Project 3 is Underway!

Ok, so I think I said that Mom's sweater would be number 3, but go figure, I ordered the yarn for it (because of course I didn't have the right color already, so we're not even counting it as part of the year in making :-) and it's been delayed in shipment.  So, I got to thinking about what the next project(s) should be as I await books and yarn...

And this new book on crochet toys popped up in my email from Cooperative Press!





And look at that cute sheep on the cover!  You know I had to order it, especially since I've been trying to figure out what to do with some of Princess and Petunia's yarn.  The other toys in this 10-project booklet are pretty cool too, so I have the feeling I know what some holiday gifts are going to be!

The Naked Petunia

My new sheep Petunia has been shorn!  Looks like she had quite the coat on her:

Just got word from (and photos courtesy of) Caroline Owens of Owens Farm that, despite the extreme cold followed by driving rain followed by howling winds, Petunia yielded about 4.5 lbs after skirting.  I've decided to once again let the mill turn the fleece into yarn for me, and I hope to have some worsted weight yarn on its way soon.




Poor Petunia, there's still quite a bit of winter left to go!

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the bulky weight yarn I've still got from Princess.  I think this Viviana Crocheted Vest pattern would be an awesome use for it!  But, first, I've got to get started on, and finish, a baby blanket that I've been wanting to make from Melissa Leapman's "Flowers in a Row" afghan pattern, available on the Red Heart website.


Mama update:  She's doing better, though a bit of a set back when she ended up getting dehydrated, which seemed to lead to too low blood pressure, so off to the emergency room we went.  But, hopefully, she will be back in rehab early next week and back on the right track!

Meet "Petunia" My New Adopted Sheep

For those of you who have been following my adopt-a-sheep adventures for a while know that my first sheep "Princess Maple Leaf" met an unfortunate end not to long ago (see post here for more details and our website page) and that Caroline Owens of the Owens Farm assigned a new sheep to me.  Coopworth # 217 is quite lovely, isn't she?

Thank you to those of you who all made fine name suggestions, but out on my balcony yesterday, it hit me -- Petunia!  I have some beautiful white petunias growing right now in planters, and they are doing well, even with the heat we've been having lately.  Even though the petunia is a delicate looking flower, it really is quite hardy, grows well, and withstands the elements like a trooper.  Hopefully Petunia will do the same!

My Rose Valley and Princess' Wool

"My Rose Valley" is a beautiful blog by a Swedish woman living in Switzerland with her American husband and three children. She covers all sorts of crafts and has some great crochet patterns. I especially love her Maybelle Crochet Flower that she is working on translating into Swedish in her latest post (her English is so good).  I aspire to have such a seamless, special look to my blog. Mmmm, it might be time for some more revamping...

On another note, I just got the shipment of chunky yarn made from Princess' wool (remember, this year I said I was NOT going through that whole skirting and cleaning process again!  I still haven't carded, much less spun, her wool from last year). There's a lot of yarn in that bag!  I can't believe this is it, that's all the wool that I'll ever have from her :-(. So, that just means that I will have to come up with a really special crochet project for it!  Help me decide what to make!

R.I.P. Princess

Well, I guess the title says it all...  Caroline called me Monday morning at 8:30 am (I knew it couldn't be good news).  Well, apparently, after the flock had been checked on Sunday, Princess once again managed to get away from the flock and get herself stuck upside down somewhere and just wasn't discovered in time.

By chance, Caroline happened to have her camera with her on Saturday while out in the pasture and got this great picture of Princess and two of her triplets (the third is hiding in back).

She sure was a beautiful sheep, and I hope she did not suffer...  I'm happy to have had a small part in her time on earth and cherish the fleece and yarn that she gave me.  I hope she's frolicking happily in a better place...  And I do so appreciate that Caroline called to tell me in person, it's a loss for her too, but I'm sure as a farmer, this truly represents the cycle of life.

Caroline has another sheep for me to adopt, and I hope to introduce you to her soon.  But, this post is about Princess and my appreciation for her.  Long Live the Princess!

It's Fleece Time Again!

So it's shearing time on the farm again!  And Caroline Owens has been kind enough to send me before and after pictures:

Mmm, her wool is looking as nice as it did last year, and the yield looks pretty good too:

I asked Caroline to send it off to the processing mill this year instead of directly to me, since I still have the bag o' washed fleece from last year!  Though I'm excited about the possibilities of taking a spinning class this spring at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria VA.  A friend of mine, who also adopted a sheep from the Owens farm, has signed up, so I think that'll make it even more fun.

Now, poor Princess is shivering again!

Drama on the Farm

Just got a letter from Caroline Owens with some interesting news -- turns out King is not living up to his name!  She explained how a breeding harness is put on the rams and different colored crayons are fastened on the harnesses to monitor breeding activity.  A ewe will not return to heat once she is pregnant, so as Caroline says "the worst thing you can observe in the breeding pasture is double colors on your ewes."  So, King was installed with a red crayon and sent out to work with a select group of ewes.  Every ewe had a red mark within 16 days.  Great!  So, they changed King's crayon to green.  Well, one ewe marked green the very next day, and over the next two weeks, all the ewes had marked green :-(  Thankfully, an unrelated ram named Baritone came to the rescue as did a ram lamb who was saved from market day.  Caroline was also able to purchase a new white Coopworth ram named Zeus, and he was turned loose on the three remaining un-bred ewes.

I also got word that "Roly-Poly Princess" is up to her old tricks again -- she has been stuck upside down several times in the last week.  When the Owens check the flock, she is one of the three "repeat offenders" they are looking for.  Oh, I hope she makes it ok and we hear some good news soon (and I get another box of fleece -- actually, I think I'm going to let someone else process it this time!) 

Hug a Sheep Day!

Yes, it is actually "Hug a Sheep" day :-)  You can't tell me that these pictures aren't some of the cutest you've ever seen!



This article is really a fun, quick read about why Sara Dunham started the day.  Well, I hope I get a chance to hug Princess one of these days, but I have re-adopted her for the upcoming year, so  it's a possibility.  In the mean time, enjoy the day!

An Owens Farm Update!

So, apparently, the sheep are having the time of their lives right now!  The lambs have been weened, and it's too early for breeding season, so the sheep are basically on vacation.  Sounds like they are out in the pasture, just hanging out, grazing, and lazing about.  The lambs, on the other hand, need lots of attention.  They are susceptible to worms and parasites, so Caroline Owens is keeping a close eye on them and deworming as needed.  The pigs and chickens are multiplying as well (one mother pig had 11 piglets!), and the garden is full of blackberries, cucumbers, beans, and herbs.

One question that Caroline anticipated in her update letter is "don't the sheep get hot in their wool and blankets at this time of year?"  But, interestingly, their wool protects them from extreme heat as well as extreme cold.  The thick fleece has insulating properties, so a sheep with an inch of fleece is more comfortable than one with less wool.  Summertime shearing is actually bad for the sheep because adequate wool growth not only keeps them cool in the summer, it prevents sunburn!  By the winter, their coats will be full and warm.  Glad to know that Princess is having a great summer!

Princess the Sheep Update

It's been a busy time of year for the Owens Farm, but I got an update recently from Caroline Owens, who writes that Princess and her lamb are doing just great.  "Baby" is a whopping 60 lbs now (compared to the flock average of 40 lbs) because, as a single, she got all the milk and got off to a very good start.  She went to "Sheep Camp" recently and is now halter-trained.  In the mean time, Princess and the other ewes are out to pasture, regaining the weight they lost during lactation.  This is their summer vacation -- They won't do much except graze, nap, and chew their cud until Fall breeding time (sounds pretty good, especially the napping part ;-).

I have not yet followed up on the carding of the fleece -- it continues to sit in a very large bag in the corner of my bedroom!  I have the feeling that there are going to be wafts of fleece floating in the air if I try to do this inside, but it's too hot to do outside right now, so it's going to have to wait a little while longer...

Happenings

What a busy week the last one was!  I had a beginners' crochet class on Wednesday night then off to the Renwick HandiHour on Thursday.  Much fun!

I unfortunately did not make it to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  I'm especially sad this year since the Owens Family was there, displaying some of their Coopworth sheep (was Princess there?!).  I haven't gotten a specific update on Princess in a while, but I did get a nice letter and brochure in the mail, explaining that April is quite a busy time on the farm with all the new baby animals -- 135 of them!  Apparently, this year, they used a "teaser ram."  They send in a vasectomized ram to synchronize the ewes' heat cycles, which occur every 17 days.  The first heat apparently is a weak one, in which the ewe releases only one egg (and twins are the goal), so the teaser is sent in so that the ewes don't end up pregnant.  Then, in the next cycle when a ewe is more likely to shed two eggs, they send in the breeding rams.  It worked!  Out of 71 ewes bearing lambs, 58 had twins or triplets!

Which reminds me, so I now have two dog brushes and am ready to give the carding a try.  I have to say though, I'm getting a little nervous about this -- the lady on the YouTube video makes it look easy, but... ;-)

The Naked Princess!

Sorry about the sensationalist headline but Princess has been sheared!

I should have about 7 pounds of fleece coming my way soon!  Mmmm, I'd better start looking for that yarn spinning class :-)

Almost Lost Her!!

Yesterday sure had its ups and downs!  Caroline and I had decided on a name for Coopworth # 236 as a result of the Name That Sheep contest:  Princess Maple Leaf (most likely Princess for short).  And I was all excited to announce on Facebook yesterday morning and here as well, but when I went to the computer, this email pops up with an exclamation point marker on it.  Caroline sent me a message to tell me that Princess had almost been lost!

Sheep, especially pregnant ones, sometimes get "cast"--stuck upside down -- and it can kill them.

When Caroline went to check the sheep, it seemed that the flock was doing just fine, all upright and moving about.  But, as she was heading back to the barn through a woody section of the pasture, Hannah the Border Collie began bouncing around like she smelled sheep.  And, sure enough, there was Princess, upside down in a ditch, thoroughly stuck. They were able to get her back up, and, once she got the feeling back in her legs, she was able to move around, and she ate well. Close call! Caroline also pointed out that this is another good reason to put blankets on the sheep: her beautiful wool was protected from being ground into the mud.

Whew, it makes me realize how hard it really must be to tend animals and run a farm!  Thank goodness for Hannah.  I had visions in my head of those old Lassie TV shows, where Lassie goes running to the family, barks a few times, and they just immediately sense what she's trying to tell them.

Well, I hope my next update on Princess will be a much better one!!