New Web site

I am playing with Tripod to see if I want a web site for the farm. Eventually, when I have enough money, I will have my CA friend Debra to a real web site for us. Right now this is a test. Any and all feedback on this will be appreciated, either here or at our email. eweifarm@msn.com

http://eweandifarm.tripod.com/

One negative about a free site is the little pictures space. So we are sending people to our blogs for pictures....

Just to tempt you. http://eweifarmyarn.blospot.com

Lambing has begun

Horatio (as in Hornblower) born to Rachael and Cornelius. Unfortunately, she is not registered, so he will be going to the meat market. Unless, of course, someone wants to buy an unregistered pure Horned Dorset.............



Since this was her first lambing, and she seemed to be struggling, Jerry helped to ease out the lamb. And since I was calming her, I did not get any during pictures..... We took off her coat as he was getting hung up in the leg straps. Now that he knows where the udders are, I can put a clean coat on her.

Fibro and Lyrica

I know some of you know that I have Fibromyalgia (or should it be that Fibro has me?), and are probably wondering how I get so much done... And if you aren't, then you can skip this blog post.

My Rheumatologist put me on Lyrica in September of 2007. The side effects are interesting. In the beginning it blurred my eyesight to the point that it was useless to try to read a book or directions until it was time for my next dose. Now, that has gone away. The other side effects are dizziness and drowsiness. As long as I keep moving, these don't bother me. But when I sit for any period of time, I am asleep. So, I've learned to compromise. I can get my dyed goods set up and cooking, set the timer for 40 minutes and go lie down. When the timer goes off, I get up and put the wool into the sink for a rinse. I then put it into a lingerie bag and run through the spin cycle in my washer and put on the screen to dry. While I am downstairs waiting I will generally find something else to do. I can find odd things to do in the morning for 2-3 hours, and then I lie down for 2-3 hours, and then I am back up hopefully till at least bed time... It is a vicious cycle, but it is a cycle I can live with. I am more productive now than I have been since I injured my back in 2000. Things are getting unpacked from boxes that were packed when we moved 8 years ago and put away or put in the yard sale pile. Everything is getting done in installments, but it is finally getting done.
If you click on the title of this post, it will take you to WedMD and Lyrica.

I don't know how long this will last, but I will take it while I get it. The only other problem is this medication is not cheap, and my insurance does not cover all of it. So, it is by faith that I take this medication, and pray that the Lord will take care of paying for it.

Of wine & roses...

I dyed almost 4# of Romney roving yesterday. Here you can see where I dry the rovings in our basement. It is a PVC quilt frame with two long boards to support a sliding screen door. It is about 10 feet from the coal/wood stove, so it is dry in hours. Avalon wine is on the far right, and the 3 roses are Wood Rose, Wild Rose, and American Beauty. It amazes me how the different roving preps take the dye different. The ones I am calling Shades of... were prepped by Frankenmuth a few years ago, and someone else prepped the rest.
I am just having way too much fun. Today I get to reskein and tag everything...........=work...
What I see when I walk into my sewing room.


These are on my drying rod next to the wood stove (which isn't going right now). This is directly above the coal stove in the basement. The skeins start out downstairs until they are almost dry and then they come up to be reskeined.
The Garnet from yesterday, reskeined.

Dyeing

Yarn and roving that is. I really do enjoy dyeing. Below are 3 different items dyed by the same color. They are all Garnet, by Gaywool.
Top is Romney roving. Middle is Worsted Weight homegrown mill spun yarn. And bottom, original dyed skein and reskeined, is Double Twist DK weight homegrown mill spun yarn.

All of this will be offered at my next Farmer's Market in Danbury, NH at the Grange on February 2 from 10 am to 2 pm.

These will be on my other blog later in February. http://eweifarmyarn.blogspot.com

There will be more colors popping up in here eventually. February is all about Valentine's Day. So, I have been dyeing up a storm. Any red color I can get my hands on, I have dyed.

There is also 3 pounds of sock yarn that has been dyed and is waiting its turn to be weighed, tagged and photographed.

Why I love the country

We have been watching a commercial, I don't remember for what.., where the family drives out to the country to camp with others and are looking at the moon through a telescope. (I think it is a car commercial). But, any ways..............Here at our farm, we just need to walk out the door to see the moon and the stars. I tried to get a picture of the stars, but I was so cold that I could not get a clear picture. On my want list is a tripod for my camera. Then I can get some good stills....

An almost full moon and no clouds. It is freezing cold out here!

This is standing in my drive, between the house and the barn.Looking up the driveway at 5:30pm. Nice clear skies.

Looking back at the house. Jerry is inside, cooking dinner & watching the Giants beat the Packers.

Some of the skirting has begun!

I have started skirting, bagging, tagging and weighing fleeces. Below are 6 white fleeces. I have 2 more white left to do and then 10 colored fleeces. I will get to those Saturday when the sun comes back out.
In the future, I am going to go back to my old ways. Until this shearing, I used to skirt, bag and tag as the sheep were sheared. Then all I had to do was weigh and price. That way was much quicker and easier on my back.
So, this way is going to take a while............... If there is a sheep's fleece you are really interested in, please let me know and I will pull it and weigh it sooner.
Prices do not include shipping. Email me with your zip and the fleece(s) you are interested in for an invoice. eweifarm@msn.com
Have a great day all!! It is sleeting and putting a glaze of ice over everything! Very unsafe to be outside today. Good day to dye.......hmmmmmmmmm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is what flew over me as I was skirting. I thought it was the Clintons leaving the state, or another terrorist being escorted to only God knows where.... But when I blew up the pictures, Jerry said it was jets refueling.
I wish to stand up here on my blog and applaud our military!! I hope the rest of our country appreciates what these soldiers do for us all daily!! Thank you to all our soldiers, past and present!!!


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

My skirting table. Made by Butch Barrett for his (then) wife. She got rid of all her sheep, some of whom live here, and gave me the table. The only fleece on the farm that won't fit on this table is Goliath, my Corriedale. (o;

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

Victoria-polled Dorset

Staple length is 2 1/2-3" Since the tips are slightly felted down, this is probably less than the actual measurement. But I measure it as it presents. 4# 12 oz. for $47.50

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

Ruth-Horned Dorset 2nd shearing

Very short staple-1 1/2" 3# for $30

Like her sister, Rachael, this is a 10 month fleece and her first pregnancy.

If this does not sell, I will wash it and send it out for sock yarn.

One of the local mini mills in NH wants their fleeces no more than 2" for yarn. So if you want to send this fleece (or any of them!) to your favorite mill to be made into yarn or roving, let us know!!

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

Sweetie is from a Dorset ewe and a Romney ram. She is Maggie's full sister.

Her fleece is more on the Romney side, unlike Maggie.

Staple length is 3 1/2". 3# 6 oz. for $33.75

She reminds me of cotton candy.

Rolled side to side, ready to roll from tail to head for sale.

The outside of her fleece.

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

Susan is from a Dorset/Romney ewe crossed with a Shetland ram. She is Maggie's daughter. This year Susan has given us 3 distant fleece types. She has fine crimpy fleece in the center of her back, which leads to wavy fleece down her sides, and ends with a long less wavy fleece at the back.Her staple length is 3"-5".

Her fleece weighs 3# 8 oz. for $23.75.

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

Rachael-Horned Dorset 2nd shearing

I am not happy with the fleece in the fact that the staple length is short enough that the fleece would not stay intact. If I don't sell it here, then I will wash it and send it and Ruth's out to be made into sock yarn. It is a gorgeous fleece, a little shorter than last year. But she was sheared 10 months ago and she is pregnant for the first time. Although short makes a good woolen yarn.

Staple length is 2" and she weighs a whopping 2# 7 oz. for a total of $24.40

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

Fluffy is from a Columbia/Romney X Border Leicester Romney.

She has an incredible fine fleece. I am spinning her lamb's fleece on a drop spindle, and am spinning an almost lace weight. I am a beginner at drop spindling.

We had a problem with shearing her this year as she was quite flighty. It may have something to do with the fact that she is pregnant for the first time. She stood up mid-shearing and 'shattered' her fleece. It also has some fresh hay in it. I picked out all I could...

Her staple length is 3". Her fleece weighs 3# 8 oz. for $35

Look at that crimp! Would make a beautiful shawl!