Getting Ready For Lambs!

It's sunny but oh so cold and windy today. Working outside the barn is rough on the skin so Tim helped me get lambing pens ready in the barn for expected Bluefaced Leicester babies next weekend. Hopefully they will wait until the arctic blast has past but lambs seem to like to arrive when it's super cold. I'm usually more miserable than they are. My former farm helper, Sam, got me a new hypothermic lamb blanket that has a microwaveable lining that heats to 110 then tucks into the blanket wrapping around the cold lamb. Hopefully I won't have to use it, but it sure will be good to have it since every lambing season brings at least one or two cold lambcicles.

The Shetlands love this weather. This morning they were all lounging in the newly fallen snow very content to just be. There are only 20 Shetlands in the pen now so feeding is so much easier than it was last winter with a larger number to battle through with grain and hay. Shetland babies are expected later in February and March.

Thanks Tim for helping me get the barn ready. Having help sure makes the job go faster.

New Yarn

Here's the BFL natural colored yarn I finally got from the mill. Lustrous and sooo soft.It's not gray but more of a brown tone, which is very interesting. I want to put it in my private stash instead of putting it out for sale but my stash is getting beyond the time I have to get into it so it will be for sale at Maryland.

Rooting through my last few 2010 fleeces I found a Shetland moorit lamb's fleece that I had set aside and forgot about. My goal for 2011 was to spend more time preparing fleeces before spinning so this fleece has been washed, picked annnnd I even cut all the tips off each lock.That was a labor of love but I think it will make a big difference in the finished product. It is unbelievably soft. Maybe I can get to carding it tomorrow!

PA Farm Show Sheep to Shawl

Yes, Pennsylvania has a huge indoor farm show in January. Rational for the timing is that it is the season when farmers are less busy and can take time to attend.

For 32 years, one of the most eagerly anticipated events is the Sheep To Shawl. It is highly competitive and the auction afterwards always leaves local folks stunned at the prices paid. Last night was no exception. Shawls ranged from $600 to $2200. for some of the most beautiful works of fiber art I've seen. This year I was not judging, just watching . My biggest problem was not being able to FEEL the fibers and the shawls. The fiber world is the only place I know where everyone needs to touch and no one is offended when a total stranger "feels" what you are wearing.

Six youth teams participated in a fleece to shawl in the morning. I was really impressed with the 6 shawls produced. Pictured are the six shawls on the finished table. The pink one was the winner. It was beatifully done made with Bluefaced Leicester fiber in the warp and sold for $650. All proceeds donated to Breast Cancer Awareness. Second place was a surfing themed shawl with a gorgeous hand paintd warp. Third place took the spinners award.(pictured) They were spinning a Potosi BFL/Shetland fleece, making me really proud. The 6th place team had an Autism theme and donated their $800 to autism awareness. We will be having teams for farm shows for many years to come from the enthusiasm and talent of these young teams.

Eight adult teams spun and wove shawls that were works of art. Potosi fiber was in two of them. BFL in one and Shetland in the other.The BFL getting the spinners award. The winning shawl(pictured) was a Bluebird inspired shawl getting a winning bid of $950.Soo pretty! Second place (Pictured) was shades of Blue using Bluefaced Leicester fiber. It got the spinning and shearing award. Fouth place commanded the $2200. figure bid. It received team choice and fleece (corriedale) award. Their theme was Native American and their costumes and choice of pattern were so suited to the theme.

The eight adult team shawls were all incrdible works of art! Wish I could have taken one home.

Whose Flowers?

Elisabeth left her beautiful bouquet of roses on my kitchen table. Was it because she forgot them OR was it because when she came in with them I pulled them from her hands, arranged them in my favorite vase and set them on my table that she was afraid to claim them? Guess I got carried away with their beauty. Well anyway. this morning those gorgeous roses inspired a tea party. Lillian was delighted to wear her purple formal and heels but complained that my flannel shirt wasn't appropriate. My favorite formal is either at the cleaners or 2 sizes too small. (all right so it's the latter of those two options.) Tea time melded into lunch.... ramen noodles. We decided since we were being festive, we'd use chop sticks.This was new too Lillian but after lots of laughter she caught right on. Judy lurked under the table catching noodles as they fell then cleaned the table with several swipes of her tongue when we weren't looking. Thanks for leaving the bouquet,Elisabeth. They made a dreay day mirthful.
Posted by Potosi Sheep Farm at 10:14 AM

Drill or Die

Dragging a bale of alfalfa through 20 hungry bred ewes last night brought me to my knees... literally. They almost trampled me to death.So this morning I was determined to change things around and take charge of my life. Installing a gate on the forebay seemed like the perfect solution to my woes. Usually, I resort to baling twine and wooden palates for construction but now that I have installed shades with the cordless drill I am confident that the drill is the professional way to go. One half hour and one lost drill bit later, the gate is installed. It looks good and is relatively secure for this lambing season, I hope. Chick power rules! But who knows what the starving masses will do to it as I drag my bales safely on the other side. How can these sweet faces be so cruel to the hand that feeds them?

Back to Normal.. .Whatever that is!

Molly flew out to Utah this morning leaving me to my own devices for entertainment. She has kept me busy and exhausted for the last 2 weeks but I miss her already. The only thing I can think of to do is take down the Christmas tree. Horrible thought. I have always hated to see the holidays end and that feeling isn't subsiding with age.

Packing with airline regulations in mind, Molly and I searched for a 3 ounce bottle for her new hand lotion. Finding the perfect vessel, I dumped the last of its contents into my palms and slathered it all over my legs. Something was wrong for sure. The creamy lotion was stinging horribly because it was not lotion but hair conditioner. Yikkes!!! On the bright side, the hair on my legs is laying down nicely and I sure do smell good. Got Molly to the airport with no traffic... amazing for Baltimore... and Lillian to school only to return home to hear Bill yell as he pirouetted down the hill behind the house while trying to empty the wood stove ashes. After determining he was OK, we got him back in the house covered with ashes. Ashes were even in his ears. I got him to laugh (actually it was more like groan) by telling him that he needed to stop making an "ash" of himself while I am gone. Glad he didn't fall earlier.

My new yarn and roving are ready at the mill but I've had enough" excitement" and driving for today so that will have to wait. It is nagging at me wondering what the stuff at the mill looks like though. Think I'll just sit by the tree and spin or read my new book... The Intentional Spinner and pretend it's still the holidays for one more day.

Welcome 2011

This year is starting out quite well. Over 50 degrees today. The pipes in the barn thawed after a December in the deep freeze. No buckets to carry and no gloves needed!!!! Working with the sheep was such a peaceful time in this busy season. It felt so good to rub some noses and take my time feeding. I had dragged a water tank with a burned out heater over to the house hoping that an "elf" would find it and replace the heating element for me. I even left the new element in the box in the tank. Nobody got the message so today I replaced it myself. Why didn't I do that right from the start? Funny how you just get used to someone else doing that stuff for you and you don't think you are capable of doing yourself. It was so amazingly easy that I don't know why I had let that electrical cord intimidate me.

Molly had helped me feed the starving masses in the barn on those really cold days. Knowing she will return to Utah in 4 days makes me sad. She has kept me busy going places.... looking for organic foods, skinny jeans ( definitely not for me) and a million other "needs". At least we weren't in NYC for the big snow this year. Four more days of running with her and then it will be quiet here and time to get ready for lambs. Can't believe it's that time again.