dozen or so fleeces went out behind the horse trailer.

Here is one of those fleeces being re-skirted. As you can see I don't take off much the 2nd time.

The chickens are happy to see the garage open.

Other than 4 fleeces waiting there turn for the washing machine, it is a fleece free zone.

Right after the car went in, it went up on the jacks.

Happy Thanksgiving from our farm to all!!

2011-11-24T07:12:00.000-05:00

Jerry and I are celebrating Thanksgiving alone, but yet we are not alone. Our Lord and Savior is always here with us. We have our 28 sheep and Dolores & Lizzie (the visiting sheep), and 60 sheep to keep us company. And our 3 cats most likely won't be going outside as we still have 6" of snowball type snow on the ground. As it was, none of the chickens came out of the 2 barns yesterday. I don't anticipate them coming out today though.

I am so thankful for so much in our lives. Our farm is most thankful for all our customers this past year, and the rest of the year to come. Our animals food/hay is paid by our/their customers. Lambs and wool pay for hay, eggs pay for grain for the entire farm. So, THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS!
YOU ROCK!!

I plan to spend some of my day playing in fleece. Other than spending it with hubby &/or daughter, this is my 'happy time'. I hope to get more pictures taken and posted on the fleece page.

Off to have breakfast, go take care of our animals, and another farm's animals and then come home to play.

We will see my daughter and her husband Saturday & Sunday for lamb kabobs and then turkey the next day. Then will leave full, as usual, with leftovers to be sure.

TTFN.

Snowed and sleeted in

2011-11-23T09:43:00.000-05:00

It snowed snowball type snow, and now it is raining and sleeting. I plowed a bit of the driveway. Just enough for the neighbors to get in and out, the mail lady to deliver my mail and for any egg customers to get to the fridge. There are 9 dozen in the fridge and another 15 dozen in the cooler downstairs.

Taking the time to clean the guest bedroom, and finding some nice washed fleeces. I know at least 2 are Maggie's fleeces. She is my first Dorset/Romney cross. At 11 her fleece is still soft enough for baby things! Now that I can get to the Duncan Electric carding maching I will sample some of her fleece. I might offer some of it for sale, but I am not sure. It would go for $14/lb unwashed as it is a covered fleece....

And, I washed the natural colored Merino fleece yesterday. I am going to card some upstairs on the Duncan Electric, and I am going to spin some from the combs. We will see which I like better. Eventually it may go downstairs on the new carder.

Pygora fleeces were washed and dried this past couple of weeks. They are ready to go to Zeilinger's to be dehaired. When I have some money...

We have lots of yarn from both Green Mountain Spinnery (my Romneys) and from Friend's Folly Farm (Jacob) that needs to be skeined, washed and priced. Hopefully I can do that soon and get it all on the fleece blog, and maybe my Etsy shop,

We also have felted wool pads that need to be photographed and put on the blog. These pads are great for a number of purposes. My original use was in the recliner for that blank spot between your feet and the seat of the chair that gets cold in the winter. This keeps that area warm. You can also use it under your sheet between your shoulder and knees to keep your trunk warm in bed. The uses are endless. We are getting $50/sheet plus shipping. Any $100 order, or above, gets free shipping (up to 5#).

Back to cleaning and organizing and playing. TTFN.

Winter is on our doorstep

2011-11-22T06:33:00.001-05:00

I am so happy my daughter is not coming home for Thanksgiving day. But, we will see her and Paul this weekend.

There is 1 active alert issued for Merrimack County

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM EST WEDNESDAY UNTIL 12:00PM EST Urgent - Winter Weather Message National Weather Service Gray ME 357 AM EST Tue Nov 22 2011 Interior York-Coastal Cumberland-Merrimack-Belknap-Strafford- Including The Cities Of, Sanford, Berwick, Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Concord, Hooksett, Laconia, Meredith, Rochester, Dover , Winter Storm Warning In Effect From Midnight Tonight To 6 Pm Est Wednesday, The National Weather Service In Gray Has Issued A Winter Storm Warning For Heavy Snow, Which Is In Effect From Midnight Tonight To 6 PM EST Wednesday. * Locations, Interior York County Maine, Coastal Cumberland County Maine, As Well As Merrimack, Belknap, And Strafford Counties In New Hampshire. * Hazard Types, Heavy Snow And Sleet. * Accumulations, 6 To 10 Inches Of Snow. * Timing, Snow Will Begin Falling Not Too Long After Midnight Tonight, And Become Heavy Very Quickly. The Heaviest Snowfall Is Expected Late Tonight And Wednesday Morning. It Will Taper Off And End Late Wednesday Afternoon. The Snow Will Likely Mix Or Change Over To Sleet. Some Rain May Mix In As Well. * Impacts, Heavy Snow And Sleet Will Cause Treacherous Travel Conditions Due To Slippery Roadways And Significantly Reduced Visibilities. * Winds, Northeast 10 To 15 Mph With Gusts Up To 25 Mph. * Temperatures, Mainly In The 20s Tonight, Then Rising Into The Lower To Mid 30s Wednesday. * Visibilities, One Quarter Mile Or Less At Times. Precautionary/Preparedness Actions, A Winter Storm Warning For Heavy Snow Means Severe Winter Weather Conditions Are Expected Or Occurring. Significant Amounts Of Snow Are Forecast That Will Make Travel Dangerous. Only Travel In An Emergency. If You Must Travel, Keep An Extra Flashlight, Food, And Water In Your Vehicle In Case Of An Emergency.

Trying to find the garage

2011-11-17T19:10:00.000-05:00

Our garage has been overtaken with fleece this year.

It has just been easier to stack it in the garage with the promise, "I'll get to it tomorrow..."

This week, when I've not been working has been tomorrow.

I need to get the garage emptied so that he can get the Jeep in...

So, the skirting table and the lights are set up in order to be out of the weather.

Fleeces are being reskirted and sorted. Some will be sold, some will be processed here on the farm, and some will go out to be processed into batts, felt pads, or yarn. Some are simply being pitched...

These fleeces are done.

Done! Ready for sale. Boxes are full also.

From the outside looking in.

Just a couple of fleeces...

From the inside looking out...

A navajo churro waiting its turn.

Introducing Jack Black and Earl(ine) Gray

2011-11-11T18:33:00.000-05:00

I am not enjoying Blogger these days. I download the pictures in order and they still get messed up...

Anyhow...we lost our Maxmillian to a critter, and since we
have so many mice and what not, we decided we needed a
couple of kittens. Psycho is 9 and not a mouser. She will
play with them, but not kill. So we got 2 'male' kittens. Earl is
actually Earline, but she doesn't know that. There have already
been 2 mice in the house, and she is going to be head mouser.
I think Jack will be an adorable lap cat. Someones got to do it.

Now that I am stuck, she thinks it is fun to beat on me...

I am falling and I get get up!!

Is anyone watching me?

(part 2 is below...)

Help! I am stuck in the couch!!

Do we want to go out there?
See 9 yr old Psycho with the kittens?

I am going to get you chicken!

The kittens spend a lot of time in front of the sliding glass
door watching the chickens. Earl can't really be bothered, but
Jack likes to act big and tough. He pounces and then falls down.
If he were actually outside, the chicken would enjoy his tummy.

I am going to get you yarn!

Donna Herrick at This and That Farm

2011-11-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

After we picked up the carder, we followed Donna Herrick to her farm. http://www.thisandthatfarm.com/
She raises Cormo and Cormo/Romney sheep. Like us, she coats her sheep. And like us, she is switching over to the Rockey Mountain coats. http://www.rockysheep.com/sheepcover/ (When we have extra money, we will order more...)
Below is a sampling of her fleeces. For more information about any particular fleece, or any other product she carries, contact her directly. Her website is above and her business card is at the bottom of this post. I do believe I am going to reserve a white Cormo for myself!

Only in VT would you see marble used to repair damage from Hurricane Irene.
Here in NH we use granite.

See the difference in the wool that coating sheep makes!

Happy 11-11-11

2011-11-11T07:22:00.000-05:00

and Happy Veteran's Day!

If you live in the USA, as I do, or one of its territories...and you know someone who has served, or is serving, in our military... Thank them!

I'd like to thank my Dad (who has passed) for serving in the Air Force, my husband who served in the Marines, my brother who served in the Army, and a cousin who is serving in the Navy.

I'd like to thank the countless friends and acquaintances who have served, and who are serving, over the years.

AND, I like to ask that we all continue to remember our servicemen and women that are serving now, and that we try to remember to pray for their safety and for their families back home.

2011-11-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Jerry and I met up with Donna Herrick (more about her and her farm in the next post), to visit Battenkill Fibers in Greenwich, NY to check out and purchase this machine. Of course, I had my camera with me, but I did not get any pictures of the mill, the carder at the mill or in the truck. Where it is 'resting' right now will not be photographed. So, I took the picture and description from their website and gave the address with it. I am so looking forward to 'playing' with this. I need to set up its permanent home before I can plug it in. In the meantime I am reskirting fleeces and lining them up for their turn in the carding machine. There is a gorgeous Border Leicester cross soaking right now.

Here's our beautiful 1950's-vintage 16" Davis and Furber card with custom roving coiler (see front left corner of photo). A hard worker, just like her big sister - only smaller. Perfect for processing the fleeces from individual sheep or alpacas. This allows our customers to brand and market the resulting yarn from each unique animal. (Taken from http://www.battenkillfibers.com/visit/tour.asp)

Here you can peruse the entire website of Battenkill Fibers. http://www.battenkillfibers.com/

This is a page I'll be visiting for a while. http://www.battenkillfibers.com/news.asp

TTFN

Happy November 1st all!

2011-11-01T05:38:00.000-04:00

I want to publicly thank the men that trim our trees along the power lines and the Public Service/NH Electric Company for all of the work that they do! We never lost our power here in Sutton, and feel for those in Southern NH that may be without power for a week or so. We do have a generator as we have been in their place in the past. So, THANK YOU!

And, I will not be able to post fleeces this week as I am working everyday but Friday. If the sun continues to stay out I will try to get some reskirted and photographed. Then, I'll be able to post after dark. (o;

TTFN. Off to work!

14" on the front deck

2011-10-30T07:49:00.000-04:00

The upcoming forecast looks great for this week! Especially since I am delivering mail on Tuesday and Thursday.
There was 14" of snow on the front deck, according to the yard stick. I have taken some pictures that I will post in another post.

October snow

2011-10-30T06:49:00.001-04:00

Friday, October 28, 2011
1" snow

Mouse prints on the deck.

Mouse prints.

This is what 1st caught my eye that something had
been in the yard that didn't belong there.

I wear a size 9 shoe.
This print is almost half my foot size./

Young bear print?

'I see snow!! I am not letting my girls out!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday, October 30, 2011

14" in Sutton Mills, NH

Looking out to the back pasture

The garage, my drying racks & horse trailer, chicken pen.

The cherry tree in the front yard.

Our barn

The main chicken barn.

The front deck proof. 14"

And it keeps coming...

2011-10-28T20:14:00.002-04:00

Winter Storm Watch:

Issued at: 3:02 PM EDT 10/28/11, expires at: 11:15 PM EDT 10/28/11

Winter storm watch remains in effect from Saturday evening through Sunday morning,
Locations, interior southern and central New Hampshire as well as interior southwest Maine.
Hazard types, heavy wet snow.
Accumulations, 6 to 10 inches of snow.
Timing, snow will begin late Saturday afternoon and come to an end early Sunday morning.
Winds, north 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.
Temperatures, dropping into the upper 20s.
Impacts, heavy wet snow will cause slippery driving conditions. In addition, many trees still have their leaves and will be at risk from the heavy wet accumulations. This may cause limbs to sag or snap, possibly causing damage to nearby structures or power lines.
Precautionary/preparedness actions,
A winter storm watch means there is a potential for significant snow, sleet, or ice accumulations that may impact travel. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.

Snow!!

2011-10-28T06:26:00.000-04:00

Friday, October 28th, and I have awaken to find 1" of snow on the ground! I knew I saw Juncos last week, but I kept hoping that they were actually Phoebes...but the sun will be out today and it will be in the 40's.

And then Weatherbug states this!!
Winter storm watch in effect from Saturday evening through Sunday morning.

I guess I will be reskirting and rebagging like a crazy person after work today!

Vermont Sheep & Wool festival 2011

2011-10-17T10:25:00.003-04:00

This year's festival was great!! Despite the rain on Saturday, sales were fairly brisk. I think it helps us a lot that we sell ALL of our roving by the ounce. It makes life easier, and less expensive, for the needlefelters.
Hurricane Irene's damage was evident, but the fairgrounds and most of the roads in were spared!

Coming up on the fairgrounds.

And a tent that is filling up fast.

An empty tent.

We had to put the Aerostar out to pasture this spring and knew the truck could not hold all of the product that the van had. We were able to score a horse trailer from a fellow spinner. Now I will be able to have another 'vehicle' that I can leave product in all summer and unload as needed!! Life is great. Thank you Judy! As you can see below, we had it filled all the way to the top, and every compartment as well. It was nice to not have to take apart my wire racks to fit in the truck.

Jerry unloading the trailer. We did this Friday before the rain.

The horse trailer was filled to the top.

More 'stuff' came on Sunday.

Need fleece? Or roving? We have plenty to sell. And lots of differnet breeds.

It was nice to be able to open these on Sunday.

A whole lot of Icelandic fleeces.

By Sunday it cleared enough to open up the tent and the product.

We are just a little crowded when it rains...

The Pavillion.

We are in Overhang #1. Right in front.

My best half!

I have been spinning this since farmer's market in September and now it is done!!
The center is Maggie, my original Dorset/Romney, and the outer is a blend of Maggie and Angora.

Since the blend is a little bright, I am plying it with Maggie. I will take pictures and post of the skein after it has been washed.

I will post the Wool Arts Tour pictures when my camera comes back home and I get it downloaded.

2011-10-07T05:32:00.002-04:00

I will post pictures next week when things settle down. VT Sheep & Wool, Wool Arts Tour and of course! our 2 newest additions to the Yeager clan. Earl Gray and Jack Black. (o;

Come see us at the Wool Arts Tour

2011-10-07T05:30:00.002-04:00

http://www.woolartstournh.com/ Main page.

http://www.woolartstournh.com/locations/SpinnerFarm.htm Spinner Farm. This is where we will be! Open horse arena with vendors up both sides and demonstrations up the center. And FOOD & COFFEE!!

Yarn sale this weekend!! 25% off our DK and Worsted Weight yarn. Our mill spun/knit homegrown socks will be $15 or $25/2.

Sheep in a Jeep

2011-09-08T14:14:00.003-04:00

Wow! What is that? It certainly is not home.

Tree, tree, tree. Must look away...

Hmm. Car, car, car. Not much better. Why are those people pointing at us?
And, why did that car slow way down? Oh. He has his phone out. Smile pretty Lizzie.
They are taking our picture. Have you never seen sheep in a Jeep before?

Hi! Aren't I cute?

Do you have a cookie for me?

Can you see Lizzie looking out from the hoop house?

Looking at the hoop house behind the house and the propane tank.

Stormy (Romney ram) an Abraham (Border Leicester X Romney wether)
will be keeping Lizzie (white) & Delores (brown) company for the next 4 weeks.
At that time, the 2 Border Leicester girls will move in with the rest of the girls to
await the birth of their lambs. When the lambs are weaned, the ewes will return to
their home in Strafford. Their human is home recuperating from knee replacement surgery.

Delores wears her hay so well.

It won't stay their long as Abraham will clean it off from her.

Fleece eye candy

2011-09-08T08:12:00.000-04:00

Both of these fleeces weigh 6# and are $30 plus shipping.

Email me with your zip code, if interested in either one.

I will weigh these and post them on the fleece blog. This is just a teaser. (0;

Happy September all!

2011-09-01T11:36:00.000-04:00

2011-08-29T14:29:00.000-04:00

Irene helped us to get our front yard cleaned up. Now to work on the garage and the overhang.

The overhang where the extra fleeces have gone. The chickens walk through here to get to their temporary quarters. They seem happy here. They've not stopped laying since they were moved.

The hay stayed covered thanks to Jerry's extra work.

This is what I have to do now. This is just the front of the garage. I will NOT show you the rest of the garage. Poor Jerry. It is so full he can barely get in there to do what he needs to. It will be a lot emptier within the next couple of months. (Yup. Just in time for fall shearing. Hopefully I will keep up better.)

Another shot of the overhang. And, just a small puddle left after all the rain.

And the chickens are thrilled to be unlocked from their barn. As are the sheep. Between the wind and the rain, we kept them locked up.

Some of the after effects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene

2011-08-28T19:25:00.000-04:00

We survived. The wind was nowhere near as bad as the weathermen said it was going to be. But, we did get quite of bit of flooding as it rained a lot in a short period of time. We are used to it though, and have taken a lot of precautions over the years to protect the driveway and the well.

The front porch got soaked.

The hoop house held up better than I thought it would. But, if I left the chickens there they probably would have blown away...

The seasonal brook just the culvert and ran down the driveway. We fixed it though.

The following are of our main road outside our driveway.
Just above the driveway on our side of the road the water jumped the culvert and collapsed the road.

The town fixed this same area not too long ago.

A good chunk of these rocks have been deposited in the end of our driveway.

Jerry looking at the seasonal brook that jumped the culvert and wiped out the side of the road.

It also undermined the side of the road slightly up the hill next to our neighbor's driveway.

They may be able to get out in the morning...

Farmer's Markets

2011-08-25T14:38:00.001-04:00

I totally enjoyed doing Newport Farmer's Markets on Fridays, but I could no longer afford the fees that they are charging. So, I am now at Newbury's Farmer's Market.

I tried to do 4 markets- Henniker on Wednesday, Bradford on Thursday, Newbury on Friday, and Wilmot on Saturday. Due to my health, I am only going to do Newbury and Wilmot. We have lots of eggs from our chickens as well as wool.

The left hand corner of our tent, with
Pam Wylie behind the mannequin.

Newbury Farmer's Market
held Fridays 3-6
July-October (?)
Rain or shine

Just some of my fellow vendors

Old MacWylie's goat milk soap
http://www.oldmacwyliesfarmllc.com/

Pam's shawl pins

Some of our worsted weight and DK weight yarns.
I do all of my own dyeing.
Do you notice the visitor checking out the orange? See it below.

The employees at Ewe & I Farm

2011-08-05T13:17:00.000-04:00

Some of our Horned Dorset ewes.

Some of my girls still need to have their coats/covers put back on...

They are doing a great job of ripping up the weeds and

'rototilling' the old garden. We will reuse the garden next year.

With time and the extra space, the new girls will get their feathers back.

Temporary quarters for the newest arrivals.

My NH reds in front with Bardo, the rooster. And,

the Black Star and Pure-white Leghorns in the back.

Their house is on concrete blocks and movable with a trailer.

Matilda covers

2011-07-05T09:09:00.000-04:00

Due to the inability to get the one size cover that we sell the most of, as well as use the most of here of the farm, we are NO LONGER dealers for Matilda covers.

We are test driving 3 coats from http://www.rockysheep.com/sheepcover/

So far, they do not stretch when they get wet and they have yet to tear. They are MADE IN THE USA, not China. And they price is more than fair. They do not have dealers, and that most likely helps to keep the price down.

Just my 2 cents. TTFN.

Some of what I've been up to today.

2011-06-27T13:44:00.001-04:00

Heifer-Dorset x Border Leicester/Jacob
2010 shearing
coated fleece

Snow-Romney
2011 shearing
coated fleece

This is just a few of the fleeces... The garage is FULL! Some will be put on the fleece blog. Some will go to become felt pads, quilt batts or go to an acquitance to make into blankets.

I have to add a disclaimer to this post. I had been up since 4 am. Most of these bags came out 1 at a time. The heaviest bag is 6#.

My daughter read me the riot act for doing this so soon after surgery. I was careful, and did it in installments. Since this day, though, it has all been under a larger tarp waiting for a good day to get back to it. I still have the 2011 fleeces to deal with.

Still looking for help. (o;

Any one want to spin with me?

2011-06-27T10:09:00.001-04:00

I am cleaning out all of the 2010 fleeces in the basement today. Next week will be the 2011 fleeces in the garage. I do know that we have plenty of Romney in lots of colors, Merino in 2 colors, Corriedale in brown, Icelandic lambs in LOADS of colors, and many more breeds yet to be remembered and identified.

Read the Knitty blog below, and see if you need fleece (We have lots of roving as well that I need to post) that you want to spin along with me and Jillian.

http://knittyblog.com/?p=638

SBWF class visits D Acres

2011-06-20T06:19:00.001-04:00

I have been taking a Holistic Management class with the Small & Beginning Women Farmers group since last fall. This was our final class. Most of the classes were in a class room, but some were farm visits which tied into what we were learning. The group was here at Ewe & I Farm after lambing. We went to Wellscroft Farm in Harrisville during the fencing clinic. And then here to D Acres. http://www.dacres.org/

Development Aimed at Creating Rural Ecological Society

Permaculture-see definition at end of blog.

This is dirt farming at its best. They also have chickens, ducks,pigs and 2 steer. The steer 'mow' the paths daily. The pigs till fresh earth, after the trees have been cleared, and provide good soil for potatoes the next year to grow in. Then other produce is planted in those areas. All done organically.

There are all forms of fruit trees, herbs, flowers, and many other edibles growing together in harmony.

(Some of the pictures are out of order, but that seems to be the Blogger way...)

Garlic bed. 1 of many.

They have recycled a lot of items in their outbuildings that most people would have through out. Such as old windows for cold frames and for one of their 'greenhouses'. A lot of structures look strange because of it, but I for one think it is a great use of recyclable goods. Better than filling the landfill!

(From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture )

Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that are modeled on the relationships found in natural ecologies.

Permaculture is sustainable land use design. This is based on ecological and biological principles, often using patterns that occur in nature to maximise effect while minimizing wasted energy. Permaculture aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants.

Random photos

2011-06-11T10:52:00.000-04:00

These were spotted while out delivering mail this spring.

Hernia

2011-06-11T05:23:00.000-04:00

From Wikipedia-Femoral hernias are a relatively uncommon type, accounting for only 3% of all hernias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femoral_hernia

Well, I guess I have to be the different one. (o;

Dr. Bears repaired my second hernia in 15 years. The first was repaired by his predecessor, Dr. Evans. It was the 'normal' type of hernia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inguinal_ligament The pain of this one was very different as I felt it in my thigh more than my groin. Apparently, it was pressing on the femoral nerve when it was presenting.

He put 2 plugs in to hold it in place. Right now it is sore and swollen, so I have no idea if I am having a reaction or not. But, he put in some kind of block in my leg/groin which put my leg completely to sleep from mid-thigh to mid-shin. With no feeling meant no walking. I almost felll on the nurse in the hospital, but I did fall here at home. I am hoping I didn't hurt anything. By this morning most of the feeling was back.But, I walking with my cane again as I am not steady nor strong enough to walk unassisted. The good thing is I can get my own coffee! I just can not take care of my own animals yet.

I go back to see the surgeon next Friday. We will see then if I did any damage to myself when I fell. In the meantime, I hope to update my blogs, get some quilt tops done and maybe even a little spinning.

TTFN.

MIA

2011-06-02T06:36:00.002-04:00

I know. I've not updated my blogs in ages... I've been busy with work, following Jerry to shearing jobs, and going to doctor's appointments.
I have hernia surgery June 10th, and hope to be able to spend time on the laptop updating the blogs.

In the meantime, see what followed me home? 6 white leghorns, and 6 black stars. They are 2 1/2-3 months old. (These are pictures from the website. I'll take my own in the next week or two...)

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html

Barred Rock
A very nice rooster came with Emma & Bo

Black Star

NH Reds
(came with Emma & Bo)

Pearl-White Leghorn

End of an era

2011-05-21T08:55:00.000-04:00

My '89 Ford Aerocruiser that I bought in 2000 finally went where all good cars go. It would no longer pass inspection, and then its fuel pump went just before we reached a shearing customer's house. Junk your car. com came and took her away. She has been replaced with an

'88 Chevy pickup and a horse trailer. The truck will be great for truck 'stuff', but I still need a place for my show stuff. So, that is what the trailer is for. That and hauling sheep. (o;

Bye Blue! You are missed!

2011-05-03T11:41:00.002-04:00

http://nh365.org/calendar/events/Festivals/New_Hampshire_Sheep_and_Wool_Festival/24166/dt/91337.aspx

NH Sheep & Wool website is updated

2011-03-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

http://www.nhswga.org/

(Almost) the last of the lambs...

2011-03-24T10:04:00.000-04:00

I got in at 11:15 pm last night after a fun night of laughter, food and spinning/knitting. Thank you ladies!! I needed a night off!

I couldn't sleep, so I read email and wandered to bed about midnight. Max (the dog cat) started acting 'stupid', so I turned the baby monitor back on. There was no sense in listening to snoring sheep when no one was close. I heard nothing unusual so I went to bed. 12:30ish I heard something that seemed off, so on go the clothes, to the kitchen for the flashlight and coat. Get out in the barn and something doesn't look quite right. I notice Lillian's butt looks like it has blood on it, and I need to get in to see what is going on. We didn't expect anything from her for at least another 2 weeks. Sure enough, I get up to her and she has herself a little ram lamb. He was dry and fed, so he must have been born while I was out spinning. Good mom! She is one of my keepers. She is out of Shauna, a tri-colored Romney, and Joshua, a chocolate Border Leicester/Romney. Put her in the lamb jug, and head back to bed for about 4 hours.

4 am, Jerry comes and wakes me up. We have another ewe in labor, but only 1 foot is showing with the nose. I make her stand back up, Jerry puts on the gloves and goes to work pushing the lamb back in to pull out the 2nd leg. We put her in the other lamb jug, he goes to work, and I go in to have a cup of coffee and wake up. I go out after my 1st cup and she had herself a white ram lamb. She is Dorset/Romney and was bred to the Horned Dorset.

Ok, it now 6 am and I am up and cleaning house (because it needs to be done) and listening for her to have a 2nd one, maybe... I hear groaning and moaning, put my coat back on and go out to look at Scarlett. Hmm. It is not her. Look in general population, and Callie has just had a ewe lamb. Ok, I grab a towel and go in to get the lamb. She follows me out and I put her in the 3rd jug.

So, now we have 3 new lambs under 3 heat lamps with 3 happy ewes.

All that is left (planned) is our boarder. Emma is a lilac, hornless Jacob. We bred her to our Romney ram. She is pregnant and is either going to have one big lamb or 2 smaller ones. This is her first know breeding. Neither the owners nor we know for sure how old she is, but she is not too old. We will just keep an eye on her.

Pictures will come later, when I find the camera and go out and shoot some. (o;

TTFN

Spring must be here!

2011-03-19T12:51:00.002-04:00

The Canada geese came in this past Tuesday, the robins are around the area (too much snow here yet...), and the MUD is showing up everywhere!

We are still awaiting 4 mothers to be. Hopefully they will be shorn this afternoon to see how close they are. I think they are going to wait until the 26th when I am headed for school....

Happy spring all!!

Random shots

2011-03-11T17:08:00.000-05:00

Tuesday drive

2011-03-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

This was taken at high noon in Croydon.

The trees looked like they had Christmas lights on them.

It was an incredible blessing to be delivering mail at that time.

As my daughter says

2011-03-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

It is 4 wheel drive, not 4 wheel stop.

I came upon this on my way home Thursday from New London. I did not think the roads were slippery. But, I guess if you have snow, speed and nasty frost heaves...this is what happens. I hope they are ok.

This was a first for us

2011-03-06T18:19:00.000-05:00

I managed to get to bed by 8 pm Friday night and to sleep pretty quick, only to be awakened at 10:30 by a screaming lamb. Thoroughly annoyed I got up to put the lost lamb back with its mother, (they keep rolling under the gate) only to find out that Cassidy had a 2nd lamb 7 hours after the first. Well, there went my sleep for the rest of the night... I now know why I could not get one of the nipples open. At least the little ram was able to get some much needed colostrum. But, I still could not fall asleep wondering if he was going to make it.

And, yes, we are positive it is hers as she was in the lambing pen all by herself!

Went to a lambing clinic Saturday. No matter how long one has been at this, there is always something new to learn. Or in our case, share. But we did learn about dystocia up close. This site has good some great pictures, but the good and the bad...

Sunday we planned on going to church, our monthly spinning meeting and then dinner with friends. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans... God has other plans for us. Ewenice presented us with twins. But, we did not know who the lambs belonged to because they were in general population when we got out to feed and with everyone yelling for food at once, no one was paying attention to the pair. But, once fed we figured it out. The rest of the day was not the way it was meant to go either, but that is ok.

Now, just for the last 7 ewes to wait until after daylight to lamb or Thursday...

TTFN and here is to hoping and praying for a sleep-filled night!!

2011-03-04T18:54:00.000-05:00

Today we had our 20th lamb born. There are still 8 ewes to go. I just pray they don't decided to go all at once...

Tomorrow we head to a lambing clinic. Do we need it? Probably not, but there is always something to be learned in any kind of farming. And it is nice to be able to comiserate with our shepherds at this time of the year.

The camera battery is charging. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures. And then to try to get them all uploaded.

One thing at a time. (o;

TTFN

More lambs...

2011-02-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

As soon as Google lets me I will post more pictures.

Since 8 pm last we've had 6 more lambs. Cheyenne gave us at black ewe at 8 pm, Gert gave us a black ram at 3 am, Heifer gave us twin black lambs at 4 am, and Mabel gave us one of each (white) at 1 pm.
Gert doesn't want to nurse, so she is tethered to the gate and I have been milking her into a water bottle and feeding her boy every 2-4 hours. Mabel gave birth outside in the middle of the snow storm... Good thing I heard her on the baby monitor. Cheyenne and Heifer are doing fine, as are their kids. I just don't know what Heifer's kids are yet... I'll check later when we feed.

TTFN

Ladies in waiting

2011-02-25T09:15:00.000-05:00

The oldest lambs are growing quickly!

Mabel should be going anytime.

Can I just adopt you instead of birthing my own?

Ewenice has a bare butt. Mabel is losing it on her sides.

A lot of heavy ewes.

Olivia, looking depressed

April

Lillian, in front, and Susan

The last oak next to the new garden is down!!

2011-02-25T08:57:00.001-05:00

Even though the big oaks are down, there are still 10+ acres of trees to come down.

This is what is next for the other new garden. We get plenty of morning light, but not afternoon light.
Getting cut up for firewood. Notice Maxmillian coming to see what he humans are up to.

2011-02-25T08:04:00.001-05:00

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

And where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal light.

--St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

Farm update

2011-02-24T18:23:00.000-05:00

We've had 3 more lambs born this past week. 2 rams and 1 ewe. Her name will be Faith, as I have faith that we can make a name for ourselves with Registered Horned Dorsets. We tagged the 5 and banded their tails. At this time, they are making a 'puppy pile' under the light in the creep.

We've put the 5 heaviest /closest ewes in the lambing pen. Those poor things are so close... We are listening carefully for that sound of labor.

No pictures at this time. They are still in the camera and I am too tired to load them into the computer. So...I am off to the recliner, a good movie, dinner and a lap warmer. Hopefully to bed early to get in at least a couple hour nap before all 'heck' breaks loose in the barn.

Hmm...maybe dinner will be delayed. Someone is making noises. Off to the barn.

TTFN

What have we been up to the last few days...

2011-02-21T15:52:00.001-05:00

We had 2 ewes lamb one night after another. This brings us to 4 ewes lambing 5 lambs (2 ewe, 3 ram) in 7 days. We are both working, and shearing has started up. We've not had time to shear our own yet!

                                                          A newly born ram lamb.

Tina & Ruth with their children.

Cloud is looking on from the boys pen wondering 'What are those little things?'

One of many very pregnant ewes.

Cornelius. Father to all the lambs born so far.

I am so very lucky to be married to this wonderful man!!

Candace and her new ram lamb.

Gracie and Faith and a no name ram lamb.

Faith will be registered soon. She will be going to the NH Sheep & Wool May 14 & 15, 2011

Hey! It is safe in here. No one can mess with us!

Hmmm!

2011-02-21T12:08:00.000-05:00

What do you think?

Lambing has begun for 2011

2011-02-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

Christina. Born Tuesday, 2/15. Mother Tina, father Cornelius. Will be one of our new registered ewes.

Lillian and Cheyenne waiting their turn to lamb.

What's going on Mom? Tina is giving you a little sister.

Ruth and her newborn son.

Aren't I adorable?

The groundhog needs a shovel - Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011

2011-02-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

The groundhog needs a shovel - Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011

Recovering from work and snowstorms

2011-01-17T10:48:00.001-05:00

Sometimes people are so mean!! Read the comments at the end of the newspaper article here-

http://www.theunionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=When+storms+stymie+Granite+State+deliveries&articleId=6f5337d4-eb51-4e33-ba61-3075cc3c03fb

We tried our best to deliver your mail! But, when roads aren't plowed and are impassable, or the snow plow driver plows in your mailbox, you will need to wait. Or pick up your mail at the Post Office.

I am enjoying a day off from work. It is Martin Luther King day and it means that the PO is closed for the day. That just means that the mail volume is going to be incredible tomorrow and we are in for 6 more inches of snow PLUS freezing rain! Double whammy!! I am seriously hoping I don't get called in tomorrow, but if I do I will make the best of it and try to get you your mail...

TTFN. Off to skirt fleeces and hopefully get some on the blog later!

Happy 1-1-11

2011-01-01T08:02:00.000-05:00

No New Years resolutions for me, except to try to enjoy each and every day to its fullest, and to appreciate those around me more.

Happy New Year to one and all!!

2010-12-31T17:22:00.000-05:00

May 2011 be more prayerful, healthy, prosperous, happy and family oriented for all of us!

Ewe & I Farm thanks everyone for a wonderful 2010! Thank you to all of our customers for allowing us to pay for our animals feeds and needs from your purchases. Another year we are still healthily in business and enjoying farm life with each other and our animals. (o; TTFN.

Merry CHRISTmas to one and all

2010-12-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

And happy birthday Jesus!

Newport Holiday Farmer's Market

2010-12-18T16:53:00.000-05:00

I will be here Sunday with my knit goods, yarn and fresh eggs from our chickens!!

Sorry I've not been here. Busy knitting a customer's sweater, and trying to get the new computer up and running. I still haven't downloaded the pictures from the camera...

Happy Thanksgiving all!!

2010-11-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for all that we went through this year and what we will go through the rest of the year. This has been a growing year for us- vegetables, replacement lambs, lots of wool & wool products, and chickens. We have also had loss on the farm, but unfortunately that is part of life. Jerry's shearing business continues to grow and we thank all of his customers for their continued support of him!!

The turkey is cooking, the bread machine is going, the pies are waiting their turn in the oven, and the veggies will go on when Valery & Paul arrive. I am very thankful that they are coming as well! 4 hours is quite a ways away, but not like Guam. I am thankful for my sister and her husband spending their furlough her with us from Guam, and that they are able to spend their Thanksgiving in Arizona with 2 of their daughters. They will be back in time for the youngest daughter's birthday. They are only 'home' every 3 years, and this is the most we've seen of them in the last 10-12 years and I am very thankful for that!

I hope this finds you surrounded by those you love, whether 2 legged or 4, and that you are having a good day/week/year. TTFN!

The chickens are here!

2010-11-05T18:00:00.001-04:00

Recycled wood.

This is all so new to me! I have never had chickens before, but have always wanted some. Now, we have 14 hens and a rooster. Jerry didn't want them near the house and told me to clean out the garage overhang. So, I did. Judy and Jean allowed me to recycle some doors, wood, and a nesting box. As well as their feeders and waterers.

During construction.

I needed to rehome some heat ducts (a house worth) to the 2nd floor of the barn, a van full of 'trash' to the dump, and the Gravely attachments all to 2 pallets, as well as other 'stuff'. Now we have a large chicken coop, and Jerry's tractor can go under the overhang to stay out of the weather. Now, I need to do the same to the garage. It is FULL of wool from our customers. I am sorting by color to go into blankets, and breed to sell or have processed into yarn, roving or felt pads.

PT 4x4s form the foundation. Psycho comes to watch.

(I wish I could put these pictures in order, but Blogger is giving me a hard time about it. Sorry. But most of it is self explanatory.)

Cleaning out 10 years worth of 'stuff'

10 years worth of stuff.

Ewww! Found a dead woodchuck under all of the wool!

Grapes are yummy!

Free ranging for the first time since we brought them home Tuesday night.

Isn't he gorgeous?

Can you see me?

Inside the new chicken coop. The only thing not recycled was the chicken wire and the 2x4 studs.

The back plywood came from the original barn. The floor boards were left over from building the house and barn. The window was a free cycled sliding glass door. We took off the handle and lock and put it on its side. The rooster spends a lot of time there. The door, nesting box and feeders came from Judy & Jean. The trash cans for grain had come from another farm with sheep. The saw horses are left over from building the house. They are not good for anything heavy anymore, so the chickens get them for roosting. The roost posts are trees from behind the garage that Jerry cut down and screwed to the saw horses.

So far, the only expense is food, chicken wire/hardware cloth and 2x4s. I can live with that!

Romneys-One of our sheep

2010-11-05T12:19:00.000-04:00

The thing I liked the most about our Romneys is the different colors that we have here on the farm. They are usually easy lambers and good mothers, but occasionally there is that one...

My favorite sheep here though is my Romney ram on my Dorset ewes. 9 times out of 10 we get a fine crimpy fleece (Dorset) with the length (Romney) that is highly desired by my husband & myself as hand spinners, and many of our customers. (You know who you are and I thank you!!) That 10th sheep still looks Romneyish.

This year we are trying Cornelius (our Horned Dorset ram) on 2 Romney ewes to find out if it is just the combo or if it makes a difference in the way that we have been doing it. We will know in the spring, after the lambs are born.

We like the other Romney crosses that we have on the farm. The other favorite is the Border Leicester/Romney cross. We get the Border Leicester crimp and length and the Romney colors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romney_(sheep)
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/romney/
http://americanromney.org/
http://www.romneysheepuk.com/
http://www.ehow.com/about_6318590_romney-sheep.html

Sometimes I dislike the human race!!

2010-11-05T12:13:00.000-04:00

Why do we as humans act like the animals and think only of ourselves??? I just got off the phone with Zeilinger Wool Company. I called to pay for the shipping of my newly processed roving. At the end of our conversation, she let me know that someone with sticky fingers stole the cash that I paid to have this processed. That was almost $290!!! Why do people do that!? I realize that in this economy everyone is hurting and that Zeilingers is a big company, but they still have to pay all of their help, the electric and maintenance on all of their equipment. That may seem like a drop in the bucket to them, but at the same time they are a 'Mom & Pop' operation and that money missing does affect them! If you read this and are the thief, please return the money to them anonymously. Just drop it in the mail to Zeilinger Wool Company, 1130 Weiss Street, Frankenmuth, MI 48734. I told her that if I had the cash that I would pay what was stolen, but I simply don't!! We here are a very small farm, trying to keep our business up and running ourselves.

BUT! To all our wonderful customers out their. THANK YOU!! For all that you do and for continuing to purchase from us and allowing us to keep our farm and keep our animals fed. Thank you again!

Fleeces are being skirted at record speed in the garage and pictures will be coming to the blog. When the roving arrives, some of it will be for sale in the natural color and the rest will be dyed. Stay tuned!

Getting off my soap box... TTFN

Snow

2010-10-24T08:41:00.001-04:00

I first saw the Juncos on the 13th, we had snow mixed in with heavy rain on the 22nd, and I took these pictures at 8 am on the 25th. So, the Juncos either we early or we had a little snow on the 20th that I missed. Either way, winter is on its way. YEAH! That means I will be working inside on all of the wool that we've acquired and updating all of the blogs. Stayed tuned! TTFN.

The year of destash, 10 months later

2010-10-19T16:47:00.002-04:00

No sense in waiting until the last minute to update the destash...Click on the title to go to the original post back in January.

So...this is some of the original post and how far I got.

I resolve to clean out my wool closet by
A) carding all of the fleeces in there That didn't happen, but I did send 13 lambs fleeces and a whole lot of adult fleeces sent to Zeilinger's to be made into roving in the early spring. I sent more fleeces to 3 different mills this fall.
B) selling some of those washed fleeces (or at least parts of them), so watch the fleece pages Sorry, been busy. Will try to get these posted for the winter.
C) spinning the batts or I have been spinning some out of the closet. Need to sell more...
D) selling the batts, will also be on the fleece page. same as b...

I resolve to clean the yarn out of the wool closet by
A) knitting lots of hats and mittens for upcoming festivals and farmer's markets did this
B) selling stashed yarn, also on the fleece page sold some
C) weaving up a batch of the chenille, and maybe some wool, on friend Sue's triangle loom. haven't done this yet. Hoping to teach my sister to weave while she is here from Guam. (maybe)

This has been 10 months of busy, busy, busy. Now that the majority of my shows and all my farmer's markets are over I can be busy here on the farm. And with my sister and her husband here from Guam, I can forget the house and concentrate on the business. Stayed tuned!!!

(My sister and her husband are missionaries with Trans World Radio. Check out their blog! http://ktwrdrm.blogspot.com/ http://ktwrdrm.blogspot.com/2010/07/starting-off-transmitters-arrive-on.html -my brother in law is to the far left. I plan on doing a post on them sometime soon.)

TTFN

My favorite sheep-Dorsets

2010-10-16T12:29:00.000-04:00

The Romneys coming to see what I am doing

The following is possibly a lot more than you want to know about Dorset. But, read on. (o;

LOL. Human, you are funny!

'I am just a contended ewe'

Cornelius, w/2 Romneys and a show Dorset.

Hi there! Do you have something for me to eat?

If you can't tell from our pictures from previous posts, we love our Dorsets!! Both the polled and horned, but we are trying to concentrate on the horned. I absolutely love the easy mothering, the overall gentleness, and the fleeces that we get off our sheep. Personally, I prefer the looks of our production Dorsets that we bought from Fruitcake Farm in Grafton, NH. The show Dorsets are nice, give us good fleece and great lambs when bred to Cornelius, the production Dorset. They are just a lot taller and thinner than the production Dorsets.

I have spun some of our Horned Dorset roving and am pleased with the results. We have some available for sale now, and will have the adult for sale after the first of the year when it comes back from the processor. In the meantime, go to the fleece page and read my experience with this roving. http://eweifarmfleece.blogspot.com/2010/10/horned-dorset-lamb.html
Fleeces and roving will be available on our fleece page soon. The staple length usually runs 2-4 1/2" and has a incredible crimp. (Merino-2 1/2-4", Corriedale-3 1/2-6") On the softness scale, we are just below a Merino and just above a Corriedale. Both of those breeds also have the same length staple. So, if you can spin either of those, you can spin Dorset. The biggest difference you get from a Dorset is the bounce . And they are great in socks as they are long wearing and they do not wet felt/shrink. But, they do needle-felt wonderfully!!
Taken from- http://www.etsy.com/listing/30693186/2-oz-pale-yellow-dorset-wool-batts

About this particular fleece:

Dorset is a down breed of wool, and most of the down breeds I find great for needle felting. This wool is springy, usually has a short staple and is medium-fine with a tight crimp. It felts rapidly with needles and creates a fairly soft surface with no halo effect. Dorset is one of my most favorite wools, because it is an excellent fiber for needle felting either as a core fiber or as dyed cover wool.
DraigAthar's Etsy shop- http://www.etsy.com/shop/DraigAthar

It is nice to hear that others like the Dorset for needlefelting!

Taken from http://www.realitycaninecenter.com/hdsheep.html

'Horned Dorsets also produce a pure white, lightweight fleece, excellent for hand spinning, with ewes yielding 5 -7 pounds of wool per animal. Grading quality is 56s/50s: short demi-lustre.'

Whereas our Romneys are also demi lustre but the micron is 30-37 and very soft to handle.

Demi-lustre Wool
Wool that has some luster but not enough to be classed as luster wool. Wool of this type is produced by the Romney and similar breeds. (But, Horned Dorsets are not the same as Romneys. Even though I love our Romneys as well.)

http://mulesheep.net/mulesheep_009.htm These sheep look a lot like our production sheep

And more things about wool than you may ever want to know. (The above came from this site)
http://www.textilelinks.com/author/rb/blterms.html

Some websites about Dorsets-

http://dorsets.homestead.com/ These sheep look like the show sheep that we bought 2 years ago

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/dorset/

http://www.runningriverranch.com/HornedDorsetSheep.htm These people also have sheep that look like ours, and they (like us) occasionally have stock for sale.

http://www.kbarkfarm.com/ If we do end up moving south, I will definitely be contacting them about adding more polled Dorsets to the farm.
http://www.kbarkfarm.com/production_dorsets.htm Here they tell you the difference between the true production Dorset and the show Dorset.

http://www.assba.com.au/services.php/command/viewservice/serviceserial/8/categoryserial/8 The Australian version of our Horned Dorset.
And England- http://www.nationalsheep.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=40 I especially agree with this part-'The wool of both the Horn and Poll is of the highest quality, not only is it fine and densely grown but is particularly white which helps it find a ready market in times of plenty.'

Micron Count/Bradford Count-
                                      Micron         Bradford        Fineness
Corriedale                       26-33            58s-50s       Medium
Dorset Horn                    27-32            56s-50s       Medium       (Not that I necessarily agree with this)
Merino                            17-24            70s-60s          Fine

http://www.internationalfleeces.com/resources/fiber-fineness-info-tables/
http://www.gfwsheep.com/blood.count.html A slightly different look at the counts and what they mean.
http://www.spinderellas.com/counts.html She 'forgot' my Dorsets...
http://woolobsession.com/fiber-information/how-fine-is-your-fiber-bradford-count-vs-micron-count/
http://www.sheepusa.org/?page=site/text&nav_id=3a75b852e8ff50a74b8d6bc78ee27896 Micron 26-32

USDA Wool Grade 48’s-58’s                A huge spread in grade according to this site.

One of a few groups that we belong to- http://www.sheepusa.org/ This site is FULL of information.

http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/wool.shtml

Down Wools

These are short staple wools; therefore, they are not a good choice for beginning handspinners. The diameter size of down wools ranges from soft to medium. The soft fleeces are used for apparel like socks and fine fabrics. The medium range fleeces are suitable for knitted and woven outerwear, longwearing garments, and blankets.
(Merino is also short stapled...)

Dorset, Cheviot, Shetland, Suffolk

• Fine to medium texture

• Spiral crimp

• Lofty, spongy, crisp

• 2 - 3 1/2 inches staple length

• Very resilient

• Difficult to spin for beginning handspinners

• Lacks luster, chalky

• Good shape retention

• Not well suited for felting (wet, but great for needlefelting)

• Wear resistant (makes excellent socks!)

• Spin medium-thick yarn (I tend to spin fine and use ours in shawls & baby wear, as well as socks & sweaters)

• Blends well with long wool fiber, to add resilience
(Just one person's opinion...not necessarily mine.)

Junco

2010-10-13T07:44:00.000-04:00

The juncos were 'littering' the ground last night when we went out to feed. Look for snow in one week. It won't necessarily stick/stay...but the Juncos are always here the week before in the fall and then show back up here one week before our last snow. I've always know them as Slate Colored, never dark eyed...

http://library.thinkquest.org/5078/Wildbirds.dir.junco.html

http://www.nenature.com/DarkEyedJunco.htm

Wool Arts Tour pictures to come.

Sometimes I hate Blogger!!

2010-10-11T07:24:00.000-04:00

I like that Blogger has gone back to allow us to post more than one picture at a time, but I strongly dislike that I can not move my pictures to where I want them to be in the post. Sometimes when uploading you get that one picture that is out of sequence... and you used to be able to just drag it to where it belongs. Not anymore.

So, I apologize for the previous post that things aren't ordered necessarily the way I wanted them to be.

TTFN

VT Sheep & Wool Festival

2010-10-11T07:19:00.002-04:00

WARNING!! Picture heavy post ahead!

We had a beautiful 2 days at the VT Sheep & Wool Festival!! Thank you to all of our customers and to all of our fellow vendors. Below are pictures of those vendors in our general area. And I got to meet 2 women that I had 'met' on the internet, and LOTS of people from Ravelry! Most of these pictures are our end of the fairgrounds. There were vendors in a number of different buildings that we got to breeze through quickly and were not there long enough to take pictures. So, I apologize to those vendors who I left out!

Kathie & Walter Bryant

Zeilinger Wool Company

Bartlett Yarns

Stitchy women

See our tent at the end of the overhang?

Jerry with a customer

Ellen Porcari, Kathie Bryant & me
I met these women through Hand
Prepared Fibers @ Yahoo groups

in our tent

In Kathie's tent

Stitchy Women

Wool Arts Tour

2010-10-09T06:36:00.000-04:00

WooHoo!! I am getting ready to leave for the Wool Arts Tour. We will be vending again this year at Spinner Farm in Deering. http://www.woolartstournh.com/locations/SpinnerFarm.htm

We will have LOTS of roving and raw fleeces for sale. Come early to get first pick!

I am also sending out more fleeces to be prepared into roving this weekend. Two different mills are getting wool this weekend and Zeilingers got wool last weekend. We will be full of roving in time for NH Sheep & Wool!

Stop by and say hello! Shop if you dare. (o;

I will post pictures of VT later when the internet cooperates longer than 15 minutes at a time.

TTFN

Wow!!

2010-10-01T08:51:00.000-04:00

It is absolutely pouring here and the wind is blowing like crazy!! Not only are the acorns bouncing off the metal roofs, but the branches are coming off the trees as well. The sheep are not let out of their barn yet, and may not be for quite a while yet.

I need to finish loading the van, but that can wait. Hopefully this stops before we head for Tunbridge this afternoon!!

From the Weather Bug-

ALERT 1 - Flash Flood Watch

AN AREAL FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4:00PM EDT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01
Issue Time: 2:57AM EDT, Friday Oct 1, 2010
Valid Until: 11:00AM EDT, Friday Oct 1, 2010

ALERT 2 - Non Precipitation Advisory

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10:00AM EDT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 01
Issue Time: 12:25AM EDT, Friday Oct 1, 2010
Valid Until: 10:00AM EDT, Friday Oct 1, 2010

TTFN

You know the weather is bad when...

2010-09-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

Your farmer's market manager calls and says 'I don't know if you were planning on going to market today, but it has been cancelled.'

So, no Bradford Farmer's Market today. That is ok. It gives me that much more time to get ready for the weekend.

It's raining again!!

2010-09-30T08:51:00.000-04:00

Thank you Lord! We still desperately need the rain.

Kathy and George, this is for you.

From one of the local papers-
Current conditions

65.5°
Hi 69°
Lo 62°
Heavy Rain

Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Patchy fog. High near 69. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tonight

Hi 65°
Lo 47°
Heavy Rain

Tomorrow

Hi 65°
Lo 47°
Heavy Rain

Extended forecast

Sat Oct 2

Hi 60°
Lo 35°
Sunny

Sun Oct 3

Hi 53°
Lo 31°
Partly Sunny

Mon Oct 4

Hi 54°
Lo 31°
Sunny

Tue Oct 5

Hi 63°
Lo 39°
Sunny

Wed Oct 6

Hi 64°
Sunny

And from the Weather Bug-

AREAL FLOOD WATCH

in effect until Friday, Oct 1, 4:00 PM...FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM NOON EDT TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON...

* WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE TRAVELING ALONG A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL ALLOW FOR PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN STARTING TODAY. HOWEVER...THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. BY THE TIME THE SYSTEM MOVES OFFSHORE BY LATE IN THE DAY FRIDAY...2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE WATCH AREA.

* THIS MUCH RAIN WILL CAUSE MAIN STEM RIVERS TO RISE BUT ...THEY SHOULD REMAIN WITHIN THEIR BANKS. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OF RAIN WILL CAUSE SOME SMALLER RIVERS AND STREAMS TO RISE TO NEAR BANKFULL...AND COULD LEAD SOME FLOODING OF ROADS AND URBAN AREAS. ANY ADDITIONAL RAINFALL COULD PRODUCE MORE SIGNIFICANT FLOODING PROBLEMS ON BOTH MAIN STEM RIVERS AND THE SMALLER CREEKS AND STREAMS. ROAD WASHOUTS WILL BE POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS.

YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP.

NH (and I am sure other states that I am not aware of) has been in a serious drought this year. We very much need the rain, but not the flooding. That means a lot of the water that is following now will end up going out to sea. But, as long as the Lord continues to fill my well so that I can water our animals, do the laundry and dishes, take showers and wash fleeces, I am content and happy!

TTFN! Off to finish getting ready for the weekend!

The simple woman's daybook

2010-09-28T11:51:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...it is gray and drizzly. Perfect housecleaning weather!!

I am thinking...about the weekend...

I am thankful for...for the rain that God has given us.

From the kitchen...nothing but coffee until Jerry gets home.

I am wearing...jeans, T-shirt and a sweatshirt, socks and shoes. A little cool in the house...
I am creating...the Civil War Shawl by Suzanne Pufpaff from my own handspun lamb's wool.

I am going...nowhere today. Just back to working around the farm.

I am reading...I heard that song before by Mary Higgins Clark

I am hoping...for a a very profitable 2 weekends & safe travel for my sister and brother-in-law.

I am hearing...Chuck Swindoll and Insight for Living

Around the house...looks like a bomb went off. But, then again, it always does the week before a show.

One of my favorite things...to sit with a cup of coffee and to enjoy either good Christian radio or a good book and to watch/listen to my sheep.

A few plans for the rest of the week:To finish cleaning and organizing my house before Kathy & George get here, to upack and repack the van for the upcoming sheep & wool festivals, and to unwind...

Here are some pictures for thought I am sharing...

Mabel & Ewenice-the 2 newest Romney ewes

Since they are related to Stormy, they are in with Cornelius.
I love the combination of my Romney ram on my Dorset ewes.
It will be interested what we will get with it reversed.
Cornelius has 11 ewes to himself for 6 weeks as does Stormy.

11 in the non-breeding pen

Mac-colored Coopworth and Cloud-white Romney
They came with Ewenice and Mabel (and with their names)

The garden is fenced off for another couple of weeks.
We park at the top of the driveway, and walk down/up.

Grace and Abraham

It's raining!!

2010-09-27T12:35:00.000-04:00

Thank you Lord for the rain! Our well will be quite happy. (Or as happy as a well can get. LOL)

We set up at VT Sheep and Wool on Friday, my sister and brother-in-law will be here Sunday when we come home, and then we set up the following Friday for 3 days of Wool Arts Tour. Yee Haw! Are we busy enough yet? No! We are still shearing 2 days this week and I have a follow up meeting for Wilmot Farmer's market and market in Bradford on Thursday. Now as long as the Post Office doesn't call, I should be all set.

Any one want to come help me clean and organize, and unpack and repack the van??

And...we seperated the sheep last night into their breeding groups. Stormy and Cornelius each have 11 ewes and there are 11 sheep (wethers, lambs, and non-breeding ewes) in each of the 3 pens. I will take pictures of this when it stops raining. But, I am not in any rush for that!

TTFN
Cindy

Dragonfly Farm

2010-09-27T12:25:00.000-04:00

Heidi and Jack Babb in Webster, NH have a number of Icelandic lambs/sheep for sale. E-mail heidi@dragonflyfarm.net for more information. I will tell you from a spinner's view point, you can't go wrong here. And you get 2 fleeces a year...

Before shearing.

The llamas await their pedi/manicure.

The cream colored ram is for sale. He is 1 1/2 years old.
The gray ram is the newest stud for the farm.

Ram lamb for sale.

During shearing.

Ram lamb for sale.

Overheard, llamas to sheep-
'Oh good grief! I am so happy to be out of there! I don't like getting my nails done, or getting that shot'

Tiny Tim is not so tiny anymore! He is also for sale.

http://www.dragonflyfarm.net/blog/ - Hey Heidi and Jack!! You need to update your blog! (o;

Wonderfall Farm

2010-09-27T11:47:00.000-04:00

http://wonderfallfarm.com/

Marla may have kids, and some adults, left for sale. If interested e-mail her at

goat-lady@wonderfallfarm.com

Jerry & Marla sending the llama, does and kids to the barn.

'I heard something!'

It was just one of the goats 'fainting'.

Tom comes to help.

The new Guinea hens

She is already growing her winter coat. I look forward to combing her in the spring and spinning her cashmere.

But, isn't that why they have handles?

The goats get a pedi/manicure every 8 weeks, or so.

Birdie says 'You can't see me!'

Marla says this Guinea hen is sitting on 23 eggs.

Hmm. Do I know you?

Oh honey!! Did he hurt you?

Marla's personal riding lawn mover.

Last Newport Farmer's Market

2010-09-27T11:16:00.000-04:00

of the year for Ewe & I Farm and HodgePodge Yarns & Fibers. We will both be at the VT Sheep & Wool festival next weekend and the Wool Arts Tour, though in different locations. Look us up and say hi!!

Newport has entertainment every week on the gazebo.

HodgePodge Yarns & Fibers

Mary spinning and talking to Sue

Main Street with parking alongside the green

Sue and Philip (the dog)

Isn't he cute?

Morr Hill Icelandics

2010-09-27T10:36:00.000-04:00

All of the lamb fleeces, most of which are below, will be for sale at the VT Sheep & Wool festival this weekend and at the Wool Arts Tour (if any left...) the following weekend.

Comet

Cocoa

Joliet

Angel

Monique

Palm

Beasley

We've got fleece

2010-09-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

And, some of these are headed to the VT Sheep & Wool Festival this coming weekend. Some will be there for sale as raw fleeces and some are going to Zeilinger's Wool Company to become roving.

Sky Farm Icelandics

2010-09-16T20:24:00.011-04:00

But, I don't want to do this...

Chris built a nice chute for catching one sheep at a time.

Hornathan the ram

What are you looking at?

Rainbow

2010-09-16T13:53:00.000-04:00

Not as 'nice' as the last one. And it is only a single. But, it was still a nice surprise to see when I came out of the house a few days ago.

VT Sheep & Wool Festival and Wool Arts Tour

2010-09-16T10:32:00.001-04:00

I have 14 more days to get all of our product organized, bagged and tagged and ready to take to VT on October 1st. The festival runs Saturday the 2nd from 10-5, and Sunday the 3rd from 10-4.

http://www.vermontsheep.org/festival.html

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?address=Fairgrounds+Road&city=Tunbridge&state=VT&zipcode=05077&country=US&cid=lfmaplink

The festival is held in Tunbridge, VT. A sweet little town that is a 'little' out of the way, but a great place for a fairgrounds! We are in overlook #1. Stop by and say hello!!

This is what is on the website for our 'ad'-Overhang #1

Ewe & I Farm & His & Hers Cast-A-Way Acres, PO Box 155, N. Sutton, NH 03260, (603) 927-4518, eweifarm@msn.com, www.eweifarm.blogspot.com. Wool n' Ewe yarn, rovings, batts & socks, raw & washed fleeces, hand knitted wearables & toys/dolls.

One week later we will be in Deering, NH at the Wool Arts Tour. The van will not be unloaded from one festival to the next. Thank God we are able to do that!
http://www.woolartstournh.com/locations/SpinnerFarm.htm
http://www.woolartstournh.com/locations/index.htm - how to find all of us.
And just us- http://www.mapquest.com/mq/6-bis4lcHgvyyWR69TPes*

Remember, we have Farmer's Markets in Bradford, NH Thursday from 3-6 until October 14, Newport, NH Friday from 3-6 until October 8 (But we will only be there until September 24 as we will be setting up at the 2 festivals on those last 2 Fridays), and Wilmot on Saturdays until September 25 (but we will not be there this coming Saturday, the 18th, as we will be shearing up north).

Stop by any of these locations and say hello!!

Schoolhouse Farm in Tamworth, NH

2010-09-13T15:12:00.000-04:00

The Icelandic ewes & lambs waiting to be sheared.

I will be spinning this fleece soon!!! She is an Icelandic lamb named Yin. Her twin's coloring was opposite hers, and her name is Yang. Yin will be moving to another farm soon. No one had any idea that she was going to have all of those spots, until Jerry started to shear her. Watch the knitting blog for this fleece as it becomes yarn and quite possibly a shawl!

Great views!

This is a beautiful area, and a wonderfully restored farm. The Icelandic sheep here have great colors and very nice conformation. I am going to enjoy the lamb's fleece immensely!

Farm sitting

2010-09-13T10:45:00.000-04:00

A while back (when we were computer-less), we farm sat for 9 days for friends. The 7 sheep were easy as they were out in the field and just needed fresh water. These pictures show the sheep showing 'psycho' rooster who's boss...

There was a surprise kid born the next to the last day that we were there. Mom wanted nothing to do with him, so every 8-12 hours I went to make sure that it was fed by her. That meant holding her to the wall and letting him nurse...

They also has lots of chickens, 2 turkeys and a duck. They were easier to take care of than I thought they would be. Someday, maybe we'll have chickens...

Baby kid.'Move rooster!'