We've got lambs!!

The Wabi-Sabi spinners came to watch Jerry shear and to purchase some fleeces. Imagine my surprise when I go out to let out the sheep and finish cleaning the barn and find one lamb in the hallway and mom (Tina) in the girl's area with another lamb. She had one of each, and we will name him Wabi and her Sabi in honor of the spinning group.
Wabi-sabi is the quintessential Japanese aesthetic. It is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional... It is also two separate words, with related but different meanings. "Wabi" is the kind of perfect beauty that is seemingly-paradoxically caused by just the right kind of imperfection, such as an asymmetry in a ceramic bowl which reflects the handmade craftsmanship, as opposed to another bowl which is perfect, but soul-less and machine-made. "Sabi" is the kind of beauty that can come only with age, such as the patina on a very old bronze statue. As taken from this website- http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WabiSabi


From the looks of some of the ewes sheared, and some that will be sheared tomorrow, we could be have lots of lambs shortly!

The hay feeders are folded up to make more room in the shearing area. The girls are not thrilled to be locked in the barn.

Heifer on the right, Keira on the left.

Cheyenne. Her fleece (unfortunately) will go out to be made in felt batts.

Roving & batts

We sent out 58 pounds of washed wool to Zeilinger's Wool Company to be processed into rovings for us. I sent some light gray Romney, some dark gray Romney, and lots of white Romney & Romney cross. This will be wonderful spinning and needlefelting wool!!

I know I will have it back in time for NH Sheep & Wool. If it comes back sooner, it will be posting here and on the fleece page for sale.

I also sent out 15 pounds of washed wool (stuff that was gorgeous, but too coarse to spin) to be made into quilt batts.

TTFN

I know

It's been a week since I've posted anything, but that is because I've been working at the Post Office or down in the basement.

I am trying to clean the original basement out, so that I can get my dye/can kitchen up and running. I am NOT going to take pictures and post them here. That section of the basement has largely been untouched since we moved here in 2000 and started construction in 2001. So, their is still some construction debris down there. I've done nothing with this part of the basement because it is so DARK in their. But, it will be a nice cool (not warm) place to work all summer.

I am also working on moving the ENTIRE fiber 'business' down to the basement. It has literally overtaken the living quarters!! So that means finishing up the insulation in the walls, putting up the vapor barrier, putting up sheetrock (when we can afford it) and putting up shelves/cabinets.
The new basement is getting organized rather rapidly. YEAH!! When we get all the wood working equipment out, we can work on getting the fiber mill in its place.

ONE STEP AT A TIME!

Off to clean! Now, where is my mask???

We say good bye to a gentle giant

I can not find a good picture of Goliath at this time. He can be found at the fleece pages. But, I am not going there myself for a while.... Goliath is behind Cornelius, looking out at the empty boxes.

Goliath, and his ram friend Julius, came to us from Barrett Acres in Newport. As did Joshua, who we lost a little while ago. He and Julius were 11 this spring. Some time during the night, Goliath was either tipped over or simply laid down and wouldn't get back up. The next morning I tried and tried to help him up. Either he was being stubborn or simply could not do it. Finally my sweet, caring husband dispatched him over the rainbow bridge.

Julius was tipped over himself and trapped between the sliding door and the floor of the barn. He was able to get back on his feet with some help from me. He is now residing with the ewes. We may have some May/June babies if anyone goes into heat, and if he is up to it. (o; That is ok, as Maggie is the last 'baby' we have of his and she is almost 10 this year.

This is the year of destash

I resolve to clean out my wool closet by
A) carding all of the fleeces in there
B) selling some of those washed fleeces (or at least parts of them), so watch the fleece pages
C) spinning the batts or
D) selling the batts, will also be on the fleece page.

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
B) selling stashed yarn, also on the fleece page
C) weaving up a batch of the chenille, and maybe some wool, on friend Sue's triangle loom.

I have joined Ravelry's 10 shawls in 2010, so that should free up quite a bit of closet space. I have also decided that I am not going to do any special knit orders for anyone this year. I will do the dog spinning orders I took in 2009, but I need a year to myself. The stress of trying to make others happy and make their orders fit has gotten to be a little overwhelming and my depression has overtaken me BIG TIME this winter. So, if you have tried to reach me by phone, your best way to reach me at this time is through e-mail.

So...I am off to knit, watch a little TV, wash a little mohair and just be.

Happy New Year to one and all from Ewe & I Farm!!

This is the way I feel today. 44 hours in one week for the Post Office, plus the farm and the holidays.......I am pooped. And looking forward to a wonderful 2010, and a new decade! One day at a time!!