Fleece Navidad!!

And a Joy to the Wooled too! This is our Sonny sheep, he insisted on the disheveled look to his holiday bomber hat. Otherwise, no picture. Piper photo bombed too! I think he is laughing at Sonny? However, Sonny is happy to pose and be stylin'!

The sheep have been busy having fun with some mistakes they made. This is a photo of our new 'pre-felt' crazy quilt curls. The sheep put a variety of wool, alpaca and llama fiber together for each piece. The 'decorating' or embellishment is up to YOU! The felt can be manipulated (thus pre-felt) or you could felt it further if need be. You could wear them as a pretty boa-type scarf as is but would recommend some embellishment. Add beads, handspun yarn, vintage jewelry- set loose the creativity for a wonderful, unique project! 

Did you know the sheep also love to paint?? We have added our unique, one of a kind hand painted items back to the website so be sure to check them out when you can. The sheep create the original designs and I paint them. M any more will be available as soon as the items are signed and sealed. Drop spindles, vintage item make overs and more. :0)

We were blessed with around 15 inches of snow last week so the sheep have been busy sledding and making snow angels. I heard yesterday they are learning to snow shoe now? I should have them teach ME, that is something I have always wanted to learn! I hope your holidays have been happy and that you stay safe if you are out and about for New Years Eve. 

Special holiday smooches to you from the sheep!

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

The sheep parade!

Every morning I get to walk with the sheep. It is a blessing and wonderful way to start a day. 

Simon says let's go sheep! (he always leads the way and he is a little bossy too!)

Really Simon? So early?? 

Sheep leaving me in their dust (literally)!

Little Mayhem sheep says hey, wait up!

Still walking!

And we're THERE! Waaay out in the far part of the biggest pasture- whew!

Big Kitty walks too- he always wants a ride home. Too much walking for an old man barn cat! 

And that is my early morning. A good walk taken- part of the sheep parade! 

Just finished an update on the website so hope you can stop by. Lots of fiber, roving and even some mittens!! Smooches from the sheep everyone! 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

Oh baby baby!

Remember Penny and Mayhem? Don't they look all grown up now? They moved in with the big group of sheep about a month ago (?) and are happily tagging along with the 'big' sheep. Guess that makes them big sheep too? Sniffle. They are past the 'I don't need you any more Mom' phase though. They love to have hugs again and follow me everywhere. (unless they make it out of the gate into the yard- then I am toast! The big sheep taught them to 'zig and zag' when they run away from me. They are incredibly hard to catch- specially when I am laughing so hard at their behavior. They think they are so sly!)

This is our Snowy sheep- a gorgeous Romney gal who retired here from the famous McNair flock. She had twins shortly after she arrived about 3 years ago. (Pixel and Pixie). She still keeps a good eye on the now grown up twins. THAT said, she has adopted Penny & Mayhem too! When Penny and Mayhem were tiny lambs Snowy used to come call and call them when I was walking the lambs along the fences. Mayhem is smitten with his new mom and while Penny is not as smitten, she stays with him and the three are near each other all the time now! Sheep are amazing. Snowy just loves babies....

AND, our little Bantie hen paraded her little chicks out a week ago too! She has 9. We really try to keep the eggs picked up but the girls love to try and hide them on us! We find a hidden nest every day. Stinkers! Hard to give them too hard a time though. Those hens are SO proud of their little family. AND the fact they outsmart us! The chicks were the size of a 50 cent piece-I am always amazed how quickly they grow.

And here we have two hens determined to hatch the same eggs??! Really girls? Talk about turf wars! I am sure the eggs they are sitting on are not fertile, they should have hatched them weeks ago. I am going to take some of them away and make sure, if they are not viable I will leave a few with them to sit on, or give them a few new ones. They are SO dedicated! You leave first. No YOU leave first!

Still pretty dry in Wisconsin. Been getting a bit of rain here and there. Finally a storm that brought us just under an inch of rain all at one time. We're hoping we get enough rain to just keep the sheep grazing the pastures as long as possible. Normally we can delay feeding hay til almost the first of November. Fingers crossed! Hay has doubled in price because of the drought- ouch! 

Lots of critters in the world having extra tough times with their families. If you are able, a bag of dog food for them or even a foster home? Placement help? Food for the family? I wish there was SO much more we could do here. Working on paying things forward any way we can! 

Smooches to all of you- hope the weather and life are treating you spectacularly! 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

Planning for Winter!

In more than one way- and I cannot even believe the sheep are thinking of winter already? Their fleeces are growing longer and soon it will be time to feed hay and put their coats on. Wow. 

This week's update is almost ready to go live. When you visit the website you may notice we have had to raise our prices just a little bit. The sheep were very hesitant to do so but the severe drought has included us too. Sigh. We got a very nice first crop of hay in the spring but none since off our own field. We did get a little rain so the pastures are better in spots. We will not have to feed hay as long as the grass can hold up. (note that the sheep are very easy keepers so that is lucky too- my shearer calls some of them bubble butts- shame on him!)

While we expect to have one more much smaller crop of hay from our own fields, we have reserved most of our hay from our wonderful Hay Man Stan. We buy hay from him when ours runs out in the winter, usually not til February but this year we will be buying most of our hay from him. The drought has driven hay prices through the roof so while we are grateful to have our hay reserved, it will cost us over twice what it did last year. 

Thus the reason for reluctantly raising our prices. The sheep kept our prices very mid-range though, as we always try to do. If you have any questions please let us know ok? Thank you so much for your understanding! 

SO, onward with the fun! 

Tonight's update includes some really fun 'stuff'. This is Marshall, our 'got milk' sheep. He is a Corriedale fellow who is one of the most laid back, happy sheep I have ever seen. He literally just ambles through life, nothing bothers him much and he loves just about anyone. His best friend is his brother Theo- a white Corriedale. Did you know you can read more about them in our 'meet the sheep pages'? 

Marshall's wool could easily be mistaken for Merino wool. It is a pretty chocolate gray with cinnamon tips from the sun. He has both coated and uncoated wool offered on the site here. It is baby soft and easy to work with... a bit of bounce and lots of karma!

The sheep are also rolling out their winter/fall fashion line. We posted new scarves and this pretty scarflette/cowl. There will be a LOT more warm items available each week. Mom and Barbara are way ahead of me on the knitting. They use my hand spun yarn and have some really pretty items waiting a photo session. 

SO, from the sheep's crazy quilt style to traditional, we have plenty to choose from. Hope you will keep an eye on the website and email us any time ok? Have a happy week and the sheep send you many smooches! 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

Flaash Mob?? Really Sheep???

Did you hear the news??? Phoebe is busy telling everyone about the sheep's flaash mob last night.. she is such a tattle tale! 

I was happily spinning yarn in my office around 9:30 last night. All of a sudden Bobbi was barking in the window at me- I almost had to change my drawers she startled me so much! I laughed and asked Jim to put her back in with her sheep. Turns out the entire group of Bobbi & Andrew's sheep- 65 to be exact- were gobbling up anything edible in the front yard??? Oh smack! 

So who let the sheep out?? Chaquita llama said "don't look at me!!"

I went running out, scooped up a few rocks and my emergency bucket. In the mean time, sheep had wandered on to the road- we live on a very quiet road but of course a car came over the hill at that exact second? My heart stopped for a few beats. The fellow driving turned around and since the sheep are not fond of lights at night, they headed back to the driveway. The driver did not stop for us to thank him- we so appreciate the kindness of some one we did not even know. 

We are lucky our sheep are so food driven- they fall for my rocks in the bucket every time! ha! I called the sheep, rattled the bucket and walked back into the pasture. Simon goatie and Dalai Llama (his dirty self pictured above) led the sheep back to the pasture and went running past me. As did all the sheep, except one. Miss Penny. 

Even though she is all grown up now, she is still a small sheep and she rubs on the fence. She probably found one little hole and all of them were off to the races. Nothing is more fun for a sheep than getting out and having a romp. Thus the flaash mob! I am betting Penny started it and I had to catch her so she was also the last sheep in. Stinker. 

And you can see how the sheep must have looked? This is a day time picture of the 'innocence'- say whaaat? Sigh. SO cute. 

The next thing I did was take the flash light out to make sure every one was back where they belonged. I am extra paranoid at night. My escort was our gigantic goat Simon. He would be a fantastic seeing eye goat. No really! He is my guide- he came along with me to count the sheep. He insists on walking with me, and I have to have my hand on his back or he will walk and push me off the trail. He takes his job quite seriously. And of course he denied any part of the evening's activities... 

Bobbi & Andrew got many many treats- Bobbi for coming to find me and Andrew for staying with his sheep. They were so proud- running around like a couple of  puppies when the drama was over!

So once again I find myself beyond thankful for 2 Great Pyrenees dogs, a llama and a ginormous goat named Simon.... the most dedicated guardians of my very naughty sheep. And my Jim, who has the patience to put up with every one of us! 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com 

Did you know?

Avi said NO don't tell! Sorry sheep! The sheep love designing yarn. Did you know they also love to sit and string beads and such to include in the yarns? 

 This is Pixie Forest- from our Pixie sheep- snazzy!

 A blend of our sheep's wool that includes a ply of 'sheep strung' bugle beads from my grandma's bead box...

 Another 2 ply of our sheep's wool that includes sheep strung tiny metallic glass beads...

That's right Pixie- the secret is OUT! Don't look so shocked girlie! 

Hope you are all having a happy Friday- watch for the sheep's update Monday afternoon ok? Smooches from the sheep and chow for now!

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

Spinning Wheels Need New Homes!

The sheep are selling a few wheels out of my 'stable'! Both are listed on the website so please visit them for the full details. 

This is one of my favorite wheels ever but I don't spend much time spinning on it- I run out of time for all the things I want to get done in a day... It is a Rio Grande wheel in like new condition. Here is the link to our site for the wheel:

http://www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com/shop/pid_2823.htm

And the Rio Grande's company website- lots of good info about the wheel here:

http://www.weavingsouthwest.com/shop/product/113

My Kromski Symphony wheel I purchased as a barely used wheel some years ago. It has a few minor scratches (character) but is ready for a new home where it will see miles and miles of yarn spun on it! Here is the link to our site for complete info:

http://www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com/shop/pid_2822.htm

And more Kromski info here:

http://www.woolery.com/store/pc/Kromski-Symphony-c135.htm

If you have any questions please email us at the farm email- ryan3@tds.net ! 

Hope you have a safe, happy and fun Fourth of July!! Smooches from the sheep! 

Bwaaahahahaha!

REALLY Pixie??? Do you think she is laughing at me for catching her lounging in the mineral feeder? OR is she gasping in surprise because I caught her AND had the camera to prove it??? 

bwaaahahahaha- I love my sheep! 

They are big sheep now....

 Remember Penny (left) and Mayhem?? Such tiny little bottle lambs we adopted from a friend's flock in early Spring. Penny lived in the house with us until Mayhem came along. I cried and cried the day I put her outside with Mayhem to start being a 'big sheep'...

This is a picture of them when they were still little, waiting for me on the back porch. Penny did not (still does  not) understand why she can't come back in and romp around the house! 

And this is today. They moved in with the big sheep group about a month ago. Can you see them waaay out there? Upper left hand side of the picture you see my two 'big sheep'. They are going through the 'woo hoo I am free and don't need you any more Mom' phase. More tears on my part but so glad they are happy, well adjusted sheeps. (tee hee) They'll grow out of the freedom phase in a few weeks and be back trying to sit in my lap, seeing if I have bottles for them and trying to scoot out the gate every time it is opened! Not much is sweeter than lambs romping in the house- would do it again in a heart beat.... :0) 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

A Shetland kind of day!

Shetland sheep are a hoot! They are sweet little sheep who just love life! Ours are like a little clan in the midst of our flock. They spend their days scampering around, playing tag and king of the dirt pile- oh, and of course dining on a few Fruit Loops AND napping. 

Greta is a gal who arrived here some years back after her owner's health forced her to re-home her sheep. Greta has a twin sister Ingrid. She brought with her Arthur, Claire and Ranier (Icelandic) and Garth (Icelandic/E.Fresian x). They are very good friends and I amazed at the energy these sheep possess! 

This is Arthur's fleece. He has a really unique color- even some striped locks! We have even more Shetlands romping around here too- Hershey, Angus, Becan, Bram, Vaughan, Sunshine and Mario. They all have next to the skin soft fleeces and vary in color from fawn to black. Most of them are single coated too! 

ANYhoo, was just out watching the Shetland clan playing around. Thought I would share their funny selves! A video camera would probably be a better way to do them justice and capture their antics? I am betting they would turn that camera on ME though- look out world! 

Did you know each of our sheep has a bio on the website? Check out the 'meet the sheep' links and have a visit! Chow for now peeps! 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

I do so love them...

Sam I am... I am so lucky to live where I live and do what I do. I cannot think of a better way to spend my life than with our sweet sheeps.

Piper (Romney fellow with a cute white nose)

Louis (Rambouillet fellow with the longest eyelashes and wrinkly velvet nose)

Violet (Silvery Romney gal- who loves to smile for the camera)

Oh smack! Penny on the back porch wanting back inside!

Double smack of cuteness! Penny AND Mayhem waiting on the porch. I wish they would learn to clean their sweet little nose prints off my windows! ha!

And good friends who did not appreciate me waking them up for a photo shoot! 

 Hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned! I know we do! 

Smooches from the sheep

:0)

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

A Farm With A View...

I have to be the most lucky person in the world to live here with my hubby! Daily walks with the animals are so fun- here is a little bit of what we do...

Today's walking partner- Big Kitty. He is our old old barn cat.

A view from our driveway- toward our only neighbor.

Another view from our driveway, look at all the pretty sheep! :0)

Yesterday was the first day we turned the horses and llamas out on the back pasture. It is about 60 acres of trees, grass and a peaceful valley for them to wander all summer. 

We bring them back to sleep up by the barn at night so they don't have to worry about coyotes.

The llamas are OUT of here! 

Our horse Cricket is not ready to come back home- not even for a little grain! 

Hope your day is going well, the sheep are working on an update for early tomorrow morning so stay tuned! You can sign up for our email update 'alerts' on the website too- www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com 

Chow for now peeps!