The Mother Petunia

Yes, Petunia has given birth!  Unfortunately, she had a really hard delivery, with both lambs having to be pulled.  The first one didn't make it.  But here is her lovely surviving lamb, which Petunia is mothering beautifully.  The vet said she should have a much better time of it next year. 

I'm awaiting Petunia's wool to be spun into yarn!  I decided to go with worsted weight this year and of course have no idea yet what I will make with it.  I've still got many skeins of Princess' yarn in chunky weight, and I think this Viviana Crocheted Vest would be the perfect project for it.  Any suggestions for more projects?!

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!

Busting Out!

Just got a message today that Petunia has already outgrown one blanket because her fleece is growing so fast!  Doesn't she look great in her new blanket?

Also, the rams were let loose on the sheep yesterday, so there should be a flock of lambs in about 5 months!  I love getting news from the Owens' farm and really hope to get up there to Sunbury, PA, some day soon to visit.  Sounds like they are going to have overnight accommodations on the farm in the near future, so that should make the trip so much better.

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!

Coopworth # 217 and a Naming Contest

We've got a new sheep!  Coopworth # 217 is a two year old ewe who is carrying on the line of Coopworths originally from a well-known breeder in West Virginia.  Her grandmother, Honeysuckle, came to the Owens Farm when they first moved to Pennsylvania.  Honeysuckle was known for her exceptional fleece and had a ewe (# 140) who also had beautiful white fleece.  In the fall of 2011,
# 140 was bred with their natural-colored ram Baritone and had twins: a ram lamb and my # 217.

Number 217 spent her first year as part of the Owens' Sheep Camp.  She was haltered, led around, given treats, entered into Lamb Races and Hide and Go Sheep, and got to play with lots of children.  As a result, she's really quite friendly and curious about people.

After that cushy first year, she spent the winter with a group of other yearling ewes and rejoined the flock this spring.  Right now, she is out to pasture and will be getting her first blanket next week to protect that beautiful fleece.

So, it's time for another naming contest!  Since her grandmother was named Honeysuckle, I hope you'll keep that in mind in coming up with a sweet name for # 217 in her own right.  Please post your entries (no limit) on our Facebook Page (I'll have a post on which you can comment and add your entry). I'll have some nice crochet treats for the winner, but I do reserve the right to end the contest and just come up with a name of my own liking for her.  Good luck!

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!) 

Princess's Love Life

I love getting up in the morning and having an email waiting for me from Caroline Owens.  And, the title of the email and above says it all!  It's breeding season on the farm, and Princess has found her Prince.  Actually, his name is King, and he's the new white Coopworth ram on the farm.  Quite handsome, isn't he?  They are hoping for a nice set of chunky white twins from this pair.

Doesn't Princess look nice in her protective coat?  Let's hope for some good news from these two soon!

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!

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... ;-)

Derailed

I'm sure everyone's experienced that period in their lives when you're on a roll, you're getting stuff done, you've got a plan, and, pow, it's all derailed.  Thankfully, it wasn't due to a bad event -- I just got stuck on jury duty (again).  All last week and Monday and Tuesday morning of this week.  It was an interesting case, but I am now so behind at work and on my projects :-(  The bright spot was the beginners' crochet class that I gave last Wednesday night -- 6 wonderful students who were really picking things up quickly!

Oh, well, enough with the moaning and groaning, I just gotta get back on a roll (rather than playing Tetris on my iPad!!)  So, give me a few days, and I hope to have some new items to post.

PS  Caroline Owens tells me that Princess' fleece is on its way to me!!

Name That Sheep Contest!!

We can name the sheep!  Caroline Owens explained to me that they bought her and a few other ewes from a well -respected West Virginia Coopworth farm when the breeder suddenly needed to downsize.  It happened quickly and during a busy time for the Owens, so they never got around to naming their new acquisitions beyond "the West Virginia ewes".  But Caroline tells me that Coopworth 236 has distinguished herself from the flock in terms of personality and performance and could really use a name.

To catch up those of you who are not (yet) regular followers of my blog ;-) I adopted a sheep recently from the Owens Farm, located in Sunbury, Pennsylvania (you can read more about her and see another picture of her in a previous post).  Shearing time is almost here (January 14th through 18th), and # 236 deserves a name by then.

So, here's the plan.  Please go to the Many Creative Gifts Facebook page by January 5th (midnight EST) and comment on this post by entering the name that you think we should give "Coopworth 236".  After the 5th, Caroline and I will discuss and choose the winning name.  Now, we do reserve the right not to choose any of the names and instead come up with one of our own, but we'd really like your help on this!  As an added incentive, the winner will not only get bragging rights but also a free copy of my "101 Crochet Tips" Kindle book ($9.95 value) and some of the newly named ewe's fleece (priceless!).

She's one of those furry bottoms in the picture where the sheep are getting herded by the dog, but there she is, in the blanket, in the other picture!

Adopt-A-Sheep!

I just adopted a sheep for the upcoming year!  I'm so excited because, when shearing time comes, her wool is mine!  I haven't even thought about what I'm going to do with it, but this is something I've wanted to do for a while, so I just did it :-)

She is a Coopworth ewe, a breed that was developed in the 1970s for New Zealand's grass-fed sheep industry.  Caroline and David Owens, the Pennsylvania family behind Owens Farm, purchased her from a breeder in West Virginia last year, and she apparently really stood out from the rest of the flock through her friendliness and curiosity.  And she sheared a gorgeous fleece and ended up having triplets!!  And she managed to feed them all so well that each is "chunky and vigorous" (which sounds good to a non-farmer :-)  But, they were all rams, and the Owens are hoping she'll have some ewes this upcoming year to perpetuate her characteristics.

I'm looking forward to more updates from the farm and will share as they come in!