Ewe & I Farm on Face Book

If you are on Face Book, come on over and like the farm. I am in there a LOT more than I am here. If you are looking for up to date information about what we are up to, or recipes shared by others, or knitting/crocheting/weaving/dyeing/spinning information, then come on over!!

Hope to see you there.

https://www.facebook.com/Ewe-I-Farm-208179205917180/

TTFN.

Lambing clinic

For anyone in the New England area, or if you will be visiting NH on February 20th, and you raise sheep, you should check out the lambing clinic hosted by Wellscroft Farm in Harrisville, NH.

http://www.nhswga.com/ From the front page, just click on lambing clinic. It will bring you to a PDF that you can print out with all your needed information.

Jerry & I have been 3 times in the 24 years that we've been raising sheep. We learn something new each time.

https://www.pinterest.com/NHSWGA/fleece-wool-fiber/

40th annual New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival

110 days left to get ready for the 40th New Hampshire Sheep & Wool festival. Will we see you there? If all goes well, we will have goat milk soap, as well as other handcrafted soap, goat milk lotion, bath and shower bombs, and 2 'flavors' of moth chasers. At least 11 yarn lines from local sheep, angora goats, and llamas. Nothing alpaca yet.... LOTS of hand dyed/kettle dyed roving, batts, and fleece, and well as the natural colored roving and raw fleece! 
Can't wait!!

http://www.nhswga.com/index.php/sheep-and-wool-festival

And, this is one of those OFF years. It is NOT Mother's Day weekend this year. Mother's Day is May 8th.

So you want to raise sheep?

An interesting article from the University of Maine that addresses just about every question you could have about wanting to learn if raising sheep is something you may be ready for. Or, not.

http://umaine.edu/publications/2186e/

How to colorfast your bright yarn colors

To be honest with you, I've never done this with commercial yarn.... But, when I dye my own yarns I use vinegar ALL THE TIME!! So, I think I may sit down after dinner and knit some dishcloths out of the cotton yarn I have sitting here just for that reason.

http://lawsofknitting.com/new-knitters/how-to-colorfast-your-bright-yarn-colors/

TTFN.

Washing wool

Just read an article from PLY magazine about scouring wool. I am not afraid of my washers, but I have been doing it a LONG time.

I have 2 chocolate Icelandic wool fleeces in the washers as I type. One has LOADS of scurf. I am using the Unicorn Pour Scour she talks about in this article. It is doing a good job cleaning the fleece, but the scurf does not seem to be releasing its grip on this fleece... It is too bad because it is a gorgeous shade of browns!

 http://plymagazine.com/2016/01/scouring/

I may order the self cleaning slicker brush used in this blog-http://independentstitch.typepad.com/the_independent_stitch/2008/06/a-problem-for-s.html
http://www.amazon.com/Safari%C2%AE-Self-Cleaning-Slicker-Brush-Large/dp/B000YIWVA0
after the fleece dries and see if I can get any of it out. I'd really like to send this fleece to Morningstar Fiber Mill to have Lopi yarn made, but NOT if I can't remove the scurf...


Definitions of scurf-

This is from Australia-https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-parasites/itch-mite-sheep?page=0%2C1
  Taken out of the post-Scurf (which may vary from sparse white powdery particles to thick white or yellow flakes) on the surface of the skin may also be seen with mite infestations

Another's blogger tale of woe with scurf.
 http://threesheeps.blogspot.com/2011/01/fleece-of-sadness.html

Interesting information about fleece-Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America Volume 4, Number 4 Fall 2000 Editor, Kathy Hayes Notes from Judith Mackenzie’s Class on Fleece Selection and Grading
http://www.isbona.com/images/pdf/newsletterarticles/notesfromjudithmackenzies.pdf



Well, that is enough computer time for now. Off to do the final spin on those fleeces and then back to the garage to see if I can find any more Icelandic WITHOUT the scurf!

TTFN.

(I did order the slicker brush from Amazon. We will see if it helps at all. Stay tuned!)

Konmari

I've bought her book, and am in the process of reading it. I've already gone through all of my clothes, not hubby's, once last year. It is time to do it again. As well as doing the rest of the house. But, like the blog writer (below), I have a problem with thanking my items for their service. I would much rather thank God as He is my provider of all things!

So, if you are a Christian as I am, and want to follow the Konmari way of tidying your house read the blog below and thank God for His provisions.

http://martinfamilymoments.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-konmari-method-why-its-awesome-and.html

TTFN.

Sparrow Salvage: The huge Etsy ‘change’ you probably don’t know abo...

I am glad that my Etsy shop is no up and running at this point. I may get it back up at some point later in the winter, but after reading this (address above) bog post I am in no rush!



Read her blog post for yourself, and make up your own mind.



I will stick with my blogs and Face Book for now.



Now, if my SD card and battery would just get here.



In the meantime, I am going to see if I can get any pictures with the old battery and SD card. Off to skirt, or reskirt, some fleeces.



TTFN.

Happy New Year all!

I've ordered a new battery an SD card for my 15 year old digital camera. The same camera that has taken ALL of the pictures for this blog. I hope that is all that is required to 'fix' it. I am not ready to replace it yet.

Tracking says the card will be here Wednesday. No news on the battery...

When the parts arrive,  I will start taking pictures of the fleeces I will have available for sale. We have LOTS of llama fleece available for $5/lb., sheep fleeces available for $5-15/lb., angora goat fleeces available for $5/lb., Pygora cloud for $10/oz., and possibly alpaca fleece for $5-15/lb.

I hope to be able to post the yarns, dyed fleece, and dyed roving/batts here also.

Pictures will be posted here.
https://www.facebook.com/WoolnEwe/
http://eweifarmfleece.blogspot.com/

I am planning on sending Icelandic fleeces to North Carolina this spring to be turned into Lopi yarn. I am also planning on sending colored Dorset fleece to be blended with black Mohair fleece to become sock yarn. I hope to have the mill above also make us a wool/alpaca blend yarn. Don't know the weight. Will leave that up to the mill as she raises alpaca and does a great job with our yarns!

I am planning on using the new to us triple picker and any of the carding machines we are owned by the produce our own blend of wool, llama, alpaca, angora, mohair roving and batts.

Of course, the first blend I need to make is the one that has been waiting near the big carding machine the longest. A fleece from one of our favorite, but long deceased, rams named Joshua who was a chocolate Border Leicester/Romney, and an alpaca fleece.Since I've cleaned out the washed holding area and reorganized it, I found the 2 fleeces. After I get the alpaca washed, I will be good to go.

Here's to hoping that 2016 is a great year! And, a productive one!! Not working 6 days a week at the Post Office, and helping Jerry with shearing 7 days a week would help...

TTFN.