Boulderneigh boys

Or more specifically, Boulderneigh boys with a Boulderneigh prefix. There are two - Boulderneigh Blackberry and Boulderneigh Blake. (My third ram is Whistlestop Bunker.) I am looking forward to having all three rams' fleeces tested this spring and getting a good look at what's under all that wool. Until then, I won't know who - if any - I will be using on my ewes next fall. (Of course I'm already thinking about next breeding season even though this year's lambs are still in utero - I'm a shepherd!) If none of my rams look like they can contribute to the improvements I'm working toward and Barish's lambs are dynamite, I might just have to lease him again. Of course, I have high hopes that the rams I own will be worth using - especially my smooth-poll, Blake:
I have liked this boy since the day he was born (he's the square brown lamb in my header photo), and the fact that he may be a fully polled ram is exciting. His uniquely colored fleece looks and feels heavenly, and he's not related to any of my ewes. So far, he has been a perfect gentleman, but he's just a coming yearling.

Blackberry, a year older than Blake, is not as square but has wonderful fleece and a typier tail. He is a proven sire, but is related to my two youngest ewes. Just this winter Blackberry has started to think about challenging me; his days will be numbered if he doesn't gain some respect as well as yield an impressive micron report.



That's it for now from . . .

Of sheep and wool

Beautiful Katie. It's hard to get nice photos of super-friendly sheep; Katie is friendly on her terms but doesn't come running when I stop along the fence.

Which is my best side? My left?

No, no; I think it's my right.

Super-friendly sheep are not only harder to photograph - they make it harder to photograph others. I managed to get the photos of Katie in spite of this:
(See the light blur that is Katie in the distance?)
I had already spent a goodly amount of time scratching my sweet lumps of brown sugar (fawn gulmogets Bramble and Bronwen) through the fence, but Bramble was still looking for love.

Last night I filled a bobbin with two-ply yarn (Jacob/Shetland), and this morning I skeined it off and continued plying. The first skein is approximately 443 yards; we'll see if I end up with enough for the Oregon vest.

Off to ride while the sun shines at . . .

Another skiff, and a link for Nancy

Rick romping with the dogs on the way up to the house after morning chores.

This morning we awoke to another skiff of snow. Since Nancy had never heard of the word "skiff" before seeing it here, I looked it up, just for her. ;-) The Word Detective says its origins are from the same part of the world as our little sheep - cool!

Today we "put away Christmas," taking down the tree and packing away the decorations. After a rain/snow shower, Russell and I had a good schooling session, and here and there during the day between various tasks I finished filling a bobbin with Braveheart singles:
I couldn't quite get all of his roving on this bobbin, although I really tried (it's hard to see in this photo, but the singles are actually brushing my flyer arms!). I plan to start plying this with the Jacob singles tonight. I can hardly what to see what it turns out like!

My immune system and the cold are still doing battle, but my immune system finally seems to be getting the upper hand. Everything else on Boulderneigh is healthy, so for that I am thankful. Gotta focus on the positive, because there is plenty of heartbreak all around - in my family, among my friends, and in the world. The devil is certainly acting like the raging lion described in the Bible, but we know who wins the cosmic conflict - praise the Lord!

That's it for now from . . .

Just as forecast

Thankfully it is only drizzling, so there wasn't much build-up of the freezing stuff before it turned to liquid.

It is a good day to stay inside and nurse a cold - my second in one season, I'm disgusted to say. It won't last long - they never do; it's just annoying and inconvenient and I feel betrayed by my immune system.

Oh well, I can sit and spin. A bobbin is filling quickly with Braveheart wool to ply with the Jacob. I had a little over 10 ounces of his roving left, so I'm spinning it a little bulkier and hoping to end up with close to the same yardage I have in six ounces of Jacob. This is will be my first serious stash-busting effort (using up all I have of two different fibers), and I'm positively thrilled with the production I'm managing with the help of my miniSpinner and its handy-dandy WooLee Winder. It sits on a stack of footrests next to my comfortable corner wingback chair, where I can sit down and spin off and on throughout the day and evening.

As for the longwool swatch, this is what it looks like after two machine washings (one in a lingerie bag and one loose) and one machine drying. Still has great stitch definition, very little change in size - in other words, a fulling failure! At least this time I was smart enough to test a sample, unlike that 100% New Zealand wool yarn that I knit into a big French market bag before learning it wouldn't felt.... I'm thinking I may use the rest of the longwool two-ply to knit mini-sweaters. Over the year I may finish enough to string into a nice, long garland for next year's Christmas tree!

Last night, probably because I wasn't feeling up to snuff and Jackson is such a good and helpful dog, he offered to do the dishes. When I declined, he was clearly disappointed.

That's it for today from . . .