I think I left you hanging in February after I learned to hand spin. In an effort to catch you up, entertain you, and take you along on this journey of mine as I continue to learn to spin, I... Continue Reading →
I've been busy hand spinning like crazy since January 6. After getting a blizzard that dropped 17 inches of snow, being essentially snowed-in, and not seeing many people for weeks, I've finished spinning a few hanks of yarn! I've been... Continue Reading →
It's been a LONG journey to get to now! We've kept sheep since 2015, I received my DIY spinning wheel kit in 2018 as a gift, I finally finished staining and putting it together in 2021, and I've just learned... Continue Reading →
We are about a third of the way through shearing now. It takes us a couple of weeks because we not only shear each sheep, but we also do a health check, vaccinate, trim hooves, and then we skirt, grade,... Continue Reading →
Since I am inundated with elderberries, I decided I should dye some yarn. I am very interested in natural dyes and have previously dyed with blueberries (see my previous post Blueberry Yarn). I would love to dye with indigo, but... Continue Reading →
I've FINALLY finished staining this darned thing! The Husband was curious, so I let him put it together while I watched. The spinning wheel was partially a 2018 birthday present from my father - thanks, Daddy! Now I just have... Continue Reading →
I've been meaning to crochet a hat, purely out of our Gulf Coast Native (GCN) wool, for my physical therapist (PT) for about two years now. With the hay put up, the sheep out to pasture, and the hot days... Continue Reading →
So, it has been a LONG while since I have worked on the spinning wheel and I want to finish staining it and putting it together. I looked at the shipping invoice and it is dated February of 2018! That... Continue Reading →
So, last Wednesday the Husband told me, "You're dyeing on Saturday." I'm like, wait, "What?" He had registered me for a virtual dyeing class with Shepherd's Cross, which was where he learned to shear. I didn't know much about what... Continue Reading →
Oh my, I never thought we'd shear that last sheep, but we've finally finished! This is the most sheep we've ever sheared in a season. We've got a pretty good system down now: we team shear, trim hooves, vaccinate, and... Continue Reading →
Finally! Holy sheep! It took me 20 years to make this afghan. I'm so glad to finally be finished! And not just 95% finished, 100% finished!
Am I the only one who travels with fleece-in-the-grease? Actually, probably! When I knew I was going to be at Walter Reed for prosthetic and gait training for 4-8 weeks I knew I was going to be homesick. So, I packed Ixora's entire fleece, my combs, and a diz!
My surgeon's nurse was fascinated by the knowledge that I had a flock of sheep. She let on that she liked to knit and shyly let on that she wanted some yarn. So, I was on a mission.
My husband sheared a couple of hoggets by himself, but he ended up doing adaptive shearing with me where he would tip and shear belly wool and get legs started, and then stand them up, and I would finish shearing the rest of the sheep from a sitting position while he held them. It was definitely a team sport.
I admittedly have a track record of "finishing" projects 95% of the way before I move onto something else. As long as the product is functional, I always seem to get sidetracked from doing the finishing touches! I really want to curb that kind of behavior and really start finishing things 100%.
I'm so excited - the shearing is all done! Yay! And now I have a mountain of fleece in my storeroom....
Some shepherds hire a shearing team, and others do it themselves. Well, I'm definitely a DIY kind of girl. This year I have 14 sheep to shear!
Well, it has finally happened - I ordered a spinning wheel! My father was so kind to add some birthday moolahs to my piggy bank, making the purchase of a spinning wheel possible. I am very grateful!
