Wool Arts Tour 2008

Instead of 'boring' y'all with the complete details of each of my fellow vendors, I will send you here-http://www.woolartstournh.com/locations/MirageAlpacas.htm-and you can get more information about them and their products. Plus it is a good plug for our host and the Wool Arts Tour. (o;

These 2 boys were donated by Bill & Audrey Rhoades and then raffled off with the donations going to the NH Food Bank. http://www.nhfoodbank.org/

Our friends Sue & Tom Connary won the raffle and took them home on Monday.

Sue drooling on Saturday. Shari comforting the boys as Mary looks on.

Shari demonstrates spinning to a pair of visitors in Audrey's wool room.

Donna Moody and Judy Helie.

Gale Frizzell and Toni & LeRoy Malouf.

Bonnie & Terry Collard. Gwen Gaskell (the sock knitting machine master) is visiting in the middle.

Sue Connary and Ken & Charlene Schultz.

Jennifer Connolly and Carolyn Terhune.

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Folks gather to watch Gwen teach how to darn a sock and Audrey teach how to needlefelt a patch on a sock.
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A year ago at Wool Arts Tour a cria was born. This year Audrey & Bill had a birthday 'party & cake' for Wats (the cria). The first picture is of this year's vendors and the alpaca with the pink ribbon is 1 year old Wats.

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Sue looks stunned that they won, but then they both are happy that they won the 2 boys.

Shari is trying to convince the first alpaca that he wants to get in her van to go home to Sue & Tom's. And Bill is trying to hand off the second alpaca to Shari.

They are now happily at Sue & Tom's getting acquainted with all their sheep.

Wet felting

I know I am late in posting these.........life and work just gets in the way!

September 18 at the Bradford Farmer's Market, we had 4 students from New England College came to learn to wet felt. They each wet felted wool to a 1/2 bar of Ivory soap and did a small hot pad/placemat/wall hanging. It was a little crisp, but what do you expect in New England on a fall afternoon? Their teacher and our market manager both got in on the fun too!!

15 students and 2 instructors came out to the farm October 15th. We were having way too much fun and I forgot to take out the camera! Sorry. )o: But they learned to wet felt over a small(ish) rock to make toothfairy pouches/treasure bags. Some also learned to wet felt a 1/2 bar of soap.

Hopefully this winter I will have time to do some of these myself for upcoming farmer's markets.

http://www.nec.edu/

A comment and a response to the comment-

I use the Murphy's when teaching flat wet felting. I have yet to have anyone be allergic to it or its scent (including me!) A little goes a long way and it makes the fiber slippery quickly, making wet felting that much easier. You could use Ivory liquid soap, but I know too many people who can't handle the smell.

THANK YOU!!!

To all who have purchased from Ewe & I Farm! We have had an awesome year because of our customers! I will update my blogs when this slow down again here on the farm. (I am shooting for Friday this week as I am off from work-right now any way.)

We have NO fleeces left for sale!! YEAH!! But, I do have roving (which will go on the fleece page) and I do have yarn (which will go on the yarn page).

I am teaching a wet felting workshop here at the farm tonight, and if I get pictures, I will post those later.

TTFN!!

Computer frustrations

I have been trying since the VT Sheep & Wool festival (Sept. 6 + 7) to update this blog. Yes, I know that is 3 weeks!! But my computer has 'eaten' 2 mice and is trying to eat my newest one! It took over 30 minutes to get it to put 2 pictures on the blog and then everything froze.
I will be trying again today to update the blog. I need to spend some serious time cleaning/organizing my office anyway and I might as well do two things at once.
I really hate the thought of sending this back to the 'computer geek' to have him overhaul it.... In the meantime, I am on the hunt for a new computer. The next one will be a laptap and I am leaning seriously toward the Macs.

And, if anyone has email me/the farm and I have not replied, please try again.


TTFN

20th annual VT Sheep & Wool festival

This was the front entrance to the main building. We were just to the left of the doorway. The next picture shows our fleeces around the tree and 2 of us on the front lawn. (These pictures are from Sunday. On Saturday it was raining and there were a Lot more fleeces around that tree!)

Looking toward the llama obstacle course. And then, here comes the llamas and alpacas. It was nice to actually be able to watch the kids and their animals go through the course. I have never been able to watch as I am usually in a building.

Our tent on Sunday morning. It was still lightly raining when I took these pictures, but the sun did come out!

Coming back from lunch break, looking toward the front gate and where we were set up. There were 3 of us set up on the front lawn.

More pictures of our setup, after the sun came out. I did not realize that the boxes were showing until I put the pictures on the blog....... )o:

Hope Spinnery. A wind powered fiber mill. We sent 3 of the left over fleeces home with him (Bill Huntington) to be processed into roving. www.hopespinnery.com

I need to find this woman's card so I can let you know who she is...........I do know that she is from Connecticut. And her colors are awesome!

My favorite wheel maker. David Paul of The Merlin Tree. http://www.themerlintree.com/the_merlin_tree001.htm.

David's double flyer Ashford Traveller. Two handed spinning anyone?

Matilda coats- washing instructions

This email came to me from the woman I bought my coats from. Please read if you use the new Matilda sheep coats.

It has come to my attention that the most recent fabric the Matilda Brand Sheep covers are made of is UV treated and that washing damages this treatment. Noel has recently posted new washing instructions for us to use.If possible do NOT wash these covers. If you must wash them use cold or warm water only (do NOT use hot water). Presoak the covers in warm water if they are muddy. Wash only one or 2 covers at a time in the washer and use liquid dish washing detergent (I know, this sounds crazy, but it does seem to make a difference. Do NOT use clothes washing detergent). Hang the covers to dry. Agitation, hot water and clothes washing detergent cause major damage to the covers.One of our dealers has washed 6 brand new covers and ruined them, then he tried the dish washing detergent and no damage was done!Please send these instructions out to anyone who is buying covers from you.Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you! I just wish I had known this earlier!!Belinda

Stormy Weather

The ewe to the left is Psycho. Silver's twin, and Stormy's aunt. I couldn't get a good picture of his mother. The two ewes look a lot alike. Silver is a little taller, Psycho is a little fatter.
Long John Silver.

Born to Silver & John on March 9, 2008. One of two ram lambs. Both were black when born and therefore registered as such. Stormy will go for $500 or BRO at this time.

A day on the farm

The garden spider is back. Doesn't it look frightful?

Isn't Cornelius handsome? He is just over 1 year old and is a registered Horned Dorset.

Well, aren't you going to feed us? I was trying to take pictures of Stormy and the girls couldn't understand why they weren't being fed, again.

Shearing Shari's goats

This was taken August 29th while delivering mail. And it is not a swamp maple. Fall will be here early, and most likely winter. Everybody ready? (o;

Shari supervising. The goats are 3 years old already. The first time Jerry sheared them, it took him an hour apiece. Now it takes him not time at all. The goats are being shearing 8/31/08.

How many people does it take to shear a goat?

Cliff's first shearing experience. He is at the ready with the hand shearers.
His friend has to make sure he is ok.

2 out of 3 of the llamas had to come check on Jerry and their goats.

And of course, I go nowhere without my knitting. Rattlesnake Creek socks from Sock Knitter's Pentathlon at Yahoo! Groups. This is the 3rd sock I've done with this group.