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.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Other Swift...

 Claire's Wacky Peachy Pink!  Fun!

We have two kinds of swifts around here.  One is super fast, frequently full of mud, and holds sheep in a pen.  The other is also super fast, is never muddy but frequently has very pretty colors on it, and it holds sheep in yarn!  Isn't it pretty?  Colors like this are very pleasant to work with after a long winter and cold spring start.  It doesn't matter the season around here, sheep's wool and all it's comfortable possibilities will always keep me occupied!

Today, I've included some more photos of what it looks like around here in our old farmhouse.  As the years have passed, we have acquired quite a collection of thank you notes and letters from customers and visitors! I started out placing them in an old hutch I have, where they can be viewed.  Many of them are thanking us for working to create beautiful handspun yarns, others have thanked us for allowing their children to bottle feed a lamb or experience what it's like to stand near a flock!  They are all treasured notes, and we thank those of you out there for your kind words!  In time, some of the notes and letters migrated into picture frames...and were hung on the wall for sharing.   They all move me, but below is a photo of a letter written by a young sheep admirer, thanking me for letting them come watch me shear a sheep.  It was a hot June day that day, but that's how it goes with Shetlands, who are sheared nearer summer solstice than practically any other breed.  I think it says something when kids are that interested, and interested in sheep they are!!

But sheepy thank you notes, cards, and newspaper articles aren't the only things we've gathered as memories around here.  As you can see, we have saved eggs from certain hens, feathers from certain chickens, and other farmy miscellaneous, such as the pretty yellow sulfur moth 'butterflies' we saw by the thousands over an alfalfa field just west of here one day, or a hawk's feather, or a blue jay feather, or acorns, or heart-shaped rocks found on local beaches , or yarns from favorite sheep and ribbons for past accomplishments.  I haven't been very good at getting all those ribbons up on the wall!  They are currently in stacks, safely tucked away in our yarn cabinets and hutches.
The 'ol hutch has become a lane of memories...

When you 'farm sheep', your life has a much deeper dimension to it.  We here at Wheely Wooly Farm treasure that dimension, and therefore, continue to gather little momentos of our days here.  It's such a happy way to live, even if some sadness is part of working on a farm.  I wouldn't change a thing!  I always think about these things as we head into lambing!  Waiting for lambs means time on your hands to look around and reflect on where you've been in all the busyness.

Speaking of our farm, watch for our ad in the NASSA News, which is the quarterly newsletter of the North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association!

Have a good day everyone!  


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