New Yarn in Web Store!

An Easter Basket of Yarn!

Spring is awakening around Wheely Wooly Farm!  Spring birds are arriving, the grass is perking up (something that makes any shepherd perk up!!), and the sheep start getting a little silly.  Everyone is happy that the toughness and dark days of winter are fading away.

With all the distressing news and terrible headlines here in America, and around the world, it's hard to believe that when you walk out the door, that door shuts behind you and you enter a world that seemingly doesn't know a thing about the Coronavirus.  The birds sing over and over.  The sheep leap.  The perennials are peeping up out of brown earth.  The wind is warm...er.  As I walk about the farm, an eerie feeling hangs over my mind.  Do the sheep sense my distressed thoughts?  The dogs want to sit closer.  The sheep hang out longer for chin scratches.  The horses follow me around right behind me, as if to ask..."What's wrong?  Everything ok?".  When I stop, my pony bumps into me (he's 33, doesn't see real good anymore!).  He's there, tenderly asking to be petted, telling me to shed my thoughts while I help him shed his winter coat.

Part of this virus is knowing that the best gift of all is an ordinary day.  While some must work to confront the virus, some must stay back to keep the virus at bay.  Create an ordinary day for yourselves.  Do things you would ordinarily do on a day off at home.  Rest, connect, knit or crochet.  Ordinary is a gift.

It's Here! It's Here!

The online shop is now available.  Yes, it's here!  We've put together some customer favorite color combinations into groups just right for knitting or crocheting a typical project.  By getting enough yarn, you don't have to worry you'll run out!  The Wheelspun Yarns are bright, with very spring-like colors perfect after the darker days of winter.  Now you won't have to wait for a future event to pick up yarn for the next project.  Instead, you can take your time, pick out what you want, and have it shipped right to your door.

In this time of Public Health Emergencies and all the worries that go with something like this, small projects work up fast and help you feel better.  What a perfect time to make hug toys such as bears, ponies, and such.  Hand puppets are fun!  So are little dolls.  Patterns are aplenty online, if you search around.  Have the kids help you, or even teach them how to do some of the making!  If they are really young, let them help you make decisions on what features the toy might have.  It's a great time to let the creative side bloom a little, for it will help ease the worries and perhaps, become a memoir of this remarkable moment in our country's history.

To find the yarns on our website, go to the Wheely Wooly Farm home page.  From the menu at the top, click on the word Shop to find the page with all the yarns.  The shopping bag in the upper right corner is your shopping cart, with a number on it showing how many items you've placed in the cart.  We hope you have fun finding yarns that will make special momentos during this difficult time!  Looking for a short cut to our website?  Just click here!

https://www.wheelywoolyfarm.com

Meet Dot!

Wheely Wooly Farm Dot

Meet friendly Dot!  She's a Wooly Bear lamb, all grown up now.  Dot would like to greet you on the home page of our new online store, when it opens! 

Hello Again Friends!

Wheely Wooly Farm is bringing back our popular farm blog!  In response to the National Public Health Emergency due to the Covid-19 virus outbreak, we have decided to bring back lighter entertainment to your day, as we know so many of you have missed our updates from the farm!

Yes, the flock is doing fine!  The challenges of keeping a flock going in all that's been happening over the last couple of years have kept us plenty busy.  I could add more exclamation points here, but then as usual, there would be too many!  Remember the drought of 2012?  That was a hard year.  We made it through, but in looking back, we've come to realize that was just the start of how we'd have to ramp up our coping skills, our need to stay creative problem solvers, and to remain flexible in solving all sorts of unimaginable dilemmas.

Well, in light of the new crisis our nation is facing, and indeed around the world, those past years were just the start.  At this time, we are ready to self-isolate and do what we need to do to assist our state with this trying time.  The good news is that soooo far, spring is seeming more normal than it has in a long time!  This is the best news for the flock, as their pastures are already cleared of snow and are beginning to slowly wake up from winter's slumber.  In fact, some are already showing hues of green!  To a crisis-weary shepherdess, this is beauty to the eyes!

One thing that is always for sure on a farm, animals bring laughter.  We hope to share some of the joy that comes through each day on the farm, as the animals are so sweet, so real, and so alive!  They are always up to something, always surprising us, always making us laugh even when some days you wonder if you can laugh at all!

Please join us in the weeks and months to come as we fire up this dear old blog again and try to keep things lighter, when so much sadness and change swirls around the globe!

Look Who's Wearing A Bowtie!

Why, it's little Tuxie, of course!

Isn't he cute?  He really does look like a white goat wearing a tuxedo, with a white bow!  

Check out the power in his shoulders!  See his bowtie here? lol

Nice topline, too.  

What a great Valentine's Day Gift!

It IS February!

Ya just gotta have roses in February!!

Every Girl's Crazy 'bout a Sharp Dressed....

Goat!   Bummmmbumbumbumbummmm.....bummmmbumbumbumbummmm....

That song goes through my head so easily, as it was played way too much, way too long here in America!  I can still picture that guy with his beard and funky guitar.  Funny.

Meet Tuxie!  That's short for Tuxedo...a little white goat all dressed up in a snazzy tuxedo!  He was born Saturday January 13th, and is a really beautiful little buck!

Tuxedo Lily Five

Little Tuxie has brought much fun, laughter and silliness to the farm.  He was born to Lily, one of the girls in the barn, hence his official name above.  We'll continue to share a bit about little Tux as time passes!  Wait til' you see his 'bowtie'! (You can see a tiny part of it under his chin here)

Sweet Treats

Yum!

Isn't February about the only time you can eat a bit of sweets without guilt?  Perhaps sugar has become so dumped into our food culture that sweets aren't the treats they used to be.  But here on the farm, after doing chores out in the cold, sweet treats are still special upon returning to the warm farmhouse!  It doesn't escape our minds, either, how pleasant they look to eyes now used to every shade of brown and gray outdoors.

Warm feet, sweet treats...nice!

The Month of LOVE

Who doesn't love warm feet?

Nobody makes much of Valentine's Day anymore.  That's so sad!!  Valentine's Day MAKES February in this Shepherd's mind.  February around here is cold, snowy, and everyone around us faces boredom and the flu.  Why not have fun with hearts, delicious treats, and a bright color scheme for the month?

Here is what we love at the farm...warm feet!  How 'bout red yarn for a warm look to warm feet?  You can find red yarn in our online store.  Some of it is bulky weight, perfect for red mittens or a red hat.  Hang up some hearts, dream up a sweet treat, and knit a loving color scheme.  Don't let the month of LOVE pass you by this year!

Weather Watching on the Farm

Do you see them?  The things that make shepherd's happy?

Here on the farm, it's hard keep track of the weather all the time.  Stopping to look at a device or turn on a device is not always convenient.  There are ways to gauge how to manage the day with livestock, without looking at a device, since barns and devices are not real compatible at times.

Take a look out this window, where you will see something that makes a shepherd happy!   See those tiny icicles forming up at the top, to the right?  They may be tiny, but they bring joy!!  What they mean to a farmer is that the day is mild.  The bite is gone.  Relief!  Relief for all!!

When the sun shines in January here, you'd hardly notice.  It's cold.  Some days are well below zero (F), and nights frequently are.  If the day is mild enough that the distant, weak sun can melt a little something and make it drip, yippee!  It's a good day!  Get the dogs out to play!  Let the horses out to run!  Let the sheep out to leap!!

Other things we look at are the cows.  We look at the cows a lot.  They are better weather indicators than any device!  How they are standing, how they are moving, or not, can give you all the direction you need to manage livestock and your own dressing needs for the trips outside.  If the cows are all  pointing a certain way, watch out...cold nasty wind!  If they are not getting up, bad day!  Dress accordingly!  If they are up, all scattered, or moving around, good day!  It's mild and the stress is off for now.

Birds are another good thing to watch...wild birds that is.  If they are hopping around, legs showing, then you know it's mild.  If they are not feeding much, you know it's nice out.  If they are sitting down on their legs and feet immediately upon alighting on something, you know it's bitterly cold.  If you look out at their favorite feeding times and no one is in sight, it must be a terrible day!  Sometimes though, they are hiding from a perceived threat, but if the weather is bad, they won't come to feed.  When the weather tames, any housebound person will have much joy when they return to the feeders, for that's when you see all kinds of beautiful birds! 

The weather is always changing.  Taking warm wooly mittens off to unzip a coat and take out a device is unpleasant, to say the least!  Smart shepherds though, don't need to do that.  Just look out the windows.  The birds and animals will tell you about the day.

Boundries

As a child growing up, there were very clear boundries of who knit, who crocheted.  North of the river that dissects that city, were knitters.  South of the river, crocheters.  Period.  Growing up, that's how I thought life was everywhere.  Wealthy people knit for leisure, poor people crocheted sofa blankets as visuals of warmth.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

The very idea that only certain classes of people could do just one or the other is crazy.  Nor is it historical.  Knitting and crocheting do not know social/economic/political boundries, only people do.  People are forever trying to put boundries on the needle arts, extending not just with who should be knitting or crocheting...and who shouldn't be, but who should pick up sewing thread and needle, or spinning as well.  This shepherdess thinks that is pure craziness.

The real truth...and the real history of the world is NOT that!  Men sew, and can be experts at it, and LOVE it.  Same is true with yarn.  Men work with yarn and love it and can be experts in it.  So to with who has money, who doesn't.  Poor people have been very good at either, or both, and in fact have been experts at it, even if they lived on the wrong side of the river.  And wealthy people can reveal amazing deficits and ineptitudes.  Spinners are all people...men, women, children, single, married, rich, poor, or whatever else you can think of.  People all over the world spin...every day.

So what is the truth about knitting, crocheting, and other needle arts or spinning?  That people around the world have defied constant attempts to categorize.  They learned and did what they needed to know, wanted to know and wanted to create.  They've done what works for them, what is easy for them and their circumstances, with their resources.  This truth is evident in many ways...such as shepherds 'crocheting' or men tailoring, or poor laundresses' knitting and crocheting with amazing perfection and skill...for 'fun', or queens spinning and crocheting.

I don't think my education growing up acknowledged the real world and it's plain truths.  I was 'educated', but not really.

What is Shepherd's Knitting?

Did you know that once upon a time, as shepherds were out tending their flocks in northern latitudes, they worked on projects to pass the time?  You would think they were knitting, as so many people think of knitting and sheep going together like peanut butter and jelly.  It is surprising to learn that knitting is not what some of them were doing...rather, they were crocheting! 

While wool and textiles go back ages, crochet has a fascinatingly short history that is not super clear.  It pops up in unusual places, such as in say...Scotland...with shepherds watching over their flocks.  With a simple stick that contained a carved hook on the end (there is debate about the tool they used), garments were made to help them stay warm.  They used techniques that most resemble today's crochet...not exactly the same, but close.  It was called 'shepherd's knitting'.

As snow and cold whip the trees outside here on the farm, page after page is turned in fascination.  The sheep are asleep, but the shepherdess is not!  How can one sleep with such interesting world history at one's fingertips?!?

Some of the sheep opened a gate in the barn the other day and were having a little party back and forth in the aisle.  As I gathered them up and put them back, I couldn't help but get excited about their fleeces.  Soft, long, warm...they will be easy to shear!  Soon we will be able to start...maybe in just a few weeks!  Can't wait!  In the meantime, when a spare quiet moment comes along, back to page turning!

Many, many skeins have come off the wheel lately, including Misty, some of Beatrice, Daisy, and some Oxford I picked up from someone.  That yarn will not come with a sheep's name, as ten sheep contributed to the batch, of which Wheely Wooly Farm does not own.  The yarn is thick, cushy, and outstanding for socks, mittens, or super warm hats!  It won't be ready for awhile yet, but watch for it, it will be coming soon!

New Beginnings...Daisy as a Lamb

Sweet, sweet Daisy!!

The new year is a time celebrated as a period of renewal, of a fresh start, of starting again.  What a great time to look back at lamb pictures!!  We thought you'd enjoy this.  Here is little Daisy, as a lamb just about three or four days old.  She was born in February, in the midst of a lambing burst here on our farm, but she was not one of ours.  Born into a large flock of someone we knew, a call came asking if we'd like her.  The shepherdess was in an exhausted slumber under the favorite temporary recovery spot...the sofa, under the down sleeping bag rated for below zero...trying to recover from a blitz here.  How fast can one say yes?!?  We knew she was special before we had even seen her.

We hadn't had much snow by that time.  And since she was a sole lamb, she needed friends, so we put her in with the baby goats.  My!  How they loved to play!  They got along beautifully!  In the afternoons, we'd take them outside if it was warm and calm.  They'd all tear around, loving the good footing of the grass.  Pine trees were very interesting.  They smelled nice, were nice and green like they knew something should be, but they didn't feel good!  One little poke and back went the ears, trying to figure out why that hurt!

Today, Daisy is a well loved ewe in the flock.  She has a distinctive baa, so you can pick her out without even seeing who's baaing.  She follows you around and loves attention.  We adore her, and all the beautiful lambs she's provided us with!  Rosebud and Peony's yarns are currently available, two of her lambs.  On the wheel right now is Daisy's fleece, all fluffy and so appealing, it's hard to resist!

As the new year unfolds, it's so much fun to go back and remember the moments when our beautiful sheep were babies!  We hope you enjoyed seeing Daisy as a lamb!  Happy New Year everyone!  

Beautiful Frosty Mornings!

Morning sunshine highlights complexity of frosty crystals.

Winter peace has settled upon the landscape of Wheely Wooly Farm.  Snow covers the ground while the temperature dips.  The sunshine is bright as it glints through the frosted window panes, showing diamond-like fire in the ice!  It's so pretty, one can't help but slow down for a study of the many shapes of all the crystals when walking by.  Steaming hot coffee...sweet feathered friends hopping about, and warm toes snuggled in wool socks all toasty warm!  

As the day goes on, we bustle about.  Hats, scarves, sweaters and mittens for the barn, then all over again for going off to the city, then all over again to check on the flock once more.  Just as the frost grows and wanes on the window panes, so too do the layers we don for each step of the day.

What?  Don't have your Wheelspun Yarns yet?  Check out the store for many colors and now patterns, too!  Take out your hooks and needles, make a toasty beverage, and settle into making some warmth for yourself and your family!  You'll be so glad you did!

Peace and Joy To All!

The shepherds and flock of Wheely Wooly Farm wish all of you a very happy Holiday Season, full of joy and peace!  We will be taking some time off now for rest, after a very busy year.  However, the online store will remain open all through the holidays and will be checked frequently for your orders.  Thank you for your support in 2017!  It is an honor to bring you fine yarns straight from the farm and we hope you find peace and happiness while making nice things from the yarn!

Scarves FINALLY in the store!!

Smoky Mountain Sunrise

Please forgive us for taking so long to get the scarves in the online store!  Here is the start of them...with at least three photos of each to see in the description of each scarf.  For warmth with style, we spin style and performance together!  Click here to enter store:

Wheely Wooly Farm's Online Store

(What clown forgot to remove the date stamp on the camera?!?  I guess sheep farms are not really photography studios...)

Sock Knitting Season is upon us!

For the best sock yarn you'll ever find, check out the Wheely Wooly Farm store!  There you'll discover bulkier yarns for heavy boot socks or super comfy house socks, such as Beatrice, Misty, or Lil' Dipper.  For socks that will fit into clogs or shoes, look for worsted yarns, which is nearly all the rest of the yarns in the store.

WHY have cold feet, when you can be warm?  Click our website to the right to find the store.

As the year comes to a close:

As 2017 comes to a close, Wheely Wooly Farm, the shepherds, the sheep dogs, the sheep, and even the barn cats are content to let winter peacefully fall upon the landscape so that we may all rest and take some time together!  It has been a busy year, starting with hot weather and tank tops to wool sweaters and mittens, from the call of seagulls over the building tops to jingle bells and cinnamon smells.  It's a good thing it's time to recoup and rest, because once again, our inventory is down quite low.

Wilbur is now all sold out again (and most, if not all of Lil' Rainbow?), and I think there are only a couple of Motif skeins left.  The Mona skeins are nearly out, only a couple left of Bobbin, and even Iris is getting low.  Bobble is sold out, Beatrice is popular in this cold weather as everyone thinks of wanting more warmth.  While the natural colors are very low, there is a nice selection of dyed yarns, including Glacier, Ruby Red, Violets, a little Aquamarine, and such.  We knew it'd be hard to get through 2017 with enough moorit, with Gwendolyn and Gracie lambing and missing out on a good production year, along with some other moorits lightening up to more of a mooskit.

Not only have we attended nearly every market since June and pumped out more yarn than ever, we undertook a huge farm project as well in refencing our pastures for the security of our sheep and dogs.  That took a LONG time! lol  And the farm office has seen some changes so that we may more efficiently serve all of you.

In all, 2017 has been a very big year for the farm!  The hours have been long, and challenges popping up all the time.  The new office is a breeze to work in, and the spinning wheel always beckons, with fleeces lined up in a tidy row, each ready for it's turn.  Ideas buzz in our heads like bees swarming around a good hive!   I have a feeling rest and down time won't last long, for January is looking really exciting!!

And now, the count down begins for gifts.  Don't forget that we now offer gift cards!  I hope to have them on the store a.s.a.p. and so much more!  If you need a gift basket in time for the holidays, please don't wait to order, as shipping deadlines are fast approaching.  Remember, shipping is FREE for a little while longer!

Sheep Farms are not...

photography studios. lol

BACK OPEN!

It is with great relief and joy that we can say...we are back open!  Yes, our online shop is back open, after a very intense period.  Behind the scenes, the shepherds have been working a TON of hours to bring you a smooth and safe online shopping experience!  We already know it will be appreciated, and we are surely grateful to all who are growing with us slowly but surely!

The decision was made to stick with our earlier store, which is powered by Square, and has proven very trustworthy for us all.  This store has it's limits, but it will satisfy all that is needed so that you can still get your yarns and needles before Christmas, and long after that!  New items have been added, so you'll have to go see! 

Penny's Stocking Stuffer Bundle - for every knitter's dreams!

To reduce the amount of downtime with no online shopping (five days was wayyyy too long already!), things had to happen quickly, therefore, we know all the skeins we have available for sale are not all back in the store.  As the days pass, we will fix this.  If you happen to notice something you'd like in your online shopping experience, that the store is lacking in or could use improvement with, please do not feel afraid to email your comments about such things to us and we'll strive to get things just as everyone likes.  

So much of what we have to offer is not in the online store yet, but we hope to have it there soon!  We did manage to get some pretty gift baskets put together, and had a lot of fun doing that!  Who will the lucky knitters or crocheters be who score these special gifts for Christmas?!?

Well, that's the news at the moment!  Happy shopping everyone, and oh, almost forgot!  Free shipping will be extended through the holiday shopping season as our thanks to everyone!