It has been a while since I shared an update on the farm. I have been busy cleaning up and reorganizing, which is a less fun and glamourous job but it is easy to put things off because my time and attention is needed elsewhere. But, I am making progress each day and things are looking pretty tidy and I can actually find what I am looking for! I really love organizing to be honest, and I enjoy doing it when it happens in preparation for another season.
The next big farm event is calving! We are calving in October, and I had the vet out two weeks ago to do a health check on all the girls. He said they all look in great health and body condition. They were bred by a highland cross bull, so I am excited to see what the babies look like given we have a mix of breeds in our cows/heifers (angus, Dexter, white dexter, and jersey)
Ruthie, Tallulah Twyla, Elsie and Clara.
Besides cleaning, I have spent a lot of time buried in bags of wool. Sorting, cleaning, spinning, and feltings, SO much felting (More on that later). We are shearing much earlier this year, in September (last year was November, and year before was October) so I am trying to work through what we have now. We have such a variety of fleeces! From Jacob fleeces, Icelandic, and a cross between and even Finn. Colors ranging from black to white to grey, to brown and cream and everything in between. I have been felting the wool to make not only blankets, but wool collars to wear (much like a scarf or a shrug!). The lamb fleeces are so incredibly soft, and the adult ewes produce thick durable collars that really can handle the rough and tough life of anyone outdoors. They have been so fun to make! Two are now in the shop and ready to go to their new homes.
Although I have been tanning for many years now, wool has taken a back seat to it. But, I have made it my focus the last several years to have our sheep professionally sheared so that I have wonderful fleeces to work with. Creating the collars and blankets are a labor of love, as each lock has to be individually placed (if the wool is not all in one piece after shearing. )Techniques I use are needle felting as well as wet felting (hot soapy water).
Many farmers do not use the wool from their sheep. It is merely tossed in the garden or compost. I love that our sheep have such beautiful fleeces I can create so many things with each one.
It is hard to believe August is here already, if I am being honest. It feels like June and July flew by and before you know it, Autumn is here. Summer has brought with it a few heat waves, but overall it has been pretty mild. As I am typing this in the afternoon, it is only 74F and a gentle breeze is blowing. That is pretty amazing for August in the Ohio River Valley area if you ask me! Not to mention we had 1.88 inches of rain over the weekend. Starting off August with milder temps and rain, is so welcome and needed since the last two years we were in a drought in August.
That is all the updates for now. I am also trying to get better at writing here. Let’s see if I can stick to it this year. :)