August

There is an extra story about/with the month end compilation.  This picture got cropped off in the grouping and I needed to share the rest of the picture and the rest of the story.  It's following below.  

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

 Leave it to Maisie...

Well That's Impressive!

Our winter straw was delivered yesterday and it's hard not to be impressed by this parking job :-o.  I'm glad I turned the video on!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

 

The Rest Of The Story

I've been holding out hope that this part of the story would have a happy ending, but it doesn't.  Last Tuesday evening a raccoon got in our chicken coop.  Right at dusk I heard a commotion in the coop and raced in to see what was going on.

As I opened the people door, all the chickens flew out in a panic.  I started looking around and couldn't see anything and the chicken door was closed.  As best I can figure, something came in just as the automatic door was getting ready to close and then got spooked as it did and split.

I counted heads and Yaya, the beloved crowing hen, was missing.  Even though she crows, she also lays eggs and once or twice a year goes off to set.  I looked in all of her usual spots and nothing.  She was good about coming when called, even while setting,...and it's now been a week.  

I put out the game camera that night and a raccoon came back three times to try to break into the coop.  I was able to trap it Wednesday night and it now has a new zip code and things have been quiet since.  Too quiet. 

Not only did I really enjoy hearing her crow each morning, but she was another early morning driveway greeter.  Jared waited at the top of the hill.  Yaya marched on down to meet me.  She got special treats each morning and it was best I not be late.

I'm here all day on the farm by myself.  I spend more time with these animals than any other people.  These are my friends.  My strange funny family.  I miss everyone.  A lot.

Thank you so much for all the kind notes and comments, here and on the "socials".  I'm always torn about writing the obituaries, but I know I'm not the only person invested in this strange funny family.  It's a shared family of not only you all and the animals, but you all and me and you all and each other.  Family is important.

Everybody take care of each other.

And let's not have any more of this for a good long time.

Jared

I got home late one night.  After dark.  This was unusual.  I really don't leave the farm that much and if I do, I seldom get home after dark.  Hardly ever.  I think I'd been doing something fun.  Probably with Auntie Reg.  I can no longer remember. 

As I drove up to the barn my headlights flashed onto Jared standing up on the hill watching down the driveway waiting for me to come home.  Everyone else was tucked into the barn.  Just Jared, out by himself, in the dark, standing watch.  Making sure I got home safe.

Jared and I spent hours together in the driveway.  Up until just a few days ago, he met me out there every morning.  We'd greet each other and then I'd go make a quick barn check and come back out and drink my coffee while we watched the sun rise and the day begin.  He loved to watch it all.

We'd stand side by side, my hands stroking his face, rubbing his ears and twining in his wool.  If I was tired I'd sit on an apple crate or an upside down bucket and he'd stand there beside me.  The last few months, he stood leaning against my leg and I helped hold him up.  And then I couldn't hold him any longer.

All of my sheep are special.  Jared was outstanding.  As I waited for the vet I talked about all the sheep and dogs and horses and cats who had gone before him.  We talked about Rocky.  I told him to look for everyone and tell them we were all doing okay.  

I told him some of my favorite stories.  

I just realized I forgot to remind him about beating up Pinto when he joined  the flock and tried to steal all the 'wimmens'.  There's no chance Jared had forgotten that one though.

I reminded him about how he and Rocky defended the flock from the stray dog.  How proud I was of them.  

About him and Rocky going way out in the field together to graze even when no one else wanted to go out.  How I loved seeing them do that.  Such great friends.  Brothers. 

What a great job he did welcoming everyone to the farm.  He was so kind.  The friendliest face.  I don't think he ever missed getting up and walking out to greet every single person who visited.  

I brought his sweater out to the barn and thanked him for giving me such a beautiful gift.  He looked and sniffed it all over.  I never showed him something that I'd made that he didn't show interest in.  

How much I loved him and how much I was going to miss him and how sad I was...which I couldn't hide even though I tried to put on a brave face and finally gave up.  

How I wished we could stand out in the driveway one last time.  

And I thanked him for taking the time to stand out in the driveway with me all those mornings.  And nights.  And it came into my head that maybe he'd say the same to me.  And I hope that was a message from him.

May 2010 - August 22, 2024

I think I'd been doing something fun.  Probably with Auntie Reg.  I can no longer remember but I'm trying.  The date isn't important.  It's just a time stamp to find a picture I'm pretty sure I took.  Of Big J standing at the top of the hill watching down the driveway waiting for me to come home.  

I'd give anything to see that one more time.

Tour De Fleece Wrap Up

Last week I walked out of the Wool House and around my car to find my beloved bike crashed and all the accessories strewn about...and a sassy little tail sashaying away.  Hit and run.  A bit like my Tour de Fleece this year.  If you look closely, Jared is standing up the hill peeking around the back of the truck.  Jared does not like drama.  He lives with Maisie...

I ended up spinning four bobbins of Ellie's lamb fleece.  I had some issues with back fatigue because I was using a not ideal chair in the air conditioned wash room so I could hang out with Pinot while I spun.  I didn't make any effort to change my chair until almost the end.  I'd have probably spun more if I'd done that earlier.  My typical can't get out of my own way strategy.

Removing the chair aspect, Ellie was a fun spin.  The yarn is super soft and just a bit fuzzy and a beautiful creamy white.  I loved it even, or more so, as a single, which is not very common for me.

I did my weights and measures thing and paired up the appropriate skeins for plying and then swapped out to the double arms for my skein winder.

This is my favorite way to ply.  Everything stays nice and tidy and evenly tensioned and by using skeins rather than balls or bobbins, you have a better idea of what each skein looks like throughout and I find I have better luck matching up my singles that way as I'm not a very consistent spinner, especially over a long time frame.

I was able to get most of the plying done during the day with just a little bit left for after evening chores.  The porch was cool and comfortable, even in the heat of the afternoon.

As I was plying I noticed a pretty big spider crawling on a ball of wool off to my left.  Just as I was thinking I needed to remember to watch for that in the morning it took off towards the ceiling and I realized she was building a big web.  That really struck me, the two of us spinning on the porch.  Two Wool House Crafters :-).

I ended up with a little over 700 yards of smushy, cozy, sportweight/dk yarn.

It lost a bit of it's fuzziness being plyed, but Ellie's dad was a Cotswold cross from Nistock Farms so I know if I want it back all I'll need to do is run a soft brush over my finished item.  The pattern I've picked will look pretty either way.  The skein winder is from Nistock's as well - good sheep, good tools :-).

I started knitting a few practice rows with the small skein yesterday.  I'd have more to show if I hadn't had trouble counting to nine, but I've practiced doing the stitches required for the patterning and I'm hoping to get started for real this afternoon or tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are going to go back to In Person Crafters here on the farm.  We'll still be on Zoom as well as we are every Tuesday, but if you are local and would like to come out from 7:00 to 9:00 on the second Tuesday of each month until it gets too cold, the porch is really nice now - spider approved :-).  We'll have to over flow onto the grass so maybe wear long pants if you are a bug magnet.

July

July was a pretty fun month...except the heat and drought...which is easier to forget when it takes over a week to get the month end compilation put together.

The highlight of the month was getting to see my friend Robin and her dear cousin Caroline.  We had a great visit and did pretty much everything we wanted to do including driving Frankie, complete with Christmas in July sleigh bells, making sauerkraut, taking a small painting class, setting up together for the Bluegrass Yarn and Fiber Crawl, some punch needle work, checking for monarchs, watering gardens, taking care of sheep, talking sheep and fiber, cooking good food, going to the farm market, taking Bea to Dairy Queen, and really, really enjoying just getting to hang out together.

"Our" purple martins had already headed south, but we had plenty of company from large groups stopping by on their way though.  More this year than ever.  I wonder if it's because we have two houses now and we are "on the map".

The Tour de Fleece happened and while I lost the course several times, I did get some nice yarn spun and I'll share that in my next post.  Maisie "kindly" has provided the perfect TdF wrap up picture to lead it off ;-).

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

A Cereus Showdown

The last two nights have been exciting.  Wednesday night I had THREE night blooming cereus blossoms open.  I stayed up until midnight watching them and walking past them to stir the air so I could smell their beautiful fragrance.

I've had this plant for quite a few years now, maybe ten.  In the early years it was just a big unwieldy plant.  When I moved it out in too much sun, even if I did it gradually, it sunburned horribly...but in the hot sun it finally started blooming.  Just one bloom a year or two in a big year.

The sun burning really bothered me, but if I moved it to a less sunny location it didn't bloom.  This year I built it a lattice shade.  That's the weird contraption in the earlier month end compilations.  It apparently loves it.  Just the right amount of sun without the blistered leaves.  

I had two more blooms last night and there are at least seven more starting!  

But wait, there's more!

I was gifted a moon flower seedling this spring.  I'd seen pictures of the giant flowers and decided to create a safe space to grow one here.  The plants are highly poisonous and while there is plenty else to eat around here, we all know one danger lamb who'd grab a pretty flower just to be a brat...  Most of the fence around the Wool House it to stop the chickens from tearing all my flowers up.  The moon flower fence is to keep "honest sheep honest" ;-).

Last night it bloomed for the first time.  Two blooms.  Over six inches across.  And less than six feet away, the two cereus blossoms.  It was a night time showdown!

I'll give the moon flower points for opening up early, by 9:00, and it's still open this morning.  The blooms are gorgeous.

I'll give the cereus points for being even "extra" and the fragrance...oh, the fragrance.  This time of the year it takes until almost midnight to fully open though.  Midnight is past my bedtime ;-).

So...it's a tie.  Two gold medals.  Or with their color, I guess they'd be silver.

 Here's the moon flower as it was starting to open yesterday late afternoon.  It's probably eight inches from the green bottom to the top flair.  I have several more buds so the show will go on :-).

A Fine Memory

I was doing evening chores and as I checked the water tank out back I noticed the sheep starting to gather up to come in for the night.  I just love watching my sheep and thought to turn on the camera to video them.  I'm so glad I did. 

Not only did I capture how they all start collecting themselves to wander up, but also their walk up the hill to the barn and then several of them checked in with me and then the bats started flying out and it was all so peaceful and something I never want to forget.

For the Biscuit and Muffin fans, notice them walking up together at the beginning.  They are still best friends or adopted brother and sister all these years later.  They were lambs in 2017 (!).

I know I've mentioned how Lancelot watches me throughout the day and you can see him raise his head to check in with me as I'm filming.  I'm glad I caught that as well.  

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

Green Morning

It's amazing how fast the grass starts to green back up.

We finally got some rain.  I am grateful...but you could probably also hear a bit of ungrateful in my tone :-/.  Frequently, when it waits until the heat of the day to rain, we get storms.  We got some rain, but it destroyed my plant shade area and flattened most of my sunflowers.  

Well, the first storm did...and then I spent about an hour yesterday morning standing as many back up as I could and while it wasn't pretty, most would still feed the bees and the birds...until the second storm blew through last evening.

I haven't been out for a close look.  I'm just so disappointed.  This was the best sunflower patch I've even grown. I'm not sure I can bring myself to go out and try to fix everything again.  I can probably tuck everything back into the dirt and keep them alive for a bit longer, but...sigh...

The second worst thing I regret is that I didn't take the time to take some good pictures.  I've had so many gold finches out there on them and I was excited for a gold finch photo for the calendar and I didn't make the time.  Thought I'd have plenty of time.  There's a lesson there for sure.

My neighbor has a stash of seeds, so I'm going to hustle and put some in pots to try and grow a few more that might make it to maturity before we get a freeze.  At this point I'd guess since I'll need it to hold off and give me some more time, fall will come early this year.  It would be a win either way. But I'd really rather have my sunflowers back.

A cell phone shot from an evening last week.  

Both pictures are new puzzles.

My Local Yarn Shop

Setting up for the Bluegrass Yarn and Fiber Crawl has been a good exercise in Getting Stuff Done, but also a bit of a morale boost.  Things are so different now without setting up at the big fiber festivals.  Those events created a business structure that I apparently really needed.

Lately I sometimes catch myself wondering if maybe it's all over and it's time to retire...but I have a flock of sheep that will stay here until the ends of their lives.  They can keep paying into their pensions...if their shepherdess would just do her part.  

I don't know what the sheep really understand about their lives here.  In my anthropomorphic brain I want to think they know that their wool products and pictures and inspiration keep the hay stack tall and grain bins full.  That that is their job.  I'm betting some of the retirees like Krista and Short Round understand things are different here.

Not doing my part to use that wool and their inspiration to help support them feels almost disrespectful.  Like not standing up for a friend or family member.  

In the 'olden days', when I'd get home from a show each night I'd always report in.  I'd tell them which fleeces sold or who's roving was popular that day and who got asked about or came walking into the booth made into a sweater or shawl.  It was nice to be able to do that last Saturday after our first Fiber Crawl day.  We'd all had fun and done a good job.  No one wore a sweater ;-D

Surely I can pull this back together.  I still have some good ideas...and obviously lots of wool.  Let's wash some wool and pull out the hand cards and combs or roving and spin some pretty yarn and knit hats and mittens and scarves and sweaters from our favorite sheep.  

Let's make felted sheep and wreaths.  Get out the drawing pad and create some new rug patterns and learn how to dye bright colors and make rugs and pillows and wall hangings and tote bags.  And send each other some handwritten note cards.  

This will also be known as quit messing about cleaning the house and mowing grass and working in the gardens and show up more for your more fun job that somehow always gets pushed to the bottom of the list. 

If you'd like to come out to the farm this afternoon/evening, we will be open from 4:00 to 8:00 today*.  Bring your wheel or current project and a box of vanilla wafers for the sheep if you'd like.  We can sit and spin or play with wool or just relax and watch the sheep.  If you'd like to mow grass or clean the house, that's always an option too ;-D.  We'll have wine and cheese starting around 5:00.

It was pretty toasty yesterday and the porch was very pleasant.  It's also covered in case we get rain.  The barn is also a fun dry spot and there's nothing like listening to rain on a barn roof, especially after it's been so dry.  We have plenty of chairs and room to spread out.

We also have plenty of good company on the porch.

Pottery from Flat Creek Wool and Pottery.

Morgandell Reds brought over some beautiful California Red batts.

Beautiful yarn from Tring Farm.

Lamb Camp Legacy yarn, I (heart) Kentucky Wool bags, note cards from here.

Washed wool.

Plenty of roving - in the Wool House and also set up in the barn.

The new Lamb Camp Old Friends yarn.

Look at these fancy wool balls made from Pinto's fleece!  You don't have to have a fancy fleece to pay into your pension.  All wool can have a job and if you are using these balls for dryer balls, I'm pretty sure Pinto will add some extra bounce :-D.

Folk art farm cards

I've pulled out six more skeins of Lamb Camp Bottle Lamb yarn.

Two walls full of fleeces.  

If you are looking for your first start to finish fleece, a specific breed for Shave 'Em to Save 'Em, or a favorite sheep you've followed for years, let me help you pick one out.  You can even meet the sheep who raised the fleece.

Do you have questions about how to wash or process your fleece or what to make?  Just ask.  I love to talk wool :-).  

Honestly, I love to talk sheep and wool and farming and spinning and knitting and weaving and I'm happy to share what I've learned along the way and I love to learn what you have as well.  Come out this evening and grab and glass of wine and some cheese and pull up a chair.  

We are also open for the Crawl this Saturday from 11:00 to 4:00.  Really, we can be open anytime.  Just email me to make an appointment.  Maybe in the future I'll start having an actual open schedule.  Let's get busy!

Going Off In A New Direction

There are a few things I'm known for...and we are going to skip the first couple of them ;-).  If you've been around me any length of time you'll know that I am notorious for my lack of color.  My car is gray.  My truck is gray.  I wear white turtlenecks all winter and most of the time you'll find me wearing a gray t-shirt during the summer.  

Gray IS a color!  There are lots of grays!  You can make all sorts of them by mixing different amounts of black and white Jacob wool together!  It's just maybe not as exciting to you as all the other fun colors most wool crafters embrace.  Whatever ;-).

In the last couple of years I've gotten interested in punch needle crafts.  I enjoyed sampling rug hooking with wool strips several years back, but didn't want to get started having to collect a stash of different colors of wool fabric.  Punch needle is done with yarn.  I can make my own yarn as I need it and I can...ahem...dye it all sorts of colors.

During shearing over at Tring Farm we pull out the nicest fleeces for hand spinners and the rest, because there is no commercial market for anything but fine wools anymore, get used around the farm for mulch, erosion control or...nothing :'-(.

As I set one of my favorite sheep's fleece on the dump trailer last year I started thinking about how else to use that wool.  Miss Piggy is old and her wool is nothing really special...but it's Pigs...so it's special to me.  So are her daughters, The Piggly Wigs.  And Pocket and Double O and Mims and Holly and Posey and Maybelline and then there are all of Annemarie's favorites.

While they might not be sexy young sheep fleeces, they'd make great rug yarn!  And the next Lamb Camp yarn was born.  Lamb Camp...Old Friends.

I decided to ask the mill for a mix of worsted weight and bulky weight yarn.  There are different punch needle sizes for each, with the smaller yarn and needles offering a bit more option for detail work and the larger for a heavier weight rug you would actually walk on (!).

When the yarn came back earlier this year I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very pretty and much softer than I'd expected and it would actually be just as nice knitted as it would be woven or punched, especially the worsted weight.  I should have trusted the old girls :-).

 

Here's where things get really crazy.  Since I'm a bit color challenged, I've been a little hesitant to make any big dyeing plans.  I did dye up a small amount to match the basic colors that someone else developed for last year's winter postage stamp collection.  I needed some color inspiration...or at very least a kick in the backside.

Yes, I bought two boxes of Nothing But Color :-o.  These Color Cubes provide all sorts of information for aspects I'm not even positive what they are yet, but they're inspirational for sure.  I'm looking forward to learning all sorts of new things.

Stay tuned for more colorful posts and more information about my ideas for punch needle designs and yarn kits and even perhaps some colorful knitting!  We'll have the new yarn available for the Bluegrass Yarn and Fiber Crawl starting this Saturday and I will get it added to the website soon.

Who What Where When And Why

We are joining the Bluegrass Yarn and Fiber Crawl this year!  The Crawl starts this Friday and runs through next weekend.  Each business sets their own hours and there's an interactive map that shows everyone participating, where they are located and their open hours...so you can plan your routes.  

Punkin's Patch is not opening until Saturday because I'm pretty sure Friday is going to be spent doing some "flight of the bumblebee house cleaning" because I have special guests coming in town for the first weekend :-D.  

Robin Nistock will be here from Nistock Farms, famous for beautiful wool, handcrafted spinning and rug hooking and punch needle tools and being the breeder of some of our most favorite sheep of all time.

She'll be bringing some tools and equipment with her (more about that later) and if you'd like to order something special, get in touch with her so she can bring it with her for you to pick up during the Crawl or I can hold on to it for you.  She'll also be on hand Saturday to teach punch needle and rug hooking and talk sheep and shepherding and it will be great fun!

But wait, there's more!  Andrea Edwards from Morgandell Farm will be setting up over here on both Saturdays.  She's bringing her beautiful California Red batts and some other fun stuff.  She's also happy to talk sheep and shepherding and spinning and horses and is big fun too :-).

As an extra special treat, Tonya Fedders from Flat Creek Wool and Pottery is setting up a fun trunk show here during the Crawl as well.  I just love her beautiful sheep pottery.  I wonder if she'll be bringing any of her gorgeous Icelandic fleeces?  Stay tuned!

Annemarie Holland from Tring Farm brought over some of her flock's lovely farm yarn this past weekend.  I just love farm yarns.  So much character and quality and knowing how the sheep are loved and cared for adds an extra level of special.  

As for Punkin's Patch, I have a bunch of raw wool, some washed wool, a bunch of roving, lots of Lamb Camp Yarn (more about that to come, too!), the usual gift items, needle felting kits, Christmas in July greeting cards and lots of funny sheep to visit.  Cookies not required...but recommended if you'd like to keep your kneecaps.  Just kidding, Maisie...sort of...

I am also going to offer two weaving looms for sale, a bunch of sheep and fiber books and a pretty extensive collection of Interweave magazines (Spin Off and Handwoven).

Farm and Farm Shop Hours: 

Saturday July 27th from 11:00 to 4:00

Tuesday the 30th from 7:00 to 9:00 for In Person Wool House Crafters - bring your wheel or current project

Wednesday the 31st from 4:00 to 8:00

Saturday August 3rd from 11:00 to 4:00

On the Saturdays you are welcome to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy hanging out on the farm with us...or sit off with the sheep and relax on your own.  If you don't feel like packing a lunch, you're going to get a "shepherds lunch" of peanut butter and jelly (you know, living the dream ;-), but the company, people and sheep, will be good :-).

Bring a snack and beverage of choice on Tuesday.  I barely get myself fed that night :-o.

Wednesday - Wine and Cheese :-D  Bring your wheel for that as well!

I think this is going to be a lot of fun.  If you have any questions or need directions, please send me an email.  If there is something specific you'd like to learn, let me know!  I'm happy to teach anything I can - spinning, wool processing, knitting, sheep care...

Did I cover everything?  Who, what, where, when and why...  Why is to support our sheep of course :-). Purchases are never required or expected when you come out to the farm, but a small donation to the hay fund is always appreciated.  

Come see us!