High Castle Traditional Crafts

Baby Lambs

2012-01-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

The first lambs of the season were born early Sunday morning. Sierra had twins, a boy and a girl. We haven't named them yet. Any suggestions?

The lambs are about 12 hours old in these photos.

December 26

2011-12-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Boxing Day!

Does that mean I have to herd sheep while Dierdre, my dog, feeds and waters them?

Recent and Current Weaving

2011-10-20T15:22:00.001-07:00

I designed this yellow, white, red, and black table runner based on a traditional Croatian folk pattern.

Below is the fabric on my loom now. I'm weaving organic, natural-colored cotton wash cloths using a Linen Weave pattern.

How Could I Not Buy Them?

2011-09-23T21:08:00.001-07:00

I was at a Goodwill store last week and did my usual survey of the books and "craft" area. No yarn - just as it's been for the last several months. Drats.

Then I glanced at an endcap as a I turned down an aisle some distance away. There were two bags of yarn! Hmmm, one contained skeins of pink yarn. I don't care much for pink. But I do knit for other people, and I sell some of my knitting. Maybe I should take a closer look. Balls of light blue yarn filled the other bag. Light blue is really not my thing. I prefer darker, deeper colors, but, then again, my caveat above still applied. I picked up both bags.

The first held five skeins of Debbie Bliss "baby cashmerino": 55% Merino wool, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere! The price tag said $4.99. Eight balls of Louisa Harding "Grace - Silk & Wool" filled the other bag: 50% Merino wool, 50% silk. This bag was priced at $3.99.

It would have just been wrong to put those back on the shelf! It won't hurt me to knit with pink and light blue yarn. I'm sure I can make people happy with items made from these incredibly soft yarns. How could I not buy them?

This is the scarf I've started knitting with the blue yarn. Did I mention it's Merino wool and silk? It's amazing - the things I'll do for others.

Dierdre's New Bed

2011-07-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

I sewed a bed for Dierdre last week. I stuffed it with old, worn-out clothes: Mark's clever idea. Mark and I think it's quite nice, but Dierdre won't use it. In fact, she won't even touch it unless we insist.

I guess she's never had a bed before.

I put it on the floor near our bed where she likes to sleep, and she laid in another spot that night. Mark wondered if she was avoiding it out of disinterest or out of courtesy. Maybe she thought it was ours, so she politely stayed off it.

Right now it's on the floor near my desk; so is Dierdre, about a foot from the dog bed. Oh, well.

We're gently encouraging her to use it, but if she really doesn't want to, we won't insist. Perhaps this winter she'll find it appealing.

Front and back of the new bed.

Well, That Was Unexpected

2011-07-20T23:20:00.001-07:00

The president of the Mountain Spinners and Weavers Guild in Prescott called me Sunday morning and said the president-elect, who was supposed to be installed in August, can't take the office. She asked if I would consider being guild president for the coming year. I think my response was, "Huh," (a la Malcolm Reynolds for any Firefly fans out there).

I was first VP for two years a while back, and I've been the newsletter editor for about three years. I had given no thought to being president, though.

But, yikes, I said yes. We had an emergency online election, and, guess what, I'm going to be president of the MSWG next month!

Spiffed Up Website

2011-07-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

I finally added a professional shopping cart to my website. Yay! It's going to take me a little while to get used to the new format, but I really like the features. It offers all sorts of shipping options to customers and actually calculates the shipping cost correctly all the time, unlike only occasionally as PayPal did. The "search" feature is cool, too. http://www.highcastlecrafts.com/

Sheep Depredation

2011-07-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sheep love roses and rose bushes. Unfortunately. They destroyed one rose bush completely, but the one pictured below is holding its own with beautiful red roses above sheep level.

I picked up a broken juniper branch on the way home the other day. It was fresh and covered with needles. Mark set it aside with the intent of removing the greenery the next day and then cutting the branch into firewood-size pieces to season for next winter. The sheep saved him the trouble of stripping the needles.

Sheep Shearing Pen

2011-07-02T17:14:00.002-07:00

Nine sheep sheared; eleven to go. I'm getting there. I think each of the experienced (sheared in previous years) sheep think "Wow, I'm glad I'm not on that shearing stand, but...hmmm, I sure would like to get this 15 pounds or so of wool off me."

Below are pictures of my make-shift shearing pen. The pictures aren't great; it was closer to twilight than I realized when I took them, but you can get the idea.

I attached a couple of large 6-foot gates to create two sides of the enclosure. The third side is one wall of the barn. The final side is composed of three 3-foot gates. It's not elegant, but it works. I have to keep the other sheep away while I'm shearing. Although each and every one of them doesn't want to be on the shearing stand, half of them want to be petted while some other sheep is on it being sheared. That situation is very inconvenient.

The metal shearing stand has a head stanchion with a chain the loops behind the sheep's head to keep it stationary. Since this device is not foolproof, I also put a collar or halter on the sheep and fasten it with a leash to the shearing stand to prevent a fast getaway, in case the sheep decides to bolt. Such rebellions have been known to happen, resulting (before the leash and collar) in me chasing a partially-sheared sheep around until I finally catch him or her to finish the job. I bought a sheep halter (it came in only one size), but it turned out adult Cotswold rams' heads are too big for it. I need to find out if super-size sheep halters are available or if one made for another species would work. If anyone has a suggestion, let me know.

The shearing stand has a hydraulic hand jack attached. I can raise and lower it (and the sheep) to a comfortable shearing height.

How to Catch a Sheep--At Least Sometimes

2011-07-01T14:46:00.004-07:00

Raising sheep is such a quiet, bucolic past time. You feed them and make sure they have plenty of water. You sit back and enjoy watching them graze. Until you have to catch them--then sheep raising can turn into a circus, and you get to play the role of clown and lion-tamer simultaneously.

Sheep are mighty agile creatures, and, wow, are they fast. Mark has suggested we try to get a couple rams recruited as football half-backs. Both of us, along with some of our family and friends, have become exhausted and bruised catching sheep. I've taken a spectacular spill or two, as well.

I have learned some sheep-catching techniques over the years, though I've not been successful with all of them. I tried one of the methods Ron Parker suggests in his book The Sheep Book (which is a great book, by the way, and is available free online). He says, "If sheep refuse to cooperate, grab them around the chest under the front legs. As they try to run away from you they will walk into an upright position on their rear legs. Then just sit them down. Don’t you lift them up—let them do it." (p. 42) Well, so far the only animal I've successfully used that technique on was Rousseau, our yellow Lab. He was certainly surprised at the result!

The best method I've found so far is to catch one of the sheep's back legs and pull it away from the ground. I can certainly understand how a good shepherd's crook would help to do this, since you have to get pretty close to the sheep to grab a leg, and sheep seem to be psychic when it comes to knowing which individual I'm after. I'm lucky if I can get within 10 feet of the sheep I need, although everyone else seems to be content to hang out with me.

Once I get hold of the back leg, I need to be careful to avoid being kicked. Even though the sheep is balancing on three hooves, it still has enough balance to kick out with the leg I'm grasping. At this point, if I need to do something quick, such as giving an injection, I grab the front leg on the same side of the sheep as the back leg I'm holding (this task is not as easy as that sentence makes it sound) and topple the sheep to the ground. I then lean and/or sit on it while giving the injection.

If I want to shear the sheep and therefore need to place it in the shearing stand, I keep hold of the captured back leg and back the sheep up into the shearing pen and onto the stand. The sheep is so intent on the process of hopping backwards on three legs, it doesn't fight me much, and I can usually get it to the shearing stand with little stress to it or me. Then I get to shear, but that's another story.

Ah, yes, the peaceful pastoral life of a shepherd.

Spinning 101

2011-06-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

I taught a beginning spinning class yesterday. I was tired afterwards! Beginning classes are challenging for the teacher as well as the students, especially such a hands-on subject as spinning. Two of my students, a mother and her 12-year-old son, had never sat at a spinning wheel before. The third has tried to spin on and off over the years but has never mastered it.

The class was fun. The new spinners got to try Ashford, Louët, and Schacht wheels. We only worked with wool, but I gave them different colors of roving, so their yarns had color as well as extensive texture variation. I showed them samples of alpaca, angora, Cotswold wool, Merino wool, qiviut, hemp, cotton, naturally-colored cotton, and silk fiber and yarn.

At the end of the afternoon, they wound off their yarn and took home their first skein of handspun yarn.

Canine Psychology

2011-06-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

I enjoy trying to figure out dog psychology. I'm sure dogs would laugh, if they understood my conclusions, but, hey, I try anyway.

I often compare Dierdre's actions with those of our previous two dogs, Rousseau and Dreamer, both Lab mixes.

Today Dierdre accompanied me to the gate to take out the mail (as usual). I realized as she stood there, inches from the open gate as I came back in from the mailbox, that I never worry about her trying to bolt. She doesn't ever try to escape, unlike the Labs who took pretty much every opportunity to sneak out any open portal.

That's not to say Dierdre doesn't go through the open gate sometimes, but when she does it is with calm deliberation. She saunters out, clearly implying she has every right to do so. She'll investigate nearby bushes, the trash barrels, etc. and sometimes ambles further afield than I would like, but it's always with the attitude that it's natural, that of course she should be doing this, with nothing furtive about it. And when she comes back in, usually at my insistance (we don't allow our dog to wander loose), again it's with an air of virtue because she's Dierdre, she's entitiled to do these things.

Wool Washing & Tomato Plants

2011-05-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

I had quite an audience today while washing wool. With the wind, I thought it was on the chilly side, but my spectators (heavily furred and wooled as they are) hung out in the shade.

Dierdre watched attentively from her lookout under the deck. About a dozen sheep lounged under the cedar tree, most surveying me with interest, including Herbie, whose fleece I was washing.

While the wool soaked, I repaired part of the garden fence that came down over the winter. I wish Dierdre could have helped; I could have used an extra pair of hands, and Mark wasn't home. I'm sure she would have tried, but pulling on woven wire fence with her teeth seemed a bad idea to me.

I finally bought a couple tomato plants at the farmers' market yesterday: Silver Fir Tree, a Russian heirloom variety, and yellow pear. I haven't planted them yet, but I sure hope the weather continues to warm. It got down in the 30's for a night or two last week.

The wool I just washed is still drying, but the pictures below are from the same fleece.

Prescott Highland Games

2011-05-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

I attended the Prescott Highland Games last Saturday as a vendor. I also demonstrated spinning with great success. It's always fun to do so. A fair number of people have seen spinning wheels but very few have observed them in action. People are astonished at both the simplicity and the complexity of the process: in my hand I held wool, and a few moments later, it had become yarn on the wheel's bobbin. To many of them, it's almost magic.

Dierdre made it very clear she wanted to go with me to the Highland Games. She jumped into the back of the truck and sat there while I loaded it.

Unfortunately, she had to stay home. It would have been too complicated to take her. For one thing, they had sheep herding contests, and she definitely would have felt she should be in charge (oops, make that participate).

Below are some of the items I wove for the event. The first scarf and the bags are MacColl tartan. The second scarf is a Robertson tartan.

http://www.highcastlecrafts.com/bags.html

http://www.highcastlecrafts.com/scarvestablerunners.html

Scout

2011-04-24T10:23:00.002-07:00

Scout is pretty smart. (Whenever I make statements like this, assume they are followed by "for a sheep.") Just like his mother, Clare, he's inventive, a good problem solver, and one of the first to get into trouble. In fact, clever and trouble-prone are probably synonymous when referring to sheep.

So when I fed him yesterday, it wasn't too surprising to turn around and see he had a wire tomato cage stuck on his head. It didn't appear to bother him much, though. I had to insist he stop eating in order to pull it off him, and as soon as I freed him, he went right back to the hay.

What do you call a sheep who gets his head stuck in a tomato cage?

Mine.

More Sheep Tales

2011-04-19T20:28:00.001-07:00

When Mark and I got home the other day, we saw sheep scattered about the upper section of the property. It was close to 7:00 p.m., well past their dinner time, and they had gone foraging.

I was driving, so Mark got out and opened the gate. As I pulled the car through, several sheep baa-ed and approached the car. By the time Mark had latched the gate, the sheep had blocked the driveway. He yelled at them to move. He shooed them. He waved his arms and yelled some more. They stared at him and then looked back at me and baa-ed. Apparently they weren't going to let me out of their sights until I fed them. Of course, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, if they didn't get out of the way.

I called to Mark and suggested he let Dierdre out of the house. She'd move them! So he unlocked the front door and called her. She ambled out a few steps, looked at him, looked at the sheep, and started back into the house. Gesticulating, he urged her to go herd the sheep. She stared at him and didn't move.

I stuck my head out the car window and called Dierdre. Her response was immediate: she raced down the two porch steps and into the middle of the flock. In less than a minute, the driveway was clear, the sheep were running toward the barn, and Dierdre was looking at me proudly, a job well done.

Poor Mark. The sheep ignored him, and the dog wouldn't obey him. Dierdre likes him, but she's definitely chosen me as her person. I had thought the sheep came first in her eyes, though, but it turns out I hold that lofty position.

Last summer Mark fed the sheep a couple days when I wasn't feeling well. Dierdre always goes with me to feed them, so Mark tried taking her along. She went out onto the deck, laid down, and watched him walk to the barn. She calmly surveyed him while he got mobbed by hungry sheep, showing not the slightest interest in helping. He learned how valuable her assistance is, since I don't get swamped by sheep anymore. Twenty or so large, strong sheep who are intent on grabbing the hay from your hands can easily knock you over, and they don't care if they step on you once you're down (believe me, I know).

Although she really likes her sheep, apparently it's the team of Dierdre and Diane that truly makes her happy. I feel honored.

Such Silly Sheep

2011-04-18T18:30:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy lately that I've neglected my blog. However, the sheep have been busy, too, providing all sorts of fodder for writing.

A few weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night hearing a lamb baa. It sounded like she wanted her mother. I tried to go back to sleep, hoping the situation would sort itself out, but the baa-ing persisted. After about 20 minutes I surrendered, got up, put on shoes and a jacket, grabbed a flashlight, and went outside. Dierdre accompanied me, of course.

The night was bright--the moon almost full. Dierdre and I walked toward the barn, where the crying lamb had retreated. Just as we neared it, the lamb and several adults appeared from the far side of the building and approached us. The lamb stopped baa-ing, so I figured her mother was part of the group. We turned around, returned to the house, and went back to bed.

In the morning, we went out to feed the sheep as usual. (You notice how I speak in the plural; it's pretty much a given that Dierdre accompanies me where ever I go!) I heard that same lamb crying again. Hmmm, this wasn't good. And, sure enough, I quickly discovered why: there were half a dozen sheep trapped in the hay storage room, the lamb's mother, Frejya, among them.

Now this was bad for several reasons. One, the incarcerated sheep had eaten part of my stored hay, which meant I was going to have to buy hay sooner than I expected--definitely an unwanted expense. Two, the almost half-full bag of COB (corn, oats, barley, and molasses) was stored in there, and it had disappeared. That meant they had eaten close to 20 lbs of COB--definitely not good. Three, they were hot and thirsty from being stuck in a small room with only a single window to allow their hot and humid breath to escape. And four, they had removed storage container lids, torn open two trash bags full of empty feed bags, and pulled loose from the bales a fair amount of hay, and all this debris had collected in front of the door.

Between the mess and the crowd of sheep, I couldn't get the door open! Not even an inch.

I grabbed a shovel, put it through the open window, and tried to push some of the junk out of the way, but it didn't work; I couldn't get enough leverage to budge the compacted hay. I thought about climbing through the window, but I was going to have to stand on a chair or something to reach it, and the area in front of the door slopes steeply. I figured that was too risky.

What to do....And meanwhile the sheep inside the hay room were baa-ing to be let out. The rest of the sheep were loudly complaining because I wasn't feeding them, and Dierdre was jumping and barking, upset because she couldn't get into the hay room to reach the sheep she knew were in there. Oh, and I was supposed to be leaving to drive to Phoenix within the next half hour. My stress level was definitely rising.

Then I suddenly thought of a neighbor boy who sometimes feeds my sheep for me. At 13 years old, he could probably get through the window without needing a step up. It was kind of early in the morning, but I called him anyway. His mother said he'd be right over. He and his older brother showed up about 15 minutes later. One climbed through the window, while the other handed him the shovel I'd been trying to use. He shifted the debris in a few minutes and got the door open just wide enough to admit (or exit) a sheep.

Now, being sheep, they of course wouldn't move. They'd been whining about being stuck in there, and now they wouldn't budge, despite some forceful pushing from the neighbor. Dierdre to the rescue! She charged in and very quickly convinced one of the rams that the dog-free outside was much preferable to the Dierdre-dominated inside, and he bolted out the door. Being flock animals, the others followed at once. Hmmm, five of the six culprits were rams....

After that, every time I fed the sheep I checked and double-checked the door was secure.

A few days later my feed guy delivered more hay. As he reached the barn on his small tractor, pulling a trailer piled with hay bales, I caught up with him. We looked in the hay room, and what did we find? Yep, a room full of rams, with the door wedged shut again and the same scenario: loud unhappy sheep in the hay room, rowdy, hungry sheep outside, and a frantic dog wanting to reach the miscreants.

This time I had an idea, though. My feed guy pushed a hay bale off his trailer and placed it in front of the door. Using this large and stable "step stool", I climbed through the window, shoveled away the additional refuse the sheep had found, and pulled open the door. Dierdre repeated her how-to-remove-sheep-from-a-small-space maneuver and cleared the room. We unloaded and stacked hay, while the escapees hurried to a water trough; it's thirsty work eating illicit hay.

Since then I've devised a new way to fasten the door, and so far no one has broken in, although I've seen evidence that they've tried. Such silly sheep!

Hey, Don't Eat That!

2011-03-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Dierdre keeps eating the COB (corn, oats, barley, and molasses) I bought for the sheep. Do all animals have a sweet tooth?

I rarely give the sheep COB, but I wanted the nursing ewes to get some extra calories, so I purchased a bag. All the sheep (including the rams who certainly don't need to put on weight) love it, as do the hens. But the dog?

A Beautiful View

2011-03-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

I took this picture on Tuesday, just two days after we had 7" of snow. I'm glad it melted quickly; I'm ready for spring!

Marzipan

2011-03-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

Heloise lambed yesterday, and we named her baby Marzipan! She is a white ewe, and she's big. Heloise excels at motherhood; she's attentive without being overly worried.

I went out several times yesterday to check on mother and lamb. While I was quietly watching to make sure Marzipan was nursing successfully, Hermes, her father, poked his head through the barn window. I'm sure he just wanted a pat on the head (he's our love sponge), but he made an extremely cute picture peeking in at Heloise and her little one. He's a huge ram, so I'm not surpised Marzipan is big.

PBSD

2011-03-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

I think the hen Dierdre laid on is suffering from PBSD--Post Briard Stress Disorder! She's still moving slow and looking kind of groggy. Poor thing. But the hens have always recovered from Dierdre's herding imperative in the past, so she should be fine.

No Laying on Hens

2011-02-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

That's what I admonished Dierdre, our Briard, this morning. We had 7" of snow last night, and this morning is gorgeous: sunny, blue sky, and lots of fluffy snow. Dierdre is having so much fun!

As soon as she went out the door, she dipped her muzzle in the snow and tossed her head up, letting snow fly. Then she went into puppy mode, head down, rear end in the air, wanting to play. (She's about eight years old, by the way.) She ran ahead of me toward the barn, circling back to me every minute or so, to make sure I was aware of how great the morning was.

She wanted to play! But the sheep wouldn't cooperate. All they were interested in was food. While I threw flakes of hay onto the snow, she herded sheep, but none of them shared her snow-loving enthusiasm.

Next she tried the hens, chasing them around the barn and out into the snow. My Americauna hens are pretty good size, but seven inches of snow is just too much for them; they sank half way up their bodies and had no chance to escape Dierdre's enthusiasm. I reached her just as she caught a hen and laid on her. She actually positions her quarry under her chest and lays on the unfortunate small animal to control it. She's done this to small lambs, hens, and a very annoyed Chihuahua. She doesn't want to hurt them, just govern them. I grabbed her collar and pulled her off, and the hen, looking very ruffled and affronted, ran for cover in the barn.

As I headed for the house, Dierdre tried one more time to get the sheep to "play", with, not surprisingly, no success. I called her, and she raced to me, ears and fur blowing, snow flying from her paws. She frolicked all the way to the door. A joyful dog really makes my day; I can't help but feel happy!

Lamb High Jinks

2011-02-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up around midnight and thought I heard a lamb baa-ing. I listened. Nothing. I laid back down and heard it again. This time the dog, Dierdre, barked; she heard it, too.

It sounded like a lamb, but something seemed wrong. Quiet. The wind blew one of the chairs on the deck with a clunking noise. Another baa--from above me? A second noise on the deck and more baa-ing.

Wait a minute; what was going on? Dierdre and I went upstairs, outside, and around onto the deck. There was Minerva's ram lamb, running around by himself on the deck, crying. I looked toward the barn; the rest of the sheep were standing quietly, comtemplating the errant lamb. I have no idea how or why he was on the deck, especially alone.

Dierdre took charge of the situation, rounded him up, and sent him running along side the house, down the steps, and back towards the barn. I returned to the deck in time to see him rush to his mother and start nursing. Minerva seemed remarkably undisturbed by the incident.

Dierdre and I went back in the house. I climbed in bed, mumbled a drowsy explanation to Mark, and went back to sleep.

The deck.

What I've Read during the Last Few Months

2011-02-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Maureen Ash, Death of a Squire
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Annette Blair, Larceny and Lace; A Veiled Deception; My Favorite Witch; and The Kitchen Witch
Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Kate Carlisle, Homicide in Hardcover
Ariana Franklin, Mistress of the Art of Death
Roberta Gellis, A Mortal Bane; A Personal Devil, Bone of Contention; and Chains of Folly
Lauren Haney, A Vile Justice; A Curse of Silence; A Place of Darkness; A Cruel Deceit; and Flesh of the God
Charlaine Harris, Dead in the Family and A Bone to Pick
Bernard Knight, Crowner's Quest
Shirley Rousseau Murphy, Cat to the Dogs
Sharan Newman, The Shanghai Tunnel
Clare O'Donohue, The Lover's Knot
Philip Pullman, The Ruby in the Smoke
Rebecca Tingle, The Edge on the Sword

The Meaning of Craft

2011-02-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

"...There is an inherent pleasure in making. We might call this joie de faire (like joie de vivre) to indicate that there is something important, even urgent, to be said about the sheer enjoyment of making something exist that didn't exist before, of using one's own agency, dexterity, feelings and judgment to mold, form, touch, hold and craft physical materials, apart from anticipating the fact of its eventual beauty, uniqueness or usefulness."
Ellen Dissanayake, "The Pleasure and Meaning of Making", American Craft, April/May 1995

Wild Kingdom or Domesticated Ranch?

2011-02-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

A visitor took these photos. I think they're great.

Dierdre on the job.

Mother ewe to the rescue.

Bottle Baby

2011-01-31T21:31:00.005-07:00

Sierra has beautiful wool and a great personality, but she is a lousy mother. I've had trouble with her in the past, and this year was a replay of difficulties. She wouldn't let her lambs nurse even though she seemed interested in them.

I ended up giving the little ewe lamb to a great couple who live north of here. They are raising her as a bottle baby (feeding her using lamb milk replacer and a bottle). It seems to be a match made in heaven. They've fallen in love with her, and she is thriving. They've named her little Sierra. Pam kindly sends me updates and pictures. Wow, is she one adorable lamb.

Photos courtesy of Pam Lampson Staples, http://www.freewebs.com/punziwu.

Felted Slippers

2011-01-20T19:19:00.014-07:00

I took a great workshop last month on making felted slippers. We began the day drafting patterns of our feet and ended it wearing our slippers.

We used dyed Merino wool roving. I added a little gray curl of Cotswold wool from my own sheep on each of my slippers; you can just see it near the cuff in the first picture.

This footwear is seamless. We applied and felted wool on both sides of the pattern, creating both slippers simultaneously. When the felt was firm enough, we cut apart the two slippers and pulled the pattern out of each.

Then, one shoe at a time, we worked the felt inside and out, shrinking and hardening the fabric. When they were almost to size, we put on our slippers, and a helper finished felting them on our feet. They are really comfortable.

Optimistic Sheep

2011-01-19T19:03:00.003-07:00

I really think sheep believe in the power of positive thinking.

If I look out a window before I go out to feed them, I see a sheep, usually a ram, standing, staring at the door. If I wait longer to feed them, there will often be two or three sheep, standing, staring at the door. The numbers increase the longer I postpone feeding time. It's as if they are willing me to come out and give them hay.

They aren't pushy or loud about it. They simply stand quietly and patiently gazing at the house, focusing their energies on getting me out the door.

Who knows? Maybe it works.

A Snow-loving Dog

2011-01-02T11:30:00.006-07:00

Our Briard, Dierdre, loves the snow; she's choosing to stay outside most of the day. The snow gives us an opportunity to discover some of her habits, though. We can track where she goes, how she gets there, and even where she places her paws as she walks. It's amazing how close together her tracks are--she places her feet within a very narrow path as she moves.

I love the center trail that winds around the tree.

Dierdre is a tending dog as well as a herding dog. Tending dogs keep their flocks in a confined space, allowing them to graze, hang out, or sleep only in that limited area. Dierdre tends her flock as they start eating each meal. She runs 'round and 'round and 'round them as they munch their hay. Tending them in the snow leaves a ring of paw prints around the sheep. If someone looked at them after Dierdre and I went back into the house, they'd wonder why I was drawing circles in the snow around my sheep!

Snow and Ice -- Cold and Gorgeous

2011-01-01T12:00:00.014-07:00

Wow, we have had some intense weather this week. A major cold front came through Arizona. We got about 6" of snow and had lows in the teens and maybe even colder last night. It's absolutely beautiful, but it's difficult feeding the sheep in this weather, and the hens certainly don't like it.

Dierdre, our dog, doesn't care to be out when the snow is actually falling, although she bravely accompanies me to feed the sheep and to bring in firewood. Once the snow stopped, though, she's been having a blast. She keeps scooping up snow with her muzzle and tossing it in the air and then jumping around me to play. She wants to be outside in the snow, but she also wants to be with me (and I want to stay in the house where it's warm), so she's having difficulty deciding what to do. She keeps encouraging me to go out and play, and I keep prompting her to either stay in or to be satisfied being outside without me.

Brrrr!

2010-11-29T10:11:00.003-07:00

My ears hurt! It's 32 degrees F with a wind chill of 23 degrees. Feeding the sheep was actually painful; that north wind is fierce. It's one of those days that I contemplate putting weights on the hens, so they don't blow away.

The sheep, of course, love it. What's a frigid wind when you have a nice wool fleece? Dierdre, our dog, thinks it's great, too. She kept stopping me every few feet on the way to the barn to play. Cold (really cold) weather seems to give her energy. I kept alternating between laughing at her and urging her to hurry up, so we could get out of the wind.

Well, I don't have to feed the sheep again until late this afternoon. The forecast says it may be 35 degrees by then (with a wind chill of 26 degrees). What a warming trend to look forward to....

Christmas Stockings

2010-09-25T16:59:00.008-07:00

Three months until Christmas! Yikes, how did that happen? And why am I surprised by this date each and every year?

As usual, I had intended to have several Christmas presents started, and quite a few completed, by now. How many have I done? Hmm, um, well, one. I've got some great ideas for some gifts, though; now the question is can I (start and) finish them in time?

Speaking of Christmas, I want to show off three Aran Christmas stocking patterns that I'm quite proud of.

Each pattern is $3.95. If you want to download a PDF of any or all of them, go to my website's Knitting Patterns page.

Books

2010-09-23T18:55:00.004-07:00

I've decided to mention in my blog the books that I'm reading, so I thought I'd begin by sharing what I've read this summer.

Maureen Ash, The Alehouse Murders
Lorna Barrett, Murder is Binding
Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness
Gordon Cotler, Artist's Proof
Linda Fairstein, Deadhouse and Hell Gate
Caroline Graham, Faithful unto Death
Ann Granger, Say It with Poison
Rebecca Hale, How to Wash a Cat
Lauren Haney, The Right Hand of Amon and A Face Turned Backward
Charlaine Harris, all the Sookie Stackhouse books except the one published this year (I've been on the library waiting list since June; I started out as 89th and have finally reached 3rd, so I'm almost there!)
Charlaine Harris, Shakespeare's Landlord
Bernard Knight, The Sanctuary Seeker and The Poisoned Chalice
Tim Myers, At Wick's End and Snuffed Out
Ellis Peters, The Raven in the Foregate
Anne Barclay Priest, Trafficking in Sheep
Michael Scott, The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

and I just finished tonight: Paul Doherty, The Horus Killings

Obviously, I like mysteries, but my tastes are pretty eclectic, including such genres as fantasy and historical fiction. I also enjoy memoirs, especially those on rural living.

How Many Knitting Needles Do You Own?

2010-09-20T18:39:00.002-07:00

I needed a 24" size 7 circular knitting needle. That’s a common size; I use them all the time. But could I find a set? No-o-o. All I found in my knitting needle container was an empty size 7 package.

Where were they? Like I said, I use them a lot. OK, so that, of course, explains it. All my size 7 knitting needles are in projects, in bags, throughout the house. Hmmm. Maybe I should finish more of my knitting projects before starting a new one…no! When inspiration strikes, you need to follow it! I guess I just need to pursue it to its conclusion more often. Or else buy more knitting needles!

I’ve already done that, though. That’s why I have an undisclosed but significant number of them. At least they’re small and don’t take up much room, unlike my yarn stash…but that’s a subject for an entirely different post….

Snowden

2010-09-18T16:22:00.004-07:00

Isn't he a beauty? Snowden is three years old and is very friendly. He kindly posed for photos without me even having to ask him.

Ramses (Great Name for a Ram, Huh?)

2010-09-15T19:17:00.007-07:00

I was late feeding the sheep this morning. I glanced out a window and saw all the sheep, except one, laying in front of the barn. Apollo, however, was standing in the shade of the cottonwood tree that lies about halfway between the barn and the house. He stood sentinel, unmoving, staring at the house as if willing me to come out and feed them. I don't know if the other sheep elected him as lookout or if he was just particulary hungry, but the sight was classic.

When I got to the barn, we went through the usual ritual. If the sheep are already in the barn, most stay there until I finish distributing hay, so they can avoid Dierdre as much as possible. A few of the rams always venture out, though, to start munching hay as soon as the first couple flakes hit the ground. Dierdre tries to herd them back into the barn, but they defy her and keep eating. The last few days I've noticed a new ram has joined this brave group: little Ramses. He's four months old and on the small side, but our intrepid eater is hanging out with big boys. This afternoon I took a couple pictures of Ramses that show how much smaller he is than the adult rams. In the second photo, Ramses' rear can be seen at the right side of the image. Just imagine that diminutive lamb pushing his way through to the hay, but he does it.

The white sheep at the front of the group, with the light glaring off of him, is Herbie. The small white lamb on the far right is Zenobia. The others, well, there are just too many woolly rumps to name them all!

The Birds and the Bees

2010-09-12T16:19:00.006-07:00

I don’t believe this. Seven years of raising and selling sheep, and I’ve never had such a ridiculous thing happen.

Last week a customer and her family came to the ranch to buy a ewe lamb. The sheep gathered around, especially the rams, and happily greeted the visitors. We discussed sheep raising, various traits specific to Cotswolds, etc. while we petted sheep, and my guests got to know them. My buyer spotted one gray/black ewe lamb, Bouidica, that particularly appealed to her. We coaxed all the sheep into the barn with some hay, so we could catch a couple of the lambs for a closer look.

It was pretty crowded in the barn: 25 sheep, six visitors, and me. One of the other ewe lambs walked by, so we caught it, and they looked her over but decided they liked Bouidica better. So, we searched the flock and spotted her. It took a bit of maneuvering, but one of the boys managed to catch her. We toppled her to the ground and looked at the quality of her wool. My customer decided that was the one she wanted, so a couple of her kids lugged the lamb to their van.

Everybody was happy (except maybe the lamb, who was in for a two-hour ride stuck in a dog crate).

The next morning the phone rang. My customer said guess what, Bouidica isn't Bouidica. She's a boy.

What! No, I couldn't believe it. I simply could not have overlooked that very important detail when we caught "Bouidica" to examine her wool before putting her in the van. True, the lambs in question are seven months old, so their wool is pretty long. Also true, young rams are not fully developed, so their "plumbing" is not near as obvious as that of adult rams. But still!

The buyer was very understanding--none of them had noticed the "problem" either. I told her I would figure out how to get the right lamb to her; since they are two hours away, it was going to take a bit of planning. However, she said they had been very impressed with my adult rams and had decided they wanted to keep him. They did, however, want to know who he was! Also, if he wasn't closely related to Zenobia (see previous posts), they would like to purchase her to breed the pair.

I checked my flock book and discovered they had Sophocles, one of Minerva's twins. Luckily, Zenobia is Jana's daughter and traces her lineage to a different line than Sophocles. So at the end of the month, when Zenobia is a little older, they are going to buy her (at a substantial discount as my apology for the mistake).

All's well that end's well, but I just don't believe I didn't notice....

Manure

2010-09-09T18:59:00.003-07:00

Great! A neighbor called this morning and asked if he could come over and clean my barn!

Well, okay, that’s not exactly what he said, but the result was the same. He asked if he could stop by for some sheep manure for his organic vegetable garden and orchard. He shoveled about two cubic yards of manure into his trailer and took it away, so he’s happy, I’m happy, and the sheep are happy. Ideal!

Now let’s get serious and talk about: The Advantages of Sheep Manure. (This phrase should be reverberating in your head in a deep baritone voice.)

Sheep manure contains more than twice as much nitrogen and potash as cow manure and 1 ½ times as much phosphorus. It doesn’t give off the sulfide odor of cow dung, and it doesn’t need to be aged, so it can go straight on to the garden.

And if you let the sheep into your garden after it's harvested, they can eat your unwanted plant remains AND manure the area as they graze. What more could you want?

Canine Work and Play

2010-09-08T12:35:00.011-07:00

I think Dierdre, our dog, is as happy about sheep-feeding time as the sheep are--just for different reasons.

The sheep, obviously, think FOOD. But for Dierdre, it's work time which she loves!

She herds sheep, and she guards them (and me). The guarding she does throughout the day, whether outside where she can watch them or inside with me. However, for the herding part she needs the sheep and me to be together because she wants to show me how great a job she's doing. When she's working the sheep, she often stops to look at me, just to be sure I'm watching. If anyone else feeds them, she won't participate; she ignores the whole event. When I feed them, she MUST accompany me; if I leave her in the house, she barks and whines and creates a Dierdre-shaped slobber area on the sliding door.

I would say feeding the sheep is a bonding experience for Dierdre and me, except that we're already deeply attached. She's not co-dependent. She can happily spend the day outside on her own, as long as she knows I'm in the house or away from home. If I go outside, though, she has to go with me.

When we're outdoors, she stays close to me until she knows where we're going. The trouble is she wants to lead, so she keeps looking over her shoulder to make certain I'm still following which occasionally leads to her tripping over things. If I stay outside for awhile, she happily patrols the property, pesters sheep, races the fence line with the dog next door, etc, but she regularly returns to check on me.

If she's in the house, she must be near me (usually within six feet or less!). Mark simply has to see the dog to know what room I'm in.

And here's Dierdre recuperating after a typical sheep-feeding experience. Sometimes you just need to lay down while drinking your water!

What's in a Name?

2010-09-05T14:02:00.006-07:00

Well, rather a lot, actually. I thinks names are important, and we decided we would follow a theme each year for naming the lambs.

Let me backtrack, though, to our first sheep. Mark and I both have M.A.'s in medieval history, so, not surprisingly, we decided to name our new sheep after illustrious medieval women.

The first two ewes we called Heloise and Juliana--after the 12th-century abbess Heloise of the Paraclete, famous lover of the theologian Abelard and Juliana of Liege, the 13th-century nun whose visions inspired the institution of the Feast of Corpus Christi. The second set of ewes we named after Hildegard of Bingen, an abbess, writer, visionary, and composer in the 12th century and Hrotsvit of Gandersheim, a 10th-century Saxon playwright and poet. Below is a picture of Heloise.

We named Hrotsvit's ewe lamb Aurora. The name was not in keeping with our medieval theme, but it seemed appropriate for the first lamb born on our ranch. Hildegard gave birth to twins: Francesco and Clare, named for St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi.

The following year, we dubbed the lambs after ancient gods and goddesses, such as Freyja, Minerva, Hermes, and Persephone. We had more than four lambs, but you get the idea.

My mother does genealogy, so the next year we named lambs after some of my ancestors: Thirza, Mehetable, Bernhardt, and Crescenzia, to name a few.

In 2007, we chose names of mountains and mountain ranges, so we had Brenta, Selwyn, Ranier, Sierra, Annapurna, Humphrey, etc. We also had Saphira, named by the kids next door after the dragon in Eragon, since they helped save her life when her mother initially refused to nurse her.

The next year was trees and plants, including Clover, Shamrock, Juniper, Sequoia, and Ficus!

2009 brought us to herbs and spices: Parsley, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Basil, Coriander, Lavender, and Sassafrass. I couldn't decide on a name for the last lamb, an adorable white ram, until a friend suggested Herbie (because of herbs). He's now a year old and still adorable.

This year we selected names of famous people of antiquity, such as Octavian (the lamb was born on January 8), Romulus, Remus, Bouidica, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Sappho, Sophocles, Zenobia, and Ramses.

Naming is such fun. Feel free to comment on this post and suggest a theme for next year!

An Abundance of Wildlife

2010-09-02T12:58:00.008-07:00

Late summer is certainly bringing out lots of wildlife. Quail, jackrabbits, cottontails, doves, and bluejays are everywhere.

We've been trying to figure out what it is about our place that appeals so greatly to quail; we see dozens of them every day. Quail ususally keep to the ground, but we've even seen a large group up in our peach tree. (I hate to lose some of the peaches to the birds, but, then again, they deserve a share.)

I spotted a quail perched atop our wood pile, elegantly profiled and looking regal. There were several others investigating under and around bits of wood, as well. I had to take the pictures through a window, and they didn't turn out very well, but they'll give you an idea of the scene. If you look closely at the third picture, you should see four quail.

Apron Strings

2010-08-30T17:52:00.004-07:00

It never did rain yesterday, but it was really chilly last night. I almost wore a long-sleeved shirt to feed the sheep this morning.

As I headed to the barn, I saw Zenobia race over to Jana and start nursing. Ewes usually wean their lambs between three and four months of age. By that time, the lambs are so big they have to kneel to nurse.

I was surprised Zenobia didn't knock over Jana considering how enthusiastically she collided with her. Lambs butt their heads against their mothers' udders to encourage milk flow. When the lambs get this big, I feel sorry for the ewes. The procedure looks quite uncomfortable: a large lamb (or two, in the case of twins) hurdles itself at its mother, thumps its head into her udder, and then greedily guzzles milk.

Not unexpectedly, the ewes usually let the older lambs nurse for only a couple minutes before walking off. They're definitely conveying the message that soon it will be time to move out and get their own apartments!

August?

2010-08-29T12:29:00.005-07:00

It's 76 degrees at noon on August 29! What's up? That's downright brisk for this time of year. It's been really windy since last night. Rain-laden clouds are scuttling across the sky. No precipitation yet, but it looks promising.

Sheep in the Gloaming

2010-08-26T12:57:00.007-07:00

The Next Generation

2010-08-25T12:48:00.004-07:00

Breeding season has arrived. The rams are following the ewes around in groups, jockeying for position to get closest.

The poor ewes sometimes can barely stop long enough to grab a mouthful of hay without a ram trying to make his intentions clear. Sometimes she gets a break, though, when two or three rams start pushing each other out of the way; they can get so busy proving who's "worthy" of the ewe, that she can leave the scene without the boys even noticing.

Cotswold rams can begin breeding quite young. When I started my flock, I purchased two maiden ewes and two bred (pregnant) ewes. One gave birth to a ewe lamb (Aurora); the other produced twins: a ram and a ewe (Francesco and Clare). The next year the first ewe lambed ten months after the twins were born. Sheep have gestation periods of five months. That means Francesco sired the lamb when he was five months old! I'm surprised he was even tall enough to reach!

No Power

2010-08-23T20:19:00.004-07:00

Around noon huge dark clouds started rolling in. The wind whipped up, blowing the tree branches, and thunder boomed. Then the lights went out. The power flashed on briefly, then off. This sequence repeated four more times before the electricity stayed off.

Now not having power for the lights or the refrigerator or the swamp cooler or my computer is inconvenient but not truly a big deal (except maybe the refrigerator if the outage lasts a while).

However, to fully understand our concern when we lose power, you have to know one thing: we have our own well, and we get our water via an electric pump. When the power's out, we don't have water. This lack is a big deal.

I called APS, the power company, and they confirmed that yes, indeed, the electricity was off and said it should take about an hour to an hour and a half to restore it.

I had an appointment in Prescott and had to leave while the lights were still off. I was a bit nervous when I got home, hoping we had power again--and sure enough, we did.

We would sure like to get solar and/or wind power. One of these days....

And after all that , we didn't even get any rain!

Trophy Fish

2010-08-21T18:05:00.002-07:00

Handwoven fish - 50% cotton/50% rayon

They Grow Up So Fast

2010-08-19T17:04:00.004-07:00

Jana's lamb, Zenobia, is three months old already, and she's so big! Here are a couple pictures of Jana (behind the tree), Zenobia, and friend (it's hard to tell from this angle, but it might be Scout).

Crock Pot Dyeing

2010-08-18T17:12:00.001-07:00

Dyeing fiber and yarn in a crock pot frees you from the stove. You can place the crock pot anywhere you can plug it in, so you can choose an optimal workspace.

You can even dye outside, if you have an electrical outlet to plug in to. Dyeing outdoors has numerous advantages, including keeping the smell out of the kitchen. Some of those dye baths certainly reek (black walnut hulls, ugh, shudder!).

Thrift stores and yard sales are excellent places to buy used crock pots for little money. Just make sure to plug it in and test it before purchasing.

Remember: All dyeing equipment should be used only for dyeing, so never use your dyeing crock pot for food.

Cast on Loosely

2010-08-17T19:32:00.005-07:00

That's what the instructions always say, but every time I tried to "cast on loosely", my initial stitches would be uneven. If I cast on firm, even stitches, the edge of the garment was usually too tight.

There are two easy solutions to this problem, though.

1) Cast on using knitting needles two sizes larger than those you are going to knit with. So, if the pattern says to cast on using size 6 needles, grab a pair of size 8 needles and use them instead. You can pull the yarn firmly and evenly as you cast on and still not have tight stitches.

2) If you can't lay your hands on larger size needles, hold both needles together (the size 6 from the example above), and cast on as if they were a single needle. This method is a little more awkward than the first one, since you have to hold both needles parallel in one hand, and the yarn has a tendency to catch on the second needle point. However, it gives good results.

So, now you can "cast on loosely" and get an attractive, even edge without having to, oh so carefully, adjust the tension on every stitch!

My Portfolio

2010-08-15T20:12:00.004-07:00

I did it! I finally added my portfolio to my website. I've been working on it for months but kept feeling it wasn't "done enough" to go live. I've realized that my portfolio, like so many other things, is a work in progress. People will get to see it develop as I add new and old items.

I'm quite excited. Some of the photos are of pieces I made years ago, and it's fun to revisit them: a baby blanket I wove for a friend, handwoven bags that I photographed displayed on picturesque rocks bordering the neighbors yard where we used to live, my first handwoven cat. As a historian I should know--the past, the present, and the future are all linked.

Law of the Fullers & Weavers of Winchester, 1209

2010-08-14T18:47:00.002-07:00

The hostility and jealousy of native merchants for foreign artisans under royal protection was reflected in the regulations for the weavers of the English cities. Trade was restricted to that with local merchants, full citizenship was denied them except for those who obtained wealth, nor could they dry or dye cloth.

Be it known that no weaver or fuller may dry or dye cloth nor go outside the city to sell it. They may sell their cloth to no foreigner, but only to merchants of the city. And if it happens that, in order to enrich himself, one of the weavers or fullers wishes to go outside the city to sell his merchandise, he may be very sure that the honest men of the city will take all his cloth and bring it back to the city, and that he will forfeit it in the presence of the aldermen and honest men of the city. And if any weaver or fuller sell his cloth to a foreigner, the foreigner shall lose his cloth, and the other shall remain at the mercy of the city for as much as he has. Neither the weaver nor the fuller may buy anything except for his trade but by making an agreement with the mayor. No free man can be accused by a weaver or a fuller, nor can a weaver or a fuller bear testimony against a free man. If any of them become rich, and wish to give up his trade, he may forswear it and turn his tools out of the house, and then do as much for the city as he is able in his freedom.

They have this law of the liberty and customs of London, just as they say.

From: A. F. Leach, ed., Beverley Town Documents, Selden Society Vol. XIV, (London, 1900), Appendix II, pp. 134-135, reprinted in Roy C. Cave & Herbert H. Coulson, A Source Book for Medieval Economic History, (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1936; reprint ed., New York: Biblo & Tannen, 1965), pp. 242-243.

Jana and Lamb (6 Days Old)

2010-05-18T13:40:00.003-07:00

How to Dye Wool with Kool-Aid

2010-05-17T12:56:00.006-07:00

Kool-Aid is a permanent dye on wool. Kool-Aid will dye any animal fiber, but it is not suitable for dyeing cellulose fibers, such as cotton, or synthetics. Below are instructions for using the “sun tea” method of dyeing.

Equipment:
Large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (such as an old sun tea jar, pickle jar, or applesauce jar)
Long-handled spoon that you don’t mind turning the color of your dye
Plastic gloves
Kool-Aid (unsweetened)
Water
Wool fiber or yarn

Remember: All dyeing equipment should be used only for dyeing. Do not return any of these items to kitchen use.

The amount of Kool-Aid dye to use per ounce of fiber/yarn depends on how dark you want your color to be. The more dye you use, the darker the color. In general, estimate 1 package of Kool-Aid per 1 ounce of fiber/yarn.

Pour the Kool-Aid powder into the jar. Fill almost to the top with water. Stir. Gently push the fiber/yarn into the jar with the long-handled spoon, making sure all of it is submerged.

Note: If you want even color, make sure the fiber/yarn can move freely in the jar; don’t pack it in. If you want an uneven, tonal color, pack in as much fiber/yarn as you can. The dye bath will color the fiber/yarn irregularly (which often gives lovely results).

Put the lid on the jar, and close it tightly. Set the jar in the sun for several hours. When the water is clear, all the dye is absorbed.

Note: If you used a large quantity of Kool-Aid per ounce, the fiber/yarn may not be able to absorb all the dye, so the water may not turn clear.

When the water is clear or you feel it is done (as per note above), drain the water from the jar.

To rinse, place the fiber/yarn on some paper towels (so it won’t stain your work surface) while you fill the jar with clean water of the same temperature as the water you just emptied from it. Return the fiber/yarn to the jar, and gently push it down with the long-handled spoon. Let it soak in this rinse water for 5 minutes, then drain the water.

Place the dyed fiber/yarn on a flat surface, or drape it on a clothes hanger to dry.

Another Lamb?

2010-05-13T09:46:00.006-07:00

Jana lambed yesterday morning -- 4 months after the other ewes! I was certainly surprised when I went out to feed the sheep. The new baby already tried to bounce today as she followed her mother to the upper pasture for hay.

Wool and Craft Fairs

2010-05-05T10:06:00.002-07:00

Shearing has begun! I sheared Hermes (black ram) last week and Snowden (white ram) on Monday. Hermes was much better behaved than Snowden; the process would have take 1/3 less time if Snowden hadn't fidgeted so much and tried to escape once.

Now I'm washing wool. I'm working on two mail orders and have a craft fair this weekend at which I'm selling, so I'm pretty busy.

Preparing for shows is always time consuming. It's amazing how long it takes to attach price and information tags to everything. Some items, like scarves, I need to measure; wool I have to weigh and package. Writing the fiber content and care instructions on each tag takes time, as well. And that's after I've sheared, spun, woven, or knit the items!

I enjoy it; I just tend to underestimate (every time) how long it takes to get ready for craft fairs. This one is the Mountain Artists Guild 24th Annual Spring Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts, Courthouse Plaza, Prescott, AZ, Saturday, May 8, 2010 & Sunday, May 9, 2010, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. I will be at the Mountain Spinners and Weavers Guild booth, near Gurley St.

Just Completed a Handwoven Scarf

2010-03-28T21:13:00.005-07:00

I finished weaving a great scarf yesterday. I used a weaving pattern I've never tried before, Eight-Fold Basket Weave, and used the "ribbed weave" treadling. I alternated a wool yarn and a rayon yarn in the warp, forming narrow wool stripes and wider rayon stripes. Then, I used a wool/nylon mini boucle yarn for the weft.

It worked great! There are stipes of textured boucle between columns of wool tabby on one side and columns of rayon tabby on the other. The twisted fringe turned out terrific, as well, with one fringe being wineberry rayon, the next rhododendron wool, and then back to wineberry rayon.

The scarf has a luxurios feel to it; I'm really pleased.

Spring

2010-03-17T14:30:00.004-07:00

It has been sunny and warm all week! I can't tell you how nice it is to go out and feed the sheep without slogging through mud and snow and ice. We've had way above average amounts of rain and snow this winter. The sheep have enjoyed it for the most part; they don't like heavy precipitation, but they seem to enjoy light rain and snow, and they certainly appreciate cold weather.

We're up to nine lambs so far, all born within a three-week period in January: eight black and one white. It goes without saying that they're adorable. Lambs do define the word "cute".

With the warm, dry weather I can start washing fleece again. I've had several orders recently for wool, and it's a lot easier and faster to wash it outside. I need to start planning to shear in the near future, weather permitting.

Ram, Ram, Ram, Ewe

2010-01-19T10:00:00.006-07:00

We've got lambs! On January 8, Hildegard had a black ram lamb that we named Octavian (since he was born on the eighth). The following Tuesday, Frejya had twin ram lambs, Romulus and Remus. On Saturday, Heloise gave birth to a black ewe lamb, Boudica.

Ram-ifications

2009-10-27T16:56:00.001-07:00

When I opened the door this morning and stepped into the windy autumn garden, I saw two sheep there: an ebony lamb and a steel-gray ram. I sat down to put on my “going-out-to-feed-the-sheep” shoes, while Dierdre, our dog, stood nearby eyeing the two ovine grazers. As I stood up, the lamb bolted out of the garden, followed closely by Dierdre. The ram, Humphrey, looked at me indecisively. I began wondering if something was wrong just as Humphrey, and the garden gate, moved. The gate was attached to the sheep – he had put his hoof through the mesh, and the wire was twisted tightly around his back leg above the hock.

Oh, bother. How do sheep get into these situations?

Dierdre and I reached Humphrey at the same time. She motivates sheep to extricate themselves from adverse situations by nipping at them. The sheep dislike it, but the method often works. However, canine problem solving was not appropriate in this case; her attempts only made things worse. I told her to stay away, at the same time calming down Humphrey who was pretty spooked. Dierdre trembled with suppressed “helpful” energy but kept her distance. Humphrey struggled a bit but then seemed to realize I was trying to help and stood still. I pulled and pushed, twisted and untwisted, and, just as I had about decided to go find some wire cutters, the wire slipped below his hock and off his leg. Now free, Humphrey stood quietly, waiting for a scratch behind the ears, and then ambled off, apparently none the worse for wear, to rejoin the other sheep.

Some mornings are definitely more interesting than others.

Shearing

2009-07-07T11:48:00.003-07:00

I sheared Sierra on Friday. I can't believe how well she behaved. She was reluctant to walk to the shearing stand, but I stopped and scratched her nose after every few steps, so she didn't fight me. She was a little fidgety during shearing but, again, not bad. She kept wagging her tail while I was trying to shear it -- not good. It's very difficult to safely trim a moving target! But everything went fine, and now she's a shiny white sheep, cool as a cucumber. I think she's rather pleased.

Sierra-a-a-a

2009-05-24T18:36:00.011-07:00

I've thought of a lot of ways of making money with my sheep, but having a sheep model isn't one of them. After seeing these pictures of Sierra, though, I think I may need to consider it! Can't you just see her gliding down a fashion runway?

Photos courtesy of John Wise, http://www.johnwise.com.

Sheep and Wool Visit

2009-04-16T12:22:00.009-07:00

A group of handspinners from Sun City (near Phoenix) visited High Castle Ranch last month to meet the sheep and to buy some wool. These are a few pictures taken by one of my visitors.

Below, Sierra is nursing her lamb. When he gets a little bigger, he'll have to kneel to reach the milk!

Bernhardt is certainly the image of the classic Cotswold. Just look at that wool.

A Sheep-Filled Welcome

2009-02-14T09:16:00.004-07:00

I went to Phoenix yesterday. I left about 8:30 a.m. and got home pretty late, after 10:00 p.m. As I was going up the driveway when I got home, I saw a sheep, no, two, on my left. I thought "Oh, no, they've broken through the fence again." This happens from time to time, and I find them dispersed around the property, grazing.

But then I saw another sheep, Bernhardt, casually laying near our parked second car. I drove up to the house and was taken aback. There were a dozen sheep, plus lambs, lounging around the front porch, some laying down, others calmly standing. What were they all doing here?

I parked and got out. A couple sheep baa-ed in welcome, others rose to their feet and stretched, and Heloise's lamb started nursing. I loooked around in the dark and saw that pretty much the entire flock was nearby. It was the strangest thing.

I went into the house, changed clothes, and went out the downstairs door. There was one sheep in sight. I called to them and received a few answering baas. I clapped my hands and called again, and a few sheep came trotting down the hill from the front of the house. Another call from me, and the entire flock was suddenly at my heels. They excitedly followed me to the barn; I opened the gate, fed the sheep, repaired the area where they had escaped, counted sheep to make sure everyone had returned, and left them happily munching their hay.

Of all the places to decide to hang out, why the front porch? It was really cute and quite funny, but I'm still saying "huh?".

Wow, That's a Lot of Snow

2009-02-12T11:17:00.003-07:00

An impressive snow storm came through Monday afternoon and evening. I haven't seen official snowfall totals, but we received at least 6".

Cotswold sheep love the cold, but they don't like rain and snow. They were quite put out. Everyone stayed crowded in the barn for two days -- what a mess. Now that the sheep are going out again, they are churning up the snow, which is melting, and the resulting mud is about 4" deep. It practically pulls off my boots when I step in it. I tried putting flakes of hay in the midst of nice, unmarked fields of snow, but the sheep don't want to wade out too far; they really sink. So, I put the hay flakes on clean snow right next to where they've already walked, so they can easily reach it while still standing in shallow snow or mud.

We had another lamb born on Friday -- a little black ewe with white tips on her ears. We've named her Lavender.

Lambs Really Do Bounce

2009-02-05T15:43:00.002-07:00

During the last three weeks, we've been inundated with lambs. We have six now -- four girls and two boys. It is amazing how fast they grow and how quickly they move from that fragile, newborn state to stout little bundles of energy. The oldest lamb, Salty, was bouncing (literally) at four days old.

Another youngster, Basil, who is now four days old himself, chased a hen this morning. He didn't just walk, trot, or run after the chicken, instead he bounced! His mother and two other sheep were grouped together eating hay. The hen and Basil went round and round them, the hen running, Basil bouncing. (I'm laughing just remembering it.) The chagrined hen finally stopped circling and ran towards another hen; next thing I knew, Basil was bouncing after two chickens.

We're using herbs and spices (and salt) as the theme for this year's names for the lambs. We now have Salty, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Parsley, Basil, and Coriander.

St. Paul the Hermit, Patron Saint of Weavers

2009-01-15T09:49:00.003-07:00

Did you know there are more than a dozen patron saints of weaving? There are, and today happens to be the feast day St. Paul the Hermit, patron saint of weavers and the clothing industry.

Born about 230 at Lower Thebes, Egypt, he grew up in a Christian family. His parents died when he was 15, and a few years later, he fled into the desert to escape money-seeking relatives. He lived as a hermit in the desert for the rest of his long life (tradition has that he lived to the age of 113). He lived on bread (supplied by a raven), fruit, and water. He wore leaves or nothing at all. His biography was written by St. Jerome.

Considering his apparel (when he wore any) was leaves, I'm really not sure how he became the patron saint of weavers and the clothing industry....

Boys Will Be Boys (Even If They're Lambs)

2008-12-01T12:50:00.003-07:00

While I was feeding the sheep this morning, I noticed that two of the ram lambs were "practicing" head butting.

Such activities are not unusual, but this pair were definitely mismatched. One of the lambs was Clare's Little One. (We've never got around to naming him; we just call him that in reference to his mother, Clare). He's a big, strapping youth, outgoing and with a friendly personality. The other "combatant" was Ficus. He's a bit of a runt, sweet but small.

So, there was Clare's Little One and Ficus going through the pre-contact motions: backing up, lowering their heads, and then rushing towards each other. The only problem was that Clare's Little One is about 6" taller than Ficus. Not surprisingly, they sort of missed each other and came to a rather confused stop.

At that point, I distracted them with the feed, so I don't know, if they were planning on trying again. However, I think Clare's Little One needs to move to a higher (and taller) class, while Ficus stays in the Junior League.

Cats!

2008-11-25T11:52:00.004-07:00

I love cats. We always had cats while I was growing up, but my boyfriend is allergic to them, so we haven't had any in the 17 years we've been together.

However, last winter the neighbors (who had about two dozen cats) moved but didn't take all their felines with them. I occasionally saw a big gray one and frequently noticed a smaller black one prowling around the barn. We started feeding them, since someone had to care for them. Well, guess what, last spring I went into the barn one day and found kittens. Big surprise, huh? The black cat turned out to be female and was now a mother. She hid when I entered the barn and carried off and hid her kittens as soon as I left. We've continued feeding the cats, but I've never been able to get close to any of them.

We knew we had to get everyone spayed or neutered (we didn't even know what gender the kittens were) before more kittens were born, especially since these kittens were now almost old enough to have babies themselves. The surgery can be kind of pricey, though, especially since we had three cats (mother and kittens) to be fixed; I don't think we'll ever be able to catch the big gray cat, Ghost, but at least he's male. We contacted various people and groups involved with animal rescue and found someone who connected us with United Animal Friends and a vet willing to work with feral cats and to spay/neuter them at a discount.

Now came the really difficult part: catching one semi-feral and two feral cats! I still can't believe how it all worked out.

I didn't give the cats much food that morning, so they would be hungry and waiting to be fed in the late afternoon. My cat-catching tools included a small dog carrier I borrowed from a neighbor, a can of tuna fish, some dry cat food, and a push broom. I poured some cat food in a dish and then drained the water off the tuna fish onto it. I placed the dish in the back of the dog carrier. Next, I positioned the front of the carrier about 6" from a wall, leaving the gate wide open. Then I hid around the side of the barn, holding the push broom.

One by one, the cats approached the carrier, sniffing it out of curiousity and scenting the tuna fish. The mother went in first, while one of the kittens made a large, cautious circuit of the area. Then the other kitten slowly investigated the carrier and went in. Finally, the first kitten returned, circled the carrier, and entered. As quietly as possible, I crept forward and, when near enough, used the push broom to shove the carrier against the wall, thus covering the door. All three cats were inside -- amazing!

Now came the more dangerous part (to me). I slid a board between the wall and the door of the carrier. I turned the carrier on end and carefully moved the board to one side while simultaneously closing the gate. At this point a paw (or maybe two) flashed out through the gate and got my hand. By the time I finished removing the board and closing and latching the gate, there was blood flowing pretty freely. Those claws had pierced my hand in four places and made two scratches. All in all, though, I got off pretty easy. Three cats mean 12 paws and many, many claws (and teeth, of course), so I actually managed the whole event with a fairly minimal injury.

Can you believe it, though? I caught all three cats at the same time and on the first try!

The story has a happy ending. The mother cat was spayed and the two kittens (who turned out to be male) were neutered, and they all received rabies vaccinations. I picked them up from the vet this morning. They were very happy to be released from that pet carrier, and now they're romping around, checking out their territory, and making sure everything is in order.

Cleaning Cotswold Fleece

2008-08-27T10:31:00.013-07:00

I clean my Cotswold fleece by first shaking the fleece nice and hard for several minutes to remove as much vegetable matter (VM) as possible. It's amazing how much VM comes out just from shaking. Those beautiful curls unfortunately can hold (and hide) all sorts of bits of hay and stuff.

I wash it pretty much as wool from any other breed of sheep -- using hot water and mild soap. I start by soaking the fleece in plain cold water two or three times. A lot of excess dirt and sweat come out that way. Then I put the wool in the soap and hot water, letting it soak for about 10 minutes. (Don't let the wash water get cold; the dirt and grease will reattach to the wool.) Next, I remove the fleece from the wash water and put it in clean water to rinse it. I usually perform the rinse process at least twice, sometimes three times, until the rinse water is clear.

In general, I think you have to worry less about felting with Cotswold wool than with some finer wools. It can felt but not nearly as easily as Merino, for example.

Lay the wool in a sunny, clean place to dry. Placing it on a screen or a chain-link gate on the ground allows air to circulate and dries the fleece faster.

After it dries, you may have to remove more VM (those curls, again). Opening up the locks a bit and shaking again can help with that.

Remember: when washing any wool, do not agitate or wring the fiber. Don't temperature-shock it (i.e., don't put it in hot water and then immediately in cold water or vice versa). Don't let water run directly on the wool; fill the wash basin with water (and soap) before you put the fiber in.

Good luck!

A Glimpse into the Life of a Shepherd

2008-04-03T13:22:00.008-07:00

Just before midnight on Saturday, I woke up hearing a sheep baa outside the bedroom window. The barn and sheep pasture are NOT near the bedroom. I got up and dressed and went out to find about half the sheep roaming around the property. (The property is fenced, but there are lots of things, including plants, that I don't want the sheep to get in to.) I also discovered the reason the rest of the sheep weren't out was because a rather large ewe was stuck in the hole in the fence they had made, baa-ing her head off in annoyance.

I tried to get her out, but she was really stuck. I finally managed to get all the other sheep corralled (involving much bribery with hay) and then returned to my stuck-sheep problem. Apparently she had gone through the larger hole made by her predecessors but then got her head and the front of her body in a smaller hole. It was dark, and the sheep and I were wedged between the fence and a scrub oak. With a lot of pulling (of wire) and pushing (of sheep) I finally got her out.

After I returned her to the pasture, I had to figure out how to cover the hole in the fence, so the whole "great escape" didn't happen again a half hour later. I took a chain-link gate that I use for drying wool and lugged it back to the sheep pasture. I then barricaded the hole with the gate and bungy-corded it in place.

By now it was almost 1:00 am, and I had to take a shower after my close encounter with the stuck sheep. I stayed up another hour or so, letting my hair dry and reading a mystery novel, and then finally went to bed. Needless to say, I got a late start on Sunday, but at least all of the sheep were still in the pasture!

Book Review - "Knitting Under the Influence" by Claire LaZebnik

2008-01-28T18:20:00.004-07:00

Knitting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnik
5 Spot, 2006, 416 pages.

Kathleen, Sari, and Lucy meet every Sunday morning to knit, eat, and talk. They’re in their mid-20’s; they live in L.A., and they’ve got problems.

Kathleen, used to living off her wealthy TV-star sisters, has moved out on her own in a fit of anger -- with no apartment, no job, and no money. Sari, a clinician who works with autistic children, has unexpectedly found herself helping the son of a former high school heartthrob for whom she harbors a deep-seated animosity because of the way he and his friends used to treat her autistic brother. Lucy, once chubby, now svelte, but with a poor self image, works in a lab that conducts animal research and dates her attractive, callous, and arrogant boss.

The book focuses on the women’s relationships with the men in their lives. Kathleen tries out the “marry for money” angle. Sari struggles with preconceptions and assumptions, old and new. Lucy is forced to see what has been in front of her all along.

The book was an odd read. The bond among the three women was ambiguous. They seemed to have nothing in common other than their interest in knitting and, occasionally, drinking, yet they appeared to be close and to rely upon one another for emotional support. The reader is allowed only a narrow view of their lives, seeing little more than their love lives (with the exception of Sari, who we get to know a bit better). It was obvious where the story was going, and the predictability was disappointing. However, the book draws the reader in, and by the second half, I was enjoying the ride and committed to finishing it.

The title reference to knitting led to disappointment, though. Although knitting was mentioned on a regular basis, it played a minor role in the story. The author used it merely as a foil; the women could have met weekly for ceramics or stamp collecting without changing the story much.

All in all, the writing was solid, the story flowed (even if only shallowly), and the plot moved at a good speed; too bad the knitting theme only floated instead of being knitted in.

Lambs! and more lambs!

2008-01-25T10:48:00.003-07:00

Aurora, the first sheep born on our ranch four years ago, had twins on Jan. 13: a girl and a boy, both black. We've named them Cyprus and Cedar.

Each year we choose a theme for naming the lambs; this year it is trees. The first lamb born this year (on Jan. 3) was a black ewe lamb who we named Juniper. She is pictured at right.

On Sat., Jan. 19, Minerva had a black ewe lamb. She is bigger than the twins who are six days older than she is. (That's an advantage of being a single (rather than a twin or triplet) -- the lamb gets all the nutrition for itself, no sharing.) We haven't decided on a name for her yet.

Yikes, more lambs! Frejya had twins today, a boy and a girl, both black. I'm going to be wading through lambs soon. It can be challenging to negotiate among short, fast-moving lambs when your arms are full of hay.