Shearing Day

Sunday was Shearing Day and we sheared 71 sheep (61 ewes and 10 rams and wethers). I said "we". Not really "we", but John, my fabulous shearer. The sheep looked great, the fleece looked great and he finished shearing in two and a half hours! Shearing was finished by 11:30.Here are sheep ready to be shorn.Clover.Mary.

John started with the rams......and moved on to ewes.

Farm Club members were the other wonderful helpers who made it all work. Alison spent the morning at the skirting table explaining skirting and helping buyers skirt their fleeces. Shelby and Gynna were our sheep wranglers, making sure that there was always another sheep for John to shear.  Mary and Carol bagged fleeces while Anna swept and Jackie worked the exit gate. Linda weighed and recorded fleeces.   Other members helped too but I didn't get photos.What would shearing day be without chili......and Dona's brownies (and Lisa's Jacob sheep cookies, Jackie's corn biscuits, Mary's wonderful tangy chicken and fancy rice krispie treats and more).After shearing the sheep look so much thinner. This photo looks as though it was stretched vertically, but it wasn't.    Lila. Cascade. 

Gynna looks happy with her Farm Club fleece. And look at this gorgeous one!

After shearing we (Farm Club again and other friends) did demos of all kinds of spinning and fiber prep, but that's another story, especially because it's too late to write more.

Fibershed Photoshoot

How does the Fibershed Marketplace get all those great photos? It takes a lot of work from everyone who is involved in the photoshoot but the photos are a credit to the skill of our wonderful photographer, Paige Green. I hosted the spring photoshoot and my friend, Jackie, organized everything. Here are some of my photos from the day.We arranged items that were to be photographed. These are my Jacob shawls and scarves. Jackie's hot pads and bangles.Katharine Jolda's felted jacketWe turned one of my stalls into a dressing room. Shelby is a Farm Club member who consented to be one of our models. First photos of the day were Sally Fox's sheepskins.  There is a lot going on behind the scenes to create these photos.  Alisa is Jackie's daughter and she became one of the models. Her boyfriend, Mark, was indispensable in assisting Paige with her equipment all day. This is Brooklyn, our youngest model. She wore a hooded jacket and wool socks. Meryl is being fitted by Marlie. Paige used a variety of settings during the day. In this scene Allie modes her rabbit-skin vest. Rusty was involved in the activity all day. He will write his own blog post about his involvement.  We used the sheep in the photos of my handwoven pieces. Meryl and Shelby modeled four shawls. Give us a few weeks and you'll see all of these items and more available on the Fibershed Marketplace website.

Meet the Sheep 2013

Another great day at the farm and another day that I'm so thankful to Farm Club and my other friends! Meet the Sheep is our annual spring Open House event. It is a big undertaking, but with the help of Farm Club and my family (and some luck with the weather) it went very well. Mary, Joy, and Gynna are three of the crew that arrived early to help with set up. Notice the threatening weather. Just before visitors were due to arrive I brought the sheep in from the pasture... ...and moved them to the pasture near the shop so that they would be ready to Meet the People.  Jackie set up a booth... ...as did Colleen. I resurrected some displays from my Shear Delight days.Shelby and Dona tried out the new photo station that was created by Dona and Rick.The scheduled demonstrations were very popular.  Alison demonstrated spinning. Colleen taught Solar Dyeing with Kool-aid......and how to felt a bowl using a balloon.   Julie brought baby chicks and bunnies and showed people how to handle the bunnies. I think she won in the Cuteness Category today... ...although Mary's triplets were popular as were the three bottle babies and the six newest lambs.  Julie also talked about dyeing fiber.Janis made this cool poster using wool from a fleece she bought in November. And that's it for my photos although there was a lot more going on. We were so busy that I was in the shop the rest of the day!Good thing that Dona brought brownies for lunch!

Fleeces Revisited

I haven't finished getting the wool ready to send to the mill. Holidays get in the way. Now it's COLD. Farm Club members have been helping and I think one more afternoon of skirting and sorting will do it. Sending wool off in January means I'm way ahead of my usual schedule. If you are not excited about wool these photos won't be very interesting. But to me they are a precursor of beautiful yarn and blankets.Alison's fleece. The 3 x 5 cards provide scale (as well as remind me of whose wool is whose). Eliza's fleece

Athena's fleece is a little shorter than the others, but very soft.    Miller is a ram lamb born last March. This fleece is only 9 months growth. I can't wait for next year's.Hattie's fleeceDid I say it was cold while we were working? Mary and Dona helped one day and Linda on another. Here was the best place to stand--a south-facing wall in the sun. We already finished with your fleece, Jazz.