We get by.....

.....with a little help from our friends....

 

It's been a little humid this summer! When it is a little uncomfy for the sheep this is their favorite spot to stay cool. They lean up against the stone/cement foundation of our old dairy barn- now the sheep barn. We keep fans on 24 hours a day for them and all the windows open to catch any breezes. Aren't they cute?

 

It's been cooler almost fall like weather lately so the sheep are out hiking a good portion of the day. They are starting to grow their wool so thinking winter (gasp) can't be too far away? Hard to know how to plan any more based on seasons. Also means it will be time to put the sheep's coats on soon! Squeee! Clean wool for EVERYone!

 

The sheep will be adding some new items to the website Monday, hope you can stop on by! They've been washing lots of naturally colored wool for you to dye too. Yesterday's fleece was Lily's Shetland cross fleece. Silky and soft, 4 inch locks and she wore her coat 6 months of the year so very free of debris. Don't miss out!

 

Hope summer is treating you well- the sheep send smooches!

 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com 

 

Tushie Thursday!

Cute lambie tushies that is! :0)

Well phooey! Moon Pie, Sheldon and Puzzle are growing up. It is indeed a proud moment to catch them lounging and roaming with our little group of special needs sheep. Except if you are 'mom' (me) and missing their once clingy selves! Sigh. 

The lambs spent their first few weeks in their back porch apartment, then when the weather warmed up they moved across the driveway to their lamb condo. They came over to graze, drink their bottles and be by me in the back yard every day. Then back to the condo to sleep. We took many walks to get used to the bigger pasture- their next step away from me. Sniffle. 

The lambs have gotten big, bored - and naughty! Puzzle has a heart problem that we now know is a extremely bad heart murmur. He's been a quiet lamb but as he's grown his heart has repaired itself a little, but  it will only improve to a certain extent. Thus the quiet nature of that sweet boy. We named him Puzzle because we had to figure out the 'puzzle' of Puzzle's health when he arrived. He apparently wants to live UP to his name and figure out puzzles on his own? He is a master of opening gates, finding holes in fences and ditching Moon Pie and Sheldon when he does. They run around calling and calling trying to find Puzzle- and he does not pay attention. Just grazes in the front lawn like it is exactly where he should be. Ha! 

The sneaky gate behavior started after I had to put my foot down on the time they spent loose outside the back yard gate. After they were about 3 weeks old, they figured out they could outrun me too (which really doesn't take a lot). They love a good game of tag- and sheep never outgrow that happy glee of being on the loose hopping and jumping where they KNOW they are not supposed to be. So cute!

A few days ago I got to see the three lambs work together to get through the gate out of our back yard? They lined up, backed up, heads down and charged the gate- knocked it right over! Wow! Had to get a better closure on that one pronto. Stinkers! 

Last night the lambs spent their first night with the little group of sheep. They are living with the special needs group so there are not as many sheep (20) and so Puzzle doesn't get chased around or head butted. I could not face putting them over for the night. Jim is tougher than I am so he was in charge of taking them over, locking the gate behind them and coming inside. In the past our bottle lambs have been so upset that first night away from me they would fling themselves against the fences trying to get back 'home'. 

Well, the lambs did not utter one peep. All night or even this morning. Walked over to the fence and there they were, sleeping happily with a few of the other sheep under their favorite Maple tree. They didn't even get up to greet me??? Ouch! Got started with my morning chores and then Puzzle was up at a gate waiting for me. He let me hug him and scratch him for a little while, then trundled off with out a backwards glance. The twins were still sleeping at that point. Really lambies??? 

In the end they caved and came into the back yard to appease me. Well, they wanted their corn for breakfast and that is where the breakfast tray was. Their favorite place all along has been a little bit of cement pad located under the back porch stairs. It is nice and shady, cool and they think secret. Today two of the three barely fit under there. The third lamb has to sleep under the trees and watch for a chance to dash in and steal someone else's place if they move. Kind of a sheep version of duck duck goose?? 

I am very happy the lambs are adjusting so well. I however am not adjusting well. They'll go through a few weeks of keep away with me just to insert their new found independence. Then things will level out and they will love being with me again. I am very predictable about this part of raising a sheep. Part of why we do not breed our sheep. I could never ever sell, eat, trade or sell one. Ever! 

So every time it is time for me to let the lambs be 'big', my friends tell me happy 'big' lambs are the name of this game. 

Now that I am the clingy one and Moon Pie, Sheldon and Puzzle are big sheep in spite of me, I say to them:

"Job well done my babies. Job well done."

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

Be sure to sign up for the sheep's new monthly newsletter. It is more of my rambling about the sheep's antics around the farm. We'll still be posting here, and you can also visit the website and sign up for our email list. We send the emails out to let you know when new items have been added to the website. Usually once every 2 weeks. 

Happy summer everyone! 

From the Ryans and all the happy sheep

Puzzle, Moon Pie & Sheldon lambies!

Never let it be said that I need much of an arm twist to take in a bottle lamb- seems like every spring! Jim is such a sweet man. Ruth McNair called and asked if we would adopt three little Wensleydale lambs. The twins are Moon Pie & Sheldon. Their mom died when they were only a few days old. 

The weather was so cold when they arrived we set them up with a special bedroom on our enclosed back porch. They stayed there for 2 weeks til it was warm enough for them to move outside into our 'nursery'. We spent lots of time snuggling of course! 

Puzzle was also a twin but he was much slower to get moving than his sister so mom would not stay with him. She was worried more about the lamb she could not keep track of than the one who would still be in the same place when she came back. We think he had a little heart murmur (?) that he is growing out of. He spent his first few days in the house with me. He is named Puzzle because we had to figure out the puzzle of what was wrong with him so we could fix him! Lounging on the couch while I spun wool. My version of heaven...

And here we are, exploring our new house and court yard across the driveway. Still in my full sight but next to the big group of sheep's pasture. That lets our Pyrs Bobbi & Andrew get used to the new sheep before they move in. It will take a while since the lambs need to be big enough to not get hurt running with the big sheep. The big sheep would never hurt the lambs on purpose. They are just big, clumsy galoots who like to play a little rough.  

More Moon Pie & Sheldon.

Moon Pie & Sheldon pretending to be chickens? We bring the lambs over to the back yard for the day time so they can have pretty green grass, fresh water and of course, be right outside my back door. They really are quite the distraction- but a good one!

You want us to go WHERE?? But remember lambies, matter how far a lambie roams, the back porch is always home... 

Puzzle strikes a pose!

Whoa! We can really run fast! 

And why do we also love the Wensleydale fleeces you ask? This picture is Puzzle's curls when he was just a month old. 

This is what their wool will look like when they are sheared each year. The curls are very well defined, 6 to 10 inches long, soft and silky. Easy to dye, spin and felt. People use them for doll hair, needle and wet felting and lots of different yarn spinning techniques. 

My favorite use for the curls is our signature Crazy Quilt Lash Yarn. I 'tail spin' the locks onto a core yarn. Very dramatic yarn and I think this has to be my favorite yarn to spin. 

SO, for now this is the story of our cute little lambie pies. Hope the weather has been kind to you all and sending good thoughts to anyone in the path of all the weather wildness. 

We're updating the website tonight (June 1) so hope you'll have a look. New handspun yarn, roving, washed and dyed fiber. Always lots of unwashed fiber available too. Smooches from the sheep!! 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com

Sheep shearing day 2013!

Well we are finally catching up on our blog posts! Go sheep! We sheared in early April so thought I would share the story in pictures... 

Andrew the Great Pyrenees was not happy that his sheep have been locked inside over night. I told him it would make things go faster on shearing day and he was not impressed. Andrew is of the firm belief that everyone has a place and should always be IN it! (in this case- outside).

This is a picture of our neighbor's dogs. They showed up to visit the night before shearing. We sent them back home with their owner but aren't they cute?? They had an afternoon of treats and sleeping on the back porch and rabbit hutch. I think they heard there was a party going on the next day?

Remember Miss Penny? Our little bottle lamb from last spring? This was her very first shearing. She hid out and came through with the very last group of sheep. Guess the others filled her in by then. 

Trevor the Baby Doll Southdown says, wait, what??

And so it began. Ingrid is feeling sassy and svelte!

This was the scene at the end of the day. By then the sheep wanted their fleeces back. They were chasing me! Simon said 'follow me peeps. I know right where those fleeces ARE!"

Ta-da! This is a photo of half our fleeces waiting to be put away in the safety of the Fiber Palace. GiddyUP! Simon kept trying to pull the bags through the panels while we cleaned up. Stinker. 

By the end of the day Andrew's sister Bobbi was to tired to stay awake while the last group of sheep got sheared. Isn't she cute? By the end of the day we all wanted to curl up for a good nap right on the spot. She's not always a good influence on us.

Everyone found their friends again. They look different with a hair cut you know! 

Another day comes to a close. A good day's work, lots of good work done, happy sheep AND all of us happy peeps who love their fleeces are set to go! Keep an eye on the website ok? We'll be adding lots of new items every week. Be sure to sign up for our email newsletter on the right side of our website pages. 

Hope you have nice, calm weather now and the sheep send many smooches! 

www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com