Hi Fibernetters:
Strauch Fiber Equipment Co. has carding cloth as well as does Howard Brush.
I'm going to be buying a new registered Finnsheep from a breeder in Montana. This is a spotted Finn ewe which is rare, but she is very beautiful. She's had a set of twins her first breeding in 2004 and she may have twins or more this time around. I will get the ewe and any lambs over 1 which the seller will keep for herself, so who knows how many sheep/lambs I'll have in May when I pick them up at the Experimental Sheep Station in Idaho. She lives in Eastern Montana, but is delivering Texel sheep to the Exp. Station in Idaho in May, so she'll bring my sheep with her and I pick them up there. I'll give her some for gas and pick up the sheep and head for home. I love it when I'm able to find a way to make things work easily for transportation, especially when they'll all be in the back of my Subaru Station Wagon. I'll just look like a Beverly Hillbilly again...just like when we picked up Madge and Aggie, who died in the winter '04, from W. Richland, WA, in the same Station Wagon.
Last year, I bred a registered Icelandic ram to a registered Finn ewe and the lambs are just beautiful with a mix of the Finn/Icelandic body type and the fiber doesn't have much tog at all and is almost as fine as the pure Finn fiber. I'm going to try crossing the Finn ewe again with my new registered Icelandic ram to see if I get the same type of fiber from the lambs. I was amazed at how easily it felted (when I was scouring the first batch, it felted very easily and I was careful, so I had to take even more care to not felt the rest of it).
We've had some dog pack problems around here so I'm going to get a purebred Great Pyrenees puppy in 4-5 weeks when he's weaned to guard the sheep and help the alpacas. I'm getting tired of cleaning up dog doo when I don't even have a dog, so soon I'll have one. He's the runt and the owners of the parents said I could have him for free as they're not going to register him, though his sisters will be as they're 1/3 and 1/2 times bigger than he is (they had 3 pups). The greatest thing is I'll have another fiber source.
I'm also trading two Icelandic ewe lambs for two angora doelings in the spring, so I'll have mohair also. I'm so excited.
So, Celtic Crossroads will soon have Alpacas, Finnsheep, Icelandic sheep and Angora Goats.
My Farmers' Market sales in '04 went fairly well when my head pain didn't interfere with me going, and I was there maybe 10-12 times from mid-May to Mid-October, which I don't think was too bad considering, and went to one Local Arts & Crafts festival as well. This year, my goal (my New Year's resolution actually) is that I'll be there at least each Saturday through that time, except when I go to another fair or festival, which is possible.
I had 13 fleeces this year and I've scoured all but 4 so far. I have two projects so that I'll spin enough yarn from the different natural-colored fleeces to make two afghans for two women who just learned to knit. My other project fell through as I have not heard from the man who commissioned a scarf for his wife...my fault because I didn't take any percentage of payment in advance, but I've learned my lesson. I do have two nice heather-gray formal scarves (long enough, 52" & 54" to cover the chest area of the male or female wearer) without fringe. They're double knit and in May when it's still cold/rainy enough to wear coats until noon or longer, the early birds may buy one, or in October, someone may buy one for a gift for Christmas. Either way, I'll get my money.
I've been really busy with making all the presents before Xmas, and now after, I'm even busier making things for the Farmers' Market again this year. I'm so excited.
NOTE: Dana, I may have a Finnsheep for you this year or next. Do you want a ewe or a ram?
Hi Fibernetters:
Strauch Fiber Equipment Co. has carding cloth as well as does Howard Brush.
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