Green & Lush

Just some photos of the green...

Esyllt, my pretty girl.

Hannah, stripping my Juneberry bush.  Naughty sheep. 

Shachah, watchful from his hilltop seat.

My Micron Reports are back.
Click on photo to view larger image.

I am disappointed because every one of the Courante ram lambs I put in the freezer last fall was obviously softer than my Ash ewe lambs that I retained.  But those are the breaks. 

The numbers are not horrible...but they are no where near my fleece goal either.  However, my primary focus last breeding season was for POLLED, and I do believe I made strides toward that.  So now I'm itchy to resume lambing.  But I still plan to wait one more year due to my sons' graduation in 2013.

Fleece photos and histograms are now posted on the Fleece for Sale page.

Prom 2012

A milestone at the Erickson house...

Isaac and Asa attended their Junior Prom. 

Shameless bragging:  I thought my sons looked so handsome...and their dates were just beautiful.

Isaac and his friend, Abby.

My camera decided to malfunction...boo!...and by the time it actually worked, the kids were tired of posing and they were laughing.  But I finally got these TWO photos!  Abby wore an authentic Indian sari.  So cool! 

Asa and his friend, Sabrina.

My camera was behaving earlier in the evening, and the couple graciously posed for about 50 snapshots.  :)  Sabrina was wearing her favorite color: bright green.  Gorgeous!  And Asa had designed the flowers specificly to match her dress.

So proud!

Spring For Sure

The wild plums are thick with blossoms this year.  Their scent is heavenly!  Our weather has been fairly warm and dry so we will hopefully get a plum crop again this summer.  Love plum jam!  

We had the sheep sheared later than usual this year, on April 22.  In the absence of lambing, there was no real hurry to clean the girls up so I could view their pregnancies.  Fleeces came off much better than last year - yay! - and a wonderful group of people came out to the farm that day to be a part of the event.  I couldn't have asked for a more fun and helpful bunch of folks.  A huge thank you to Mary, Kristen, Susan & Dennis, and Kayla for EVERYTHING.  And of course I wish to thank Byron Johnson, who does such an excellent job of shearing.  And I have special gratitude for my husband, Clancy, who keeps me sane and does all the hardest prep-work and hoof trimming.

Luckily for the ewes, we have had beautiful weather since shearing.  I haven't feared for them being cold even once.  They have also been solely on enclosed grass for about a week now.  I still have to move the electro-net every day because the grass isn't growing super-fast yet...but it is getting there.  In fact, the season seems about a month ahead of schedule.

Those that follow Boston Lake Farm on Facebook have seen this picture before...of the spindles I am making out of wooden toy wheels and dowels.  The idea is simple: stick the dowel through the wheel and ta-Da.  But it actually takes me a little while to shape the dowel ends to be soft and round and to sand down the end that is put through the wheel.  The dowel is just a little too big, which ensures a tight fit.  I've been enjoying using these supported spindles a lot.  They spin 'forever' and are perfect for the finer yarns I like to spin.  Plus I just have fun working with the wood.  These spindles are fairly small (1.75-2" whorls)  But I have a short attention span so they are perfect for me.

Happy May Day!

Reality Check

Are you enjoying the sunshine as much as Greta is?



Fleece Samples

I just sent off fleece samples for micron testing.  And I will post again when that data comes back.  But for now, here are the fleeces that I will have available for sale this year.

All fleeces were coated, and come from purebred, Shetland ewes.  Last year's micron data on all but the lambs can be found on the "Fleece for Sale" page.  Prices will be posted after shearing and weighing the fleeces.

Justina

Black, lamb.

Francesca

Moorit, lamb.

Esyllt

Black Katmoget (appears white), 2 year old.

Penelope
Black, lamb.

Nhu

Black Katmoget (silver), 4 year old.

Vianne
White, 3 year old.

Hannah
Moorit, 6 year old.

Lana
Black Gulmoget (frosty black), 4 year old.

Jane
Black, lamb.  (why this one photo is sideways is beyond me!)

Carys

White, 2 year old.

Lyneth

White, 4 year old.

Dakota Carding & Wool

A sweet surprise came in the mail this week...

Kelly Knispel, owner of

Dakota Carding & Wool,

sent me two sample bags from her mill.  She bought Sian and Hannah's fleeces from me last year.  She mixed Sian's black wool with black alpaca from Iowa and black kid mohair from her own farm to produce a lovely soft blend.  Hannah's fleece was carded with tussah silk and this turned out beautifully as well.  I feel so honored to see what these two fleeces became.

Thank you so much, Kelly!

Dakota Carding & Wool produces clouds, which I was unfamiliar with.  But the two large samples that I received are gorgeous and I have found them easy to spin on my spindle.  Easier for me than roving, actually.  Both samples were exceptionally clean as well. 

I'm so impressed with these blends, I recommend that you check out Kelly's link above and consider her mill for your next fleece processing.