Well, I guess I should introduce myself again.... I am a 47 year old almost newlywed (after 15 years of singledom after the first one......). I own a real estate company in Dixon, CA (near Sacramento) and have been selling agricultural, rural residential and commercial properties since 1984.
In college (1971!) I participated in a program called "Little International" or "Little I", which is where the university animal science department cons dewey eyed new students into taming all of their young livestock. :o) Each participant can select a species, and then are assigned one young animal as their project. They learn care, feeding, grooming, and showmanship. At the end of the first quarter, everyone participates in a "show" with their animals. Meanwhile, the half grown animals learn all they need to know about being handled (hopefully). I got a ewe lamb (Babette) who learned how to get tied up in her coat the night before our big day, so she wallowed around on her belly all night. When I tipped her up for the judge, she was the most brilliant green imaginable.....we did not quite place last. I never thought I would end up on a fiber discussion group after that... I started a quilt in 1972, while flat on my back with a crushed disc...but I'll get back to that. I did learn to knit in about 1980, and have knit several sweaters, all with storebought yarn. After my divorce, I had a lot of time (got rid of the TV!), and everyone in my family got a sweater for Christmas that year(1985). I recieved a couple of fleeces (commercial sheep) in about 1884, and had it scoured and carded into roving, but did not know how to spin, so it sat in the rafters of the garage and became the most awsome mouse hotels! I kept saying I was going to learn how to spin..... Then in 1999, as president of our local downtown association, we decided to take over the Lambtown, USA Festival which was being dropped by the Chamber of Commerce. This is a festival of the lamb and wool industries. In the first year, we brought back the sheepdog trials and the shearing competition, then in the second year, I added a fiber fair. Robin Lynde, an excellent spinner, weaver and instructor, was kind enough to agree to organize this, along with an incredibly hard working and equally talented Colleen Simon. Finally I found an opportunity to learn to spin! I took a class from Robin in 2000 after Lambtown, and have started spinning everything in sight. I bought a beautiful Ashford wheel from an estate, and now can spin anytime...if I have the time! So now I have been collecting fleeces. My sister has 5 sheep she has raised from bummers, and we used them as our demonstration sheep for the shearing class at Lambtown this year. She gave me the fleeces. As I was skirting them, I was thinking...Oh, this is the Suffolk, I will need to learn to weave...rugs...maybe some socks....Oh, these are from the spinners flock...Cheviot???...mmmmmm bra test! sweaters...etc. Then after selling a ranch to a sheep rancher, I thought to ask (during shearing season)..."do you have any colored sheep whose fleece you don't want...I suspect that at least two of the hoggett fleeces he brought me had been stored in the barn for a year, but what wonderful baby fleece! tar, chocolate, nut and one that is the most wonderful blend of silver and brown! Five or six of them. Where will I store them? So my projects? Skirting fleeces. washing. carding (anyone have some used, curved, hand cards you want to get rid of?) waiting for my sisters 5 fleeces to come back from Yolo Wool Products, where, by the way, I was able to get the most lovely white quilt bats for that quilt...remember that one?? started in 1972? I might actually finish it this year! WhewHoo! Now knitting a hat to felt for my mom. My husband is starting to look like a vulture..."Oh, you can knit me a sweater out of that!" "When you build my sweater...." Just like a man...build a sweater (heehee) Meanwhile, next year at Lambtown, we will have a larger fiber show and sale, livestock show and auction, shearing competition, sheepdog trials, fiber classes, shearing classes, You-be-the-Judge demonstration, fiber vendor booths that I need to start planning now. Any volunteers out there? Dana To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
