A Bunny Dreams And The Blog Saves The Day

Our worst Christmas present this year was a water leak on the farm so bad that the water company actually called us.  As Tim said, "When their number shows up on the caller ID, you know nothing good is coming."  

We spent an entire day looking for the leak.  We've had lots of practice in the last 20 years and are pretty good at it...unfortunately.  Where 35,000 gallons of water has disappeared to we do not know.  We even had professional help come in and they were stumped as well.  

Fortunately it's between the house and barn and we have a cut off at the house that we can turn off and on to keep the waterers filled.  It's a hassle, but it could be so much worse.  And at this point, with no clue where to dig to fix the break...we're finally running all new water lines.

The power and water companies have been out to mark the lines that they are aware of.  The other myriad of lines running throughout the front half of the farm over the last 50+ years are a bit sketchy.  As our water guy started digging in the front field yesterday, the mystery deepened.  

Where we thought the line he wanted to tie on to was, was not.  He found an old septic line...in a random spot.  The water company came back out.  Dig some more places.  Everyone still stumped.  Tim remembered fixing a leak a long time ago down in the creek bank.  If we could just remember where that was, that would probably be the clue we need.

You know...I wonder if I put that on the blog...

I did!  In 2008.  And with a picture that we could use to line up with a tree and the neighbor's house and Bingo!  Blog for the win :-D.

So what's Pinot up to?  Pinot now wants to run around the yard and barn and refuses to stay in his outdoor pen.  He can dig under his wooden fence in less than 5 minutes, but I bet he's thinking if he could just use that digger...

Here's a short video of Pinot out exploring in the yard on Christmas Day.

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Also Rans

Here are a few more pictures I liked from the Solstice shots.  It was really nice "having" to take my camera out to the barn.   Thanks for playing along :-).

Ellie

Murphy

Maisie

Mini Moose and Big Moose.  Big Moose is not so big compared to Mini Moose.

Kaala

Levi, Big Moose and Ellie in the back.

Muffin

Biscuit

Tavia

Krista

A Sweet Little Sweater And A Sad But Sweet Story And Our Solstice Winner

A special friend asked for a tiny memento of Jared so I spun a little yarn and knit a tiny sweater ornament for her.  I enjoyed spending a little time with Big J and wasn't as sad as I thought I might be.  I was happy to be sharing a little of him and enjoyed knowing I wasn't the only one who loved him so much.

Here is the pattern I used.  Tiny sweaters are fun and not really that fiddly and are a great way to use up small amounts of leftover yarn or handspun samples.  This probably works best with a DK or worsted weight yarn.  A heavier or lighter weight yarn would maybe need the stitch counts adjusted.

Tiny Sweater Pattern

Cast on 20 stitches and decide what sort of collar you want.

For a rolled collar, knit all stitches around.  A ribbed collar works best with K1P1 rib and you can make it short for a plain collar or tall for a fold over turtleneck. Knit as many rows as you need. For a fold over collar you should knit one more row than you think.

I knit using Magic Loop so I'm setting my rows up that way. Double points are perfectly fine. You'll just need to adjust your stitches around the needles to make it make sense.

Needle 1. K2 (sleeve), PM (place marker), K6 (front), PM, K2 (10 stitches)

Needle 2. K2, PM (place marker), K6 (back), PM, K2 (10 stitches)

Knit to one stitch before each marker, KFB (knit one front and back), slip marker, KFB, knit to end. Repeat increases until you have 6 sleeve stitches (left), 14 front or back stitches (body), and 6 more sleeve stitches on each needle (26 stitches each side). 

Knit one round plain.

Knit 6 sleeve stitches and 14 body stitches and then cast on 3 stitches (I use the backward loop method). Put next 12 stitches on waste yarn. Knit the next 14 body stitches and cast on 3 more stitches. Put next 12 sleeve stitches on waste yarn. You now have 17 body stitches on each needle and two sleeves on waste yarn.

Knit a few rows for the body and decide how you want to finish the hem. K1P1 ribbing works well, but you could also just continue in stockinette stitch for a rolled bottom. You might want to add an extra row to account for the roll up. Bind off in pattern.

Pick up the 12 sleeve stitches and then pick up and knit the three cast on stitches (15 stitches total). Knit 3 rounds and then do a K2TOG (knit two together) on the bottom side of the sleeve. Knit 2-3 rounds and K2TOG and knit 2-3 more rounds and decrease one more time. Finish sleeve to suit. Repeat for second sleeve.

Weave in your ends and use that yarn to tighten up any holes under the sleeves.

Add a strand of yarn or ribbon at the back of the collar for a hanger loop.

Give it a little steam to "finish" it, especially if you chose a rolled bottom.

* * * * *

Jared didn't just join me on my needles, but also found me in the driveway one last time.  I wanted to post a reminder on IG about the Christmas Eve flock walk and thought I'd re-use the picture we took of Short Round with the holiday lights last year as my photo.

I was speed scrolling down through my phone archives with the photos flying by.  When I picked my finger up the pictures stopped spinning...at the driveway picture I'd been searching for since Jared died.  

When you miss someone as much as I miss him you can't help but think that was a message and I'm just going to tuck that into my heart and leave it at that.

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* * * * *

Random.org selected Far Side of Fifty for the blog drawing.   

Christmas Eve Barn Visit

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We wrap up the Solstice sheep series with a fun quiz during the Christmas Eve flock walk.  Maybe it's easier to pick out who's who now that you know them a bit better?

Leave me a comment here or on Instagram or both places for an extra entry and tell me who your favorite Sheep of the Day was and on the 26th I'll draw a winner here and on IG and send out a small prize.

Merry Christmas!

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Burrnie

It was cold this morning, but the sun was warm and the light was nice.  I wasn't super happy with the picture I had of Burrnie so I grabbed my camera for a re-do.  I love the light in these early morning shots and I love that Burrnie is resting in "his" spot, right in the middle of the inside stall, surrounded by friends.  It's important to be surrounded by friends, especially if you are Burrnie.  

I took this picture just 15 minutes later.  He hasn't moved, but the sun had.  The shadows are coming from the slats on the top of the wall in front of him.  

I call Burrnie my Sesame Street character because his wool is sort of yellow and his face and legs and ears definitely are and even his eye membranes are a yellow color.  You look at their eyes to check for anemia from parasites.  It's a system called FAMACHA and we check that throughout the year, more frequently during the summer months.  His are always fun to check.

Burrnie loves treats of all kinds, but especially loves Vanilla Wafers.  You have to watch your hands because he grabs them so fast that you could lose a finger.  Burrnie is another sheep who'd love to be relaxed and friendly, but is just too scared.  He had an awful start to life and that's never left him.  We don't mind watching our fingers.

Burrnie finishes up our Solstice sheep party.  This has been fun.  Several people have mentioned that they think they can identify the sheep better now which gave me the idea to do a fun challenge tomorrow night during our traditional Christmas Eve live video.

We'll still do our normal "take a deep breath and enjoy relaxing in the barn for a few minutes" visit, but I'm also going to focus on each sheep for several seconds and then say their name so you can quiz yourself.

I'll probably set up a giveaway of some sort tomorrow so check back :-).

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Murphy

As we drew near the end of the Solstice Sheep this week I started counting who was still out.  Five to go.  Who were they...Liddy, Tavia, Tessa, Burrnie and Murphy.  Then I was down to three and I drew Liddy and then there were just two.  Ooh, wouldn't it be fun if Murphy was the last one?

I fed Bea and the cats and put the kettle on and finally got up my nerve to pull today's tag...Dang it,  Murphy!  Wouldn't that have been a great story if the sheep who is best known for being the first out every dang day of the year turned out to be the very last sheep on the Solstice calendar?  Oh well, it's still a pretty good story.

I've been sharing everyone's favorite treats and at first glance this picture doesn't appear to be a treat picture, but it is.  Besides being the leader of the flock, Murphy's main claim to fame is opening gates.  So much so that there were some many times I toyed with sticking him in a big cardboard box with, or sometimes without, air holes and shipping him back to New York.

Murphy's motivation for opening gates is always food related and his main goal in life these days is to move into Easy Breezy (on the other side of this gate).  Oh, he doesn't want to move into a retirement home.  He just wants to steal their food.  

Murphy is obsessed with any treats, but is especially fond of the chopped alfalfa fed to the Easy Breezy sheep.  

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Liddy

Liddy's claim to fame?  She got kicked out of a fiber festival!

"I did?"

Well, they didn't make her leave early, although I'm sure they wanted to, but we were asked to never bring her back.  Why?  Liddy is a talker...and she has the voice of a three pack a day smoker.  People complained that she was "growling".

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Volume Up

I had a question about Andy's bell back at the beginning of the Solstice series and I thought I would just answer it when Liddy's turn came about, figuring she'd not be far behind...and here we are three from the end.  Liddy is the other belled sheep.  There are just two even though it sometimes sounds like more.

The bells do a couple of jobs here.  First I can always find the sheep, just by listening for them.  They don't go out in the dark, but we can have some really foggy mornings and because of the bells I've been able to tell which field they are in even when it's so thick I can't see them.  

The other thing the bells do is tell me what the sheep are doing.  If they are just grazing or walking back in from the back fields, the bells just jingle.  If something has spooked the sheep and they are running in, the bells CLANG CLANG CLANG and I know to go check.

Sometimes the bells also tell me when Liddy is into something she shouldn't be.  Liddy comes out for an extra breakfast in the mornings and sometimes stays with the Easy Breezy sheep longer than she's able to keep herself out of trouble.  

Liddy loves all treats, but especially loves her special breakfasts.  She could just move into Easy Breezy...but she doesn't stay out of trouble.  Ever.  That bell is always ringing.

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Tavia

Tavia is our little "blond with blue eyes" cheerleader.  Well, that's what Saint Tim calls her, The Little Cheerleader.  She is very pretty and she does have blue eyes.  Wait, what?  Blue eyes?

Yep, if you look closely she has blue in both eyes.  I think this mostly happens with spotted sheep, but maybe it can show up in other breeds.  I haven't researched that.

Tavia is very sweet, but pretty shy.  Once you catch her she likes to be scratched and talked to and easy to handle, but like most Jacobs, isn't going to initiate much cuddling.  While her coloring is a little too "blond" (missing her leg spots and some extra black on her face), her wool is gorgeous and is always the first Jacob fleece picked on shearing day.

Compared to Tessa's longer and coarser locks, Tavia is very even in not only length throughout her fleece, but also crimp and texture.  Crimp is the way the fleece curls as it grows.  A Cotswold has big loopy curls going down the lock, maybe 10-12 curls over 5 inches for example.  A finer wool like Bullwinkle might have 50 curls over the same 5 inches.  The more crimps per inch, the softer the wool will feel.  In 25 words or less.

Tavia loves sweet treats, but is also in the chopped alfalfa camp.  She will try to sneak up to the front if there aren't too many sheep pushing and shoving. 

Merry And Bright

If I had time I'd probably go back through the archives to see if this is the latest I've ever posted the Christmas card.  If it's not the latest, it's probably tied for the latest.  Whooosh!

I'd originally planned to paint this fun picture of Short Round, but as I sketched it out on my iPad and started figuring out the colors on there, I really liked it just as it was so decided to just go with it and use it as an exercise to learn more about Procreate, which is a fun art program built for Apple devices.  

This was my hope when I finished out the 20 year series of folk art farm cards last year.  Mostly I was out of new story lines, but also I wanted the opportunity to learn some new skills.  Once it was finished I realized I could still draw the back as an outline and it would probably work as a cute rug pattern, which is something else I'm hoping to learn more about.

This has been a hard year for so many people.  I hope this funny old ewe brings you some joy and the silhouettes of sheep grazing in the moonlit sky behind her bring you some peace.  The inside of the card this year says "Merry and Bright".

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Tessa

If I were to pick a current Jacob to spin, Tessa would always be my first choice.  She doesn't have the most "correct" Jacob fleece, but it's the one I like the best and isn't that the beauty of handspinning...you can like whatever you like.  What makes her not an ideal representative of the breed standard?  Her wool is a bit too long and a little on the coarser side...just the way I like it :-).

Other than her fleece (and maybe her dumpling shape ;-) she's what I like to see in a good Jacob.  Two horns, distinct face markings with both eyes covered in black, good balance of black and white in her fleece (they should be about 60% white and 40% black) and lots of black spots on her legs with all four hooves black as well.

Her personality is a little bit more relaxed than the other Ts, but she's still no Cotswold or Border Leicester, and that's okay too.  She doesn't panic when I walk through the stall, but she's not going to be wearing any Santa hats any time soon ever.

Like all Jacobs, Tessa has a sweet tooth.  And like most Jacobs, you need to toss her some cookies from a distance because she's not going to fight her way through the bullies in the front.

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Kaala

With the way the draws have come, with so many matching their real personalities and traits, I expected to not see Kaala until Sunday or Monday.  

Kaala got here in 2018 and her first shearing here was 2019.  She was the very last sheep to be shorn that day.  In 2020 she was again the last sheep to be shorn.  In 2021 she was the last.  In 2022 she was second to the last.  I don't remember where she fell in 2023, but it was definitely in the last two.  She was at the end of the line again this year.

Some sheep figure out to just go on through.  Most fall in the 'wherever they land' category and some sheep put it off to the last minute rather than just get it over with.  This frequently happens with lambing too.  You know who the early lambers are going to be and the same couple of ewes will always be at the tail end.

Kaala has spent this year teaching people how to spin yarn.  Her fleece is perfect for this because it's not too long, but not too short and has just enough gray running through it that you can easily see your angle of twist.  She's in all the drop spindle kits these days.

Kaala likes treats, but what she really likes is to wait while everyone else goes out to graze in the morning because she's figured out Liddy, who also waits, get a special breakfast and she's figured out how to capitalize on that.  

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Maisie

As I picked my card this morning I knew it was going to be Maisie.  I haven't had a feeling about any other sheep so far, but today I knew it was going to be her.  Granted there were only seven sheep left so the odds were in my favor, but still, I've enjoyed some of the magic of the draws.

I had a picture already picked out for Maisie, but at the last minute I wondered about if we'd ever dressed Maisie up with a Santa hat and I don't believe we have, so here you go.

"The things I have to do around here."

Maisie was her (now) usual good sport self and got lots of vanilla wafers for her effort.  Those are her favorite treat, but Maisie didn't always eat vanilla wafers or treats of any kind, really.  She also used to Not Wear A Hat Of Any Sort, but that story has already been told and can be found in the archives ;-).

I'd always offer her cookies, but she wanted no part of them.  Finally one day I just popped one in the side of her mouth.  I knew if she'd just get a taste of them, she'd love them.  That cookie shot out the other side of her mouth like a torpedo.

Cookies, crackers, healthy snacks...nothing.  I'm not sure why she was so adamant about it, but I wondered if she thought I was trying to give her medicine.  I'd try off and on for a year or two and finally just gave up.  

One day Auntie Monica came over with her big bag of treats for everyone and as soon as I told her not to expect Maisie to eat anything she said she'd already given her some cookies.  I assumed she had the sheep confused...but no, there was Maisie eating cookies like a pro and she's eaten them ever since.

"I like to keep everyone on their toes!

"Baa Humbug"

You better watch out, Maisie, or Santa will put you on his naughty list!

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Biscuit

I took at least a dozen pictures of Biscuit on a sunny day (which it is definitely not today!) last week and turns out in all but three weird looking shots, he had his mouth open.  I thought, briefly, about trying for another shot this afternoon (in the definitely not pleasant weather)...and talked myself into this picture.  

It definitely shows his signature curls.  And his messy foretop.  And the constant piece of something stuck in there (he's a mess).  And him watching his buddies head on out for a late afternoon graze while he then sidles over to me for some back scratchies.

He does this every morning too as I open the gate to let everyone out.  He'll stand there as long as I'll stay and scratch his back and then finally I get tired and stop scratching, give him a gentle pop on the butt and tell him to "Go get 'em, tiger."  And off he goes to catch up.

Biscuit mostly stays in the background.  He can fight his way in for cookies, but he doesn't fight too hard.  There are some tough nuts in the front and who needs all that conflict.  Muffin is still his best friend and they are frequently side by side, especially when they are eating.  I just love that.

I let Mrs. Pepperpot take over as his mom when he moved from the house to the barn and his transition was seamless.  She was a kind old ewe and took him under her wing.  She probably knew Muffin was going to need a good friend by her side.  She was right.

Biscuit is truly grateful for any treats you can sneak in to him, but he's also pretty happy with a good back scratchy.

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Levi

This might seem like an odd picture to post, but it actually tells part of Levi's story.  Levi is known to fiber artists as one the most popular spinning fleeces in our flock, but he's known around here as the most dangerous sheep on the farm...but there is not a mean bone in his body.  

Jacob sheep tend to be feral and flighty.  They are a primitive breed and that's just part of the package.  They panic and scoot away, but they aren't hard to handle once you get used to that and have a good working pen.  Levi just panics and a sheep his size (275+ pounds) in a panic can easily send someone to the hospital.

He's lived here since he was weaned (2016) so I know nothing awful has ever happened to him.  His mother was a friend's bottle lamb and I don't remember her being nutty.  His dad is a Rocky son, so again, nothing to raise any red flags.  It's just who he is...but it's maybe not who he really wants to be.

When we "work" our sheep here we bring them into the barn and then funnel them into the outside stall and then tighten them down to a 14' x 14' catch pen at the end of the stall.  Once in there they are pretty tightly packed and there's not so much room for someone to try to get away.  It's always much better to be able to catch your sheep quietly and calmly.

For a sheep like Levi I wait until I see him in a good spot, either in a corner or blocked in near the wall by some other large sheep.  I then sidle over to him without making eye contact and try to scoop under his chin to keep his head up (even a tiny Jacob can get away from you if they can get their head down) and then gather him around the neck with my arms.  Never try to catch sheep by grabbing their wool.  

All Levi has ever had done to him is routine exams, vaccinations and foot trims.  Shearing is done through the working chutes and pens, but again that is a time where everyone watches what they are doing.  You never want to get run over by a sheep in a panic. 

Once caught everything is usually okay.  Sometimes he still loses his courage and tries to bolt, but I just remain calm (and hang on tight) and he calms back down and we carry on and here is why I think he doesn't really want to be "that sheep".  

He's scared of me, but we actually have a good relationship and he trusts me as much as he's ever going to trust anyone. Once he settles down he always looks up at me and lets me scratch around his ears and rub his face and I can feel him relax and I can tell that he'd really like to be "that sheep".  Maybe someday.

Levi might not be brave enough to come all the way up to you, but he loves to stand with the safety of a fence between you and him and he'll try to quickly grab any treats you hand out. He especially loves the chopped alfalfa :-).

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Pinto

I'd be lying if I said Pinto wasn't one of my favorite sheep.  What a turkey :-).  

Of course Pinto's main claim to fame is his ability to jump in and out of the arena at will.  I'm glad he's the only one who does that, although honestly I am a little surprised that no one else has tried to follow him. It's easy to assume he's just looking for the best grass, and that is for sure the best place to find it, but I think he also just likes to go off by himself sometimes. 

He spent much of the first year of his life alone and while he really loves all his friends here, it's not uncommon to also find him in what I call "his office".  He likes to go sit in the aisleway stall when the Easy Breezy sheep aren't in there.  He sometimes tucks himself in the corner of the outside stall.  And of course there's always the arena.  

Sheep are flock animals and it's unusual to see a sheep choose to go off alone unless they are sick or injured of getting ready to lamb, something like that.  Pinto does it almost every day.  He doesn't seem sad or lonely...maybe just contemplative.

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He's definitely a thinker and probably one of the smartest sheep I've known.  He had to be.  The best part of it is he doesn't use his super powers for trouble like some sheep we know.  He's just a good solid citizen.

His new favorite treat is Frosted Mini Wheats, but he likes crackers and cookies as well.

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Thelma

Thelma is easy to spot...because she has a spot.  I prefer the two horned Jacobs, but sometimes at a quick glance they are harder to tell apart without their crazy extra horns.  Thelma is easy because of her special nose spot.

Thelma is not a sheep of great personality like Tabitha, but she's started letting me walk past her in the shed lately, pretty closely, without jumping up.  That's pretty noteworthy for a Jacob ;-).   She's also frequently seen near Pinto, or I should say Pinto is frequently found near her.  

I don't think he's sweet on her.  He's pretty much given up the Romeo life.  I think they are friends.  My Jacobs have always tended to stay together and I think that's partly a breed thing, although the Ts did all come here together, but also sometimes seems like a spotted sheep thing.  Pinto is a spotted sheep...but he only hangs with Thelma, so I think she's his best friend.

The ratio of black to white in her wool makes her blended fleece pretty dark, like a mottled dark gray.  It's a little softer and finer than I prefer spinning, but her roving is a customer favorite.  

Thelma likes cookies, but only if you toss them to her from a good distance away.  Those silly, spooky Jacobs :-).

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Tabitha

Aside from being the only Jacob we have who will come up and grab a treat from anyone who shows up with a box of treats, Tabitha's main claim to fame is her horns.  

Jacobs are a polycerate breed, meaning they have multiple horns.  For the breed standard they have to have at least two horns, but they can have up to six.  Tabitha has five.  They aren't show worthy horns, but they've served her pretty well and have the scars to show for it.

Looking at the first picture it appears that she only has three horns, but here's a better view.  There are actually two nearly fused upright horns on the top of her head along with another upright and two lateral horns, one on each side.

She's not afraid to use those horns and while the sticking up horns aren't good for direct punching, she can give you a bottom hook and flip or a top down smack.  She's not a mean sheep, but she's also the only Jacob we have that can battle her way to the front of the cookie mosh pit ;-).