Shetland Sheep: Rich in History, Rich in Textiles

Shetland Sheep: Rich in History, Rich in Textiles! Our farm mission is to enjoy and promote the wonderful diversity of the Shetland breed by fully utilizing to the best of our ability all they have to offer historically. We believe the best preservation and management of this breed includes it's full spectrum of history. We encourage old and new shepherds alike to join in the fun by engaging in fiber arts, especially spinning and knitting, as this breed is so intimately linked with those aspects of the arts.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Claire and Mitzi


Whew! The last few days have been busy...resting! Resting and getting things done around the farm, that is. As a working sheep farm, our house does not look like other houses. Our house requires a different sort of organization and flow than a "normal" house. I'll have to elaborate on that more some other time, however.

Meanwhile, the weather has been just great! All the snowstorms have been forecast for direct hits, but then suddenly steered to the south or north. We are still relatively snow-free. We'll see if it lasts! More storms are predicted for the days ahead. We surely hope our "bubble" keeps working to keep us dry! Today we have a brisk wind that isn't fazing the sheep, but the sun is bright and the finches have begun their spring calls! There is a different feel out there today...spring-like...despite the brisky wind.

The last several days, I've been spinning Iris's mother's fiber. Her name was Mitzi. I don't know what became of Mitzi, for I did not own her. Iris is about six years old now, so I don't know if Mitzi is even still alive. Mitzi's fiber is as soft as Iris's yarn is, and just as pleasant to spin. How fun and special it is to spin a sheep "in the family"!

Now that Mitzi is all finished, I'm working on a little of Claire's fiber that is leftover. Claire is Posie's mother, and is named after the now well know Claire here in our state that is helping so many people with small ruminants. The sheepy Claire is a very gentle sheep who's fiber is of medium grade and very pleasant. Because it's not as fine as my Shetland fiber, I can card it with little worries of neps. With Shetland fiber, you must be very careful when carding, for it is so fine that neps form quickly and easily. So the carding is going quicker than with Shetland, hence, I've already finished a bobbin and a half, having just started on it.

That's my quick update for today!


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