Wheely Wooly Farm: ...ring, ring...

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.

Monday, May 3, 2010

...ring, ring...

So remember the funeral? It was three hours away from our farm and there was no way I'd miss it. But only two of my ewes were done lambing, with two more to go. I started planning for fill ins to take care of everyone while we were gone. I was amazed at how many people said they would help us!! We had a whole crew, each specializing in their favorite area. A huge thanks goes out to everyone!!! We are so lucky to have all of you as friends/neighbors!! But how do you ask someone to manage lambing ewes?!? As the days ticked down to departure, I worriedly waited....c'mon girls! Nothing. So DH said he'd stay behind...had lots of work needing to get done that was time-sensitive anyway. Nobody would probably lamb while I was gone for those few hours, right? On my last check out to the barn, all was normal. (Remember Gwennie!?)

So off I went. The funeral and everything with it went smoothly, sadly. I was (still am) sad, but all went great. No urgent ringing of my phone. So we stopped for fast food an hour from the farm on Sunday, when I noticed there were FIVE just made calls, all right after each other on my phone!! Oh boy! My phone had not rung out loud; ONCE!!! Yep!!! Lambs are coming....how faasssst cannnnn you getttttt hereereerererere!! We jumped back in the vehicle, dripping lettuce and melting ice cream along the way. We got down the road a few minutes, when DH calls again..."What does this mean??"....ring, ring "Is this supposed to be happening?? How close are you?".....ring ring "IT"S OUT...A GIRL!".....ring ring "Um, what does this mean??"....ring ring "Should the cord be three feet long??...OK, I'll try it...are you sure???"....ring ring "Nothing's happening, now what do I do???"....ring ring "Do girls have horn buds??"....ring ring "He's nursing!"....ring ring "I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER ONE COMING!!!!"....ring ring "How close are you???" (my passengers are getting very pale.)....ring ring "Oh! I think another one's coming out!!! HOW FAR ARE YOUUU!!! (two minutes!! I'm just around the corner!!) (Note: Passenger controls phone for driver!!)

Meet Wheely Wooly Cosmo (yes, a ram), born at 6:00pm Sunday night, day after the funeral, with my dear, dear DH as the head shepherd (Who never imagined such a thing!! :) Cosmo may be fawn or musket as he matures.

...and shy little Wheely Wooly Wink, also a little ram, born at 6:40pm! Wink was born a dark moorit color with a pinkish tongue, so I don't know for sure what color he will "be".

Their mom tried to hold out for me! She sent me off to the funeral with a "There, there...it will be ok. I'll wait for you." And what an excellent mom she was, continuously talking to her lambs, so gentle and attentive.

Less than two days later, Mona, my last ewe gave me the most gorgeous little ram lamb I could have hoped for! Meet Wheely Wooly Lerwick!

He has Wooly Bear's twinkling expression, a deep gorgeous black woolcoat (and a black tongue), and the softest, finest, waviest fleece dense and thick and cushy that is perfectly what the standard calls for, and excellent conformation with a beautiful topline!! This little guy has it all! He is best friends with Gracie and has revealed his sire's wonderful temperment to boot! We are very pleased indeed!!

What a time it has been; sorrow and joy, death and life, with adjustments to be made inside the house and out. Memories abound, of gatherings, reminsicing, contrasted with excitement and bounding races. I hope you can enjoy this sun-filled moment in a field of yellow as Lerwick plays grown up and Cosmo (in back) attempts to bring out a smile!

4 comments:

LauraMay 4, 2010 at 7:43 PM
Hi Amy,

I'm glad your first lambing season went well for you! Gracie looks the same as her dam did when she was a lamb.Nice.

Wink will probably turn musket (brown grey.)

Have fun with your babies!

Laura
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AmyMay 4, 2010 at 8:30 PM
Thanks Laura!
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Grumpy old shepherdMay 5, 2010 at 8:26 AM
Dear Wooly Bear,

It looks like you have done an excellent job as a first-time dad. Way to go! However, as a ewe myself I would be negligent if I did not congratulate all those ewes for a job well done. From a Corriedale perspective those lambs sure do look small, but then even I, Nanoo Nanoo, a diminutive ewe, am probably bigger than you are. Best wishes to your nice lady shepherd and her DH who is now also in the shepherd fraternity. The grumpy old guy also says to say "Hi" and "Job well done".
Nanoo Nanoo
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AmyMay 5, 2010 at 6:06 PM
Dear Nanoo Nanoo,

Indeed we are small sheep, just like the Shetland ponies and Shetland Sheep dogs on those small islands. You should hear the little baas coming from my lambs! They sound like the chipmunks of sheep. :) I get to see them springing about as they head out to pasture some days. They are really cute! I have to say, I feel pretty good about it all. My shepherds said to send back thanks to your kind shepherd. You know, he doesn't seem grumpy or old at all...

Wooly Bear
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What is Shetland Fiber?

Wheely Wooly Farm strives to breed for wool as described on the historic 1927 Breed Standard, which was created and written in the Shetland Islands. Our breeding stock exhibits fleece just as the Standard demands of us: extra fine, soft texture, longish, wavy, and well closed. Our fleeces will have short, crimpy neck wool, longish and wavy midside wool, with little or no crimp in the even longer britch wool. This historic fleece type gives you a wide range of textile capabilities, of which is well documented, photographed, and archived in the Shetland Island Museum (see link below).

Shetland fiber does not carry much "grease", making it easy to wash. Because of it's soft texture and fineness, it does not felt easily, making it great for socks! Stockings (socks, sometimes covering up over the knee) in fact, were one of the primary famed textiles produced. Stockings were just one of many types of textiles that were subjected to inspections, receiving a stamp of approval before they could be sold. Shetland fleeces are desired by hand spinners for long, easy to spin, tiny fibers. The longish, wavy midside wool easily drafts out of your hand in a way you won't forget!

We do not breed for the modern milling goals which claim wavy means crimpy, or that longish means short, as written by an organization outside of the Shetland Islands in modern times. Read why in our June 30, 2011 blog entry.

We also do not micron test our fleeces. Micron testing has been a useful tool in most other sheep breeds, but most other breeds produce wool for carpet, industrial flame-proof clean up cloths, lining for firefighter gear, or insulation for highly flammable vehicles such as trains and airplanes. We feel mircon testing takes the emphasis off the handle of the fleece, which goes against making good selections for breeding in one of the world's premier hand spinning/hand knitting/garment breeds.

We are confident our careful breeding program, adherance to the historic 1927 Breed Standard guidelines, and our textile skills will provide you with the utmost quality of fine fleeces and yarns, so you can enjoy a truly Shetland experience!

"...your wool has made a great diaper cover for our 3 month old son. It's nice to know he is wearing a truly natural product! Big smile and Thank you!" Michelle

"I made mittens with Wheely Wooly Yarn, then put them in a silent auction. They sold for $250! Thanks for making such beautiful yarn!" Lisa

Angela wrote us:

"I could not stop myself enjoying your yarn and already finished my first project which will go to my friend...thank you"!

Bill stopped at our booth and said:

"My wife made the hat I wanted from your natural colors and I love it! Makes winter seem not so bad!

Our Farm

Our family farm is located on a hill in the lush prairie lands of east, central Wisconsin, where we enjoy four distinct seasons and a seemingly endless supply of summer grasses, except in drought! We are surrounded by old oak forests, bountiful spring woodland flowers, quiet roads, and clean quiet lakes with a popular river nearby for fishing. We started a flock of sheep several years ago, deciding to breed up our own lambs for flock growth. Heritage hens grace our chicken coop, providing us with fresh eggs and garden companionship. A raspberry patch planted near the coop gives us plentiful berries for the winter. The hens are superb weeders under the canes, which we much appreciate. Two horses graze down the extra grass ahead of the sheep, one being a very cute black and white pony. We also keep two dairy does for fresh milk and yogurt. Behind our historic 1800's white farmhouse we've planted a vegetable garden. Each year, we can't imagine winter without our tomatoes, peas, peppers, potatoes, onions, soup beans, pumpkins, zucchini, sunflowers, and cucumbers. Two geese have now been employed as weeders there, Pomander the Gander and Hyssop the Goose. A separate garden does it's best to contain exuberant mounds of herbs. Lavender also grows there. To the west are two standard apple trees, to the north a treasured pear tree and an even more treasured peach tree to the south! The barns are patrolled by two feline guards, who sleuth around corners and stake out holes. We treasure them! Each morning, we rise to the crows of our robust roosters. We'll never tire of that! Our work days are long here, with challenges popping up all the time, but it can all be solved in a hurry with a tall cold glass of water in the shade of our old-fashioned front porch!

How we manage our flock

Our flock of purebred Shetland sheep, one dairy ewe, and one wether who thinks he's a pet dog do not leave our farm except for educational purposes with youth groups in non-agricultural settings. Most of the flock has been carefully selected from small, private, non-traveling flocks over a period of years. We no longer take sheep to shows due to disease pressure, nor do we allow in transit sheep, loan out our animal transport vehicles, haul livestock, or allow animals to hold over at our farm. As a result, our flock has become soundly biosecure, with dramatically less exposure and risk for disease. All incoming additions are extensively quarantined and checked for disease. This assures our future lamb buyers of sound, healthy stock. I shear nearly all of our flock myself (another component to biosecurity) with hand blades when the rise is right (usually late May to early June), unless I'm excited for a particular fleece (which means re-shearing mid-summer). Neck wool is typically rooed, continuing throughout the fleece as the sheep is ready. Each sheep is named, halter trained, and tamed. Our rams are very personable, friendly, verbally interactive, respectful, and not afraid. We do not believe a terrified ram is healthy on any farm!! We never touch them on the top of their horns/heads, nor do we EVER use their horns as handlebars unless it's an absolute dire emergency. We keep extensive wool and health records. Fleeces on hoof are checked frequently so that we may keep a watchful eye on the health of our sheep, and what we're producing. The sheep are rotationally grazed April through October, then penned for winter. Each night, they are run into our large pole building for predator security. They also stay penned in the shed during wicked winter storms, or if the pastures are too wet in spring, never in mud. It's all a lot of work, but it's done so that we can assure our customers with the utmost biosecurity and quality in your purchases!

International Show Your Shawl Day
Show the world how beautiful your shawls
are by wearing them for the day! Have you knit

a beautiful shawl, but it's in storage somewhere

'cause you're afraid to wear it?

Has someone gifted a special shawl to you

for a special reason, but you're afraid to wear

it? Well girls! It's time to take them out, show

them off, talk about them, share them,

and put them to use!

Mark your calendars for the next date!

Coming October 14, 2017!!

We changed the date from September to October to coincide with our sale on beautiful Wheely Wooly Farm Wraps! We'll need them, for it'll be cold!