Passing it on

Today was the dyeing day segment of my three-day sheep to shawl class. We start with spinning and shearing and fiber types and more spinning.

Having great fun with COLORS!

Then on the second day we teach spinning and dyeing (with acid dyes, koolaid and natural dyes) and spinning and carding and more spinning and fiber blending and finish up with spinning.

Tomorrow we'll start with spinning, then weaving on the triangle loom and we'll finish up with some spinning. It's my hope that every student in the class has a great time and is at the very least comfortable with the drop spindle when they finish class.

Several of my students weren't able to make this class due to health issues, but the ones who are here are having a great time. Lena is team teaching with me and that's helping me to keep up with class and a bit of work at the same time.

Teaching classes is one way I enjoy passing on my love of fiber arts and fiber animals. This winter, I had another opportunity to share that passion with a young person. Kolt is the son of our assistant superintendent at the Ozark Folk Center. He really seems to enjoy helping us do chores - everything from hauling hay to worming, trimming feet and shearing. With his parents approval and understanding of the work it was going to mean for them, I gave Kolt his choice of two wether goats or sheep for Christmas. He decided his preference is for the sheep. He gets to pick the two he wants during this lambing season.

Kolt finally has a lamb!

You know how the fates seem to have a perverse sense of humor sometimes? Well, here we are, half-way through lambing and every baby born has been a girl. Until Franny's twins. Finally Kolt has his first lamb! And Demi, Cowslip and Basil are due this week, so he might finally get a pick of some lambs. I'll let you know what he names his choices.

Calliope's lambs and yarn tensioning

When I looked out the window this morning, Guthrie as very interested in the "wild sheep's" shelter. She was poking her nose in the back. I thought maybe she was stealing hay.

Then I noticed that Calliope Jane wasn't down by the fence with Dan and the flock. But after watching for a while, I saw her head move in their shelter.

After I had my first cup of coffee and while I was putting the marinade on the ribs for this afternoon's bar-b-que, I notice Pequena the llama looking in the shelter. There is nothing in this world that Pequena loves as much as babies. The I saw the sight below.

Lena had headed out already and I hollered, "We've got lambs!" 

Calliope is very wild, but we had just sheared her about two weeks ago. I knew she was expecting, but I didn't think she was this close.

Calliope is from Corriander's line. This line almost always has twins. However, many times the first-born of the twins goes wandering off while mom is having the second. Newborn lambs can get into all kinds of trouble. We've raised many of this line as bottle babies because of this tendency. This morning's first born lamb had was stuck in the fence, between the two shelters, right where Guthrie had been so interested. She was very cold and very weak.

We warmed her up a bit and got a little colostrum down her and put her back out with her sister. However, after an hour, it was very obvious that she was getting much weaker. 

So, I tucked her in my coat, finished chores and brought her in to Lena. Now Calliope has a nice little ewe lamb and Lena has a new bottle baby. Two hours later, they are both doing well. I think it will be fun to let everybody at this afternoon's barbeque name them. 

It's an "H" year if you want to contribute any names.

Yarn tensioning device.
My students ask me about the "right" way
to tension your yarn after spinning,
plying and  washing it. The right way
 is what ever works. Stretching it between
 two bungee cords on the porch
 is pretty typical in the summer.
However, this morning it was 19-degrees outside.
 I love cast iron!