FLEECED!

Oh boy...just finished trying ( this is the operative word) to clean the Border Leicester fleece ( half of a six lb. fleece ) purchased at Mass sheep and wool earlier in the spring.
Now...I have been washing fleeces, spinning , etc...since 1968 and I have never seen such a horrible fleece in my life. Yup...you guessed it ! I didn't follow all the golden rules of fleece selection. Boo...Hiss... yes I know...impulse buying ! I am really ashamed !
It is damaged...filthy...you name it, it has it !

Now, this is no reflection on the show just the seller, who by the way was selling it for a friend. If you want to know who........let me know !

OK....

1) take the fleece out of the bag... 2 ) test it for strength by tugging on some of the locks...really pulling...they should not break if they are in good condition
3) If the fleece is dirty...don't bother...it will take too much time to clean ! ( ever so slightly dirty is fine ) I never coated my sheep either !
4) Check for vegie matter...don't buy, if there is a lot. Again a waste of time.
5) Lastly, don't pay the going rate for anything that is in less than good condition !!!

So...dear friends...hanging my head in shame...I will dry said fleece and try to save something from the mess...If I am lucky...

OCTOBER CAN'T COME TOO SOON !

Ha... Recently found out that I am inheriting two Border Leicester rams after show season. I love the fleeces from this breed. As I don't want to deal with rams on a rampage, the guys will need to be "taken care of" before I actually put them in the pasture. I still want some ewes, just haven't settled on the breed.
I had sheep in the past, but the "uber" ewe just had the rest of them in palm of her hooves ! So, it was difficult to do anything with them. They were also meat breeds and at the time I just couldn't eat them. I ended up giving them to 4H kids to breed.
Now I want to concentrate more on breeding for fleeces, but still thinking about milk and meat as this makes more economic sense.

Will post the felting workshop later with pic...

ADULT PLAYTIME COMING UP !

Well...at least for fiber fanatics ! Attending a Nuno Felting workshop for the next two days with Robin Blakney-Carlson www.luckystonestudio.com
She lives near by ( distances are relative up here ) and I can't wait. I was worried about my mobility issues ( can't stand or sit for too long ) but she is very accommodating, so I should be fine.
I will post pics tomorrow evening if OK with her.

Peter Pan Crow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CAN'T SLEEP ! AARRGGG

When I was a child, I lived in Germany for several years. I attended a German folkschule, as my father wanted his children to experience the country of his ancestors and its people.
We studied the regular scholastic offerings, the same as in any country. However, as I had not had the chance to study home economics yet in this country (USA ), the first time I discovered that German girls also studied needlework, I was quite surprised indeed !
One of the female teachers came in to our classroom and taught us pulled-thread embroidery. We worked on fine linen, making sure we washed our hands each time, so we kept the fabric clean. I'm not sure I truly appreciated the lessons at the time, as I was not fluent enough to translate needlework terms and the teacher spoke very little English. But I managed to get through each lesson with some trial and error and lots of help from the girls who had been doing pulled- thread for quite a few years.
It is with much regret that now, many years later, I confess I did not save any of the pillowcases, dresser scarves and many of the other things I made.
I think it would have been a visual reminder of many incredible moments for me and my family in the Germany of the late 50's.

TTFN

Fuzzy Wuzzy.....etc

Promised fiber content this time. Hence the pics ... Better late than never !

Went to Mass. sheep show in May ( otherwise known as Cummington by the locals ) Got there late Sunday PM. I usually go Sat. AM, just couldn't make it any earlier this year.

I haven't been in about three years. Wasn't really impressed with what I saw. Too many "same old-same old" boring painted rovings. Come on folks, lets get some originality back ! I'm not saying don't paint, just pay attention to color combinations and creativity. Why buy, when I can do a better job ? Make me admire your skills and want to fork out some bucks for your products !

Too late for choice fleeces, but did purchase half a BFL fleece from a vendor. Yum, I love the lustre on this breed of sheep. It's cleaned and I will probably comb to prepare. Think I will leave it white. Will post more pics when it's spun.

One of the great things about belonging to a rural fiber guild, is having many fellow fiber producers as members. So much tempting goodness ! Besides..you have to support locally !

Bottom right: Painted Cormo

Top Right & Left: Painted Corridale

Bottom Left: Corridale

Middle Back : Jacob Roving

Middle Front: Mohair/Cormo Blend

Nope I haven't made plans for all except the Jacob & the mohair blend. A shawl and maybe a vest. We will see !

OK....time to put these old bones to bed. It's past me bedtime ! I can't function on only six hours of sleep. The job just is not challenging enough to keep me awake if I am pooped !

next post: Podcasts....

I leave you with a few freshly disrobed sheep, and the evidence to the right... ;-)