Roving to Yarn

Just spun up some almost bulky Icelandic singles from roving, this is from a gray-moorit ewe ( grey on the inside of the fleece, moorit (reddish brown on the outside). I just love spinning the wool from my Icelandic sheep. She is Yvonne, a very curious and lovely gray-moorit Icelandic Ewe. (Here pictured in the front at the right, with her twin lambs, a morrit badgerface ewe lamb in the middle and here HUGE grey moorit spotted badgerface ram lamb to the far left. Roving is washed, and then carded fleece made into a tube shape (not hollow), and is such a lovely combo of light grey with the oatmeal - moorit colors. I made a skein on my niddy noddy, but am going to look into purchasing a skein winder to create a more even skein. I first learned how to spin on a spindle, then after a couple years moved to a double treadle Lendrum spinning wheel and I just love it (but I do enjoy spindles too - a spindle can go to the doctor's office, swimming pool, park, camping, well, everywhere a wheel might be a bit too cumbersome to carry along). Spinning on a wheel or spindle is just so very centering and relaxing, a fine tranquilizer after a stressful day.

Cloudy Spring Day

We've all spent much of the morning working in the fields, the kids helped clip the tops (garlic scapes) of the garlic going to seed - that helps the bulb grow larger and keep longer. (cut garlic scapes)They are also good sauteed in olive oil with a little salt and pepper - even the kids like them! They taste like really mild garlic greens, but with a hint of artichoke. They also have been chopping off the tops of wicked thistles, trying to use fewer sprays is our goal. I've been cleaning out the llama's favorite areas in the pasture- goodies for the garden come this fall! Kevin is cutting out the windows in the shed, much to the concern of the barn swallow couple who has taken refuge on the rafters and built a nest there. The siding has arrived and that should shore up the sheep shed. One of the black mouflon Icelandic lambs wanted to snuggle up to the ugly Bella the Llama, no such luck, she wouldn't have anything to do with him.

Icelandic Lambs are here!

I am finally finding the time to start my farm blog - Our Icelandic lambs were all born in the month of April - I just love the colors and patterns they come in, such beautiful fleeces they have, a mass of pin curls and ringlets... 17 in lambs in all. This little ram lamb is a spotted moorit (reddish brown) badgerface - Some are reserved for other breeders and others we'll keep for our flock, and those that don't make the grade will make wonderful grass fed lamb for the table. I've sent fleeces all over the country, and I'm a spinner myself, so I hope to include photos of current spinning projects on this blog as well. Our sheep shed is nearing the last stage of work - windows for light and ventilation soon, and then siding , and finally - proper roofing! My husband is quite the handyman and does almost all the work himself. Today was the last day of school, summer is now really starting - I celebrated by picking up a flat of Hood strawberries - they have got to be the sweetest strawberry I've ever tasted! I cooked up a batch of whole wheat pastry biscuits to go with the sugared strawberries, and then canned up 5 pints of Red Red Strawberry Jam from the Joy of Cooking, oh how good that will taste on a slice of fresh baked rye bread and butter... Also froze a container of strawberries and sugar. Well I've wandered a bit, but did help a friend shear an alpaca, some very nice white fleece, 2 years worth, and now I can think of blending it with Icelandic lambs wool or on it's own...