# succumbing to the lure of fiber...



## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

I've tried to resist for years ... I've bought books and knitting needles.. scanned websites.. lusted after yarn (just cause it was pretty & felt soft) asked billions of questions to friends who spin/knit/felt.. BUT.. kept telling myself the farm workload was too much to add fiber art to the list... 

BUT.. I can't take it any longer..my name is Susie.. I live in the MO. Ozarks and I am about to become a fiber junkie...:ashamed:

(my sister just retired, built a house next to mine.. she too has caught the wool bug LOL).. we are now the new mothers (?) of a flock of 8 icelandic ewes. an icelandic ram .. as well as a couple shetlands and 2 romney ewes (I've had the shetlands and romeny for years. always just gave the fleece to my shearer.. now I'm gonna be greedy and keep it too)

I don't know much about fleece... first to admit that.. I know our learning curve is going to be huge.. I know that the wife of the man who use to shear for us.. always oohhed & aahhed over the shetland & romney fleeces...talked about how nice they were/ how clean (she sold them at fiber festivals). We've always just sheared once a year .. now with the icelandics.. I know we need to do a spring and a fall shearing (have my new guy lined up already).. I think my biggest hill to climb at this point is to learn what is a good fleece.. a great fleece.. and of course what is a crappy not worth keeping fleece.. 

Six of the icelandic ewes come from a flock who purchased just from the Tongue River Flock (as well as the ram I used to cover those six)... I just returned from IL this week, from Red Brick Road icelandics.. I bought a 2013 
Grey/Single Gene Grey Mouflon ram (not that I truly know what the whole single gene grey mouflon means LOL.. know there aren't a lot of them in the USA.. bought him cause we thought he was PRETTY :facepalm: then 2 black ewes (one bred to her moorit ram Smyrillson.. the other to her ram Lund).. We will be driving up to MI to Lavender Fleece Farm this summer for another ranother ram lamb and 2 more ewe lambs once they are weaned)... NOW.. the hard part ..once babies start arriving.. who to keep?? who to sell??? who to eat??? how to know??? 

is there even a market for puppy dog tame wethers for small spinning flocks? We raise nubians dairy goats.. pulling and bottling all the kids each year.. it would be super easy for us to pull and bottle some lambs as well.. esp. wethers.. but if there isn't a market for them.. I would assume we'd just eat the extra rams.. One of my shetlands was bottle raised.. he is puppy dog gentle.. I could sit and hand shear him and he'd love it.. the sheep aren't here to be money makers.. they are mostly for our own enjoyment and fiber play... BUT even I know we will have way more lambs/fleece then we'll be able to use..just feels somewhat sad to eat them all..I'm excited about our new adventure, but a little over whelmed with all there is to learn.. 

basically I just wanted to pop in and say hi..

susie, mo ozarks


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Welcome. What a nice flock you have. You will find what kind of market is around you as you go along. Some wethers might make great pets and fiber producers...others will taste mighty good. The choice of who stays and who goes might lean more and more towards the type of fiber you want keep.


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## kandmcockrell (Oct 10, 2008)

OMG. That first picture is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Hey Susie,
Welcome to the rabnit hole!
You were up in my neck of the woods. (I-88 & IL 40)
Terri (Red Brick) has wonderful genes in her flock. I've bought raw & prepped fleece from Terri.


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## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

How awesomely exciting!!!!!! Congratulations!!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Welcome to The Fold Yarrow and the ever expanding, elongating rabbithole 
Beautiful sheep! Start going to fiber festivals and attending the fleece judging events. Most judges will give you a ton of information and be happy to answer questions. Maybe even enter your fleeces in a fleece judging and learn what the judge has to say about your fleece. When will you be in Michigan this summer? Where in Michigan will you be going? The Michigan Fiber Festival is August 14-16th. the fleece judge this year is great and very patient. There is also have a sheep judging show with many breeders to answer questions.

Have fun with your adventure!


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

Susie, welcome to our addiction -and holymoley - it looks like you jumped in with both feet. 

WHERE are you in the Ozarks? I have a talented fiber friend that just moved down your way and she is hankering to meet up with other fiber folks. She lives in Willow Springs, MO. 65793
Anywhere close to you?


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Welcome ! Your herd looks beautiful !! It's an addiction for sure !!


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## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

Marchwind said:


> Welcome to The Fold Yarrow and the ever expanding, elongating rabbithole
> Beautiful sheep! Start going to fiber festivals and attending the fleece judging events. Most judges will give you a ton of information and be happy to answer questions. Maybe even enter your fleeces in a fleece judging and learn what the judge has to say about your fleece. When will you be in Michigan this summer? Where in Michigan will you be going? The Michigan Fiber Festival is August 14-16th. the fleece judge this year is great and very patient. There is also have a sheep judging show with many breeders to answer questions.
> 
> Have fun with your adventure!


Marchwind... I'll be in Midland MI... picking up lambs once they are weaned and we've made our choices (a ram & 2 more ewes).. I have local friends who hit all the fiber festivals ... it's just hard for me, being the BIG MAMA of a dairy goat farm to get away much.. (which is why I fought the fiber addiction for so long)... our farm started our with just me & the goats 12 years ago.. (hubby is an owner operator/leased to Allied Van Lines.. so he's never here).. about 9 years ago my daughter moved to the farm (run away bride!).. then my adult son joined us almost 6 years ago.. my daughter is now married with 2 little boys... her little family lives here in the main house with me.. but they are about to break ground on their own house.. just to the north of mine..with my sister now here.. I'm getting a little more freedom and might get to hit some festivals.. at the very least.. send some fleeces with folks..

susie


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## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

Wind in Her Hair said:


> Susie, welcome to our addiction -and holymoley - it looks like you jumped in with both feet.
> 
> WHERE are you in the Ozarks? I have a talented fiber friend that just moved down your way and she is hankering to meet up with other fiber folks. She lives in Willow Springs, MO. 65793
> Anywhere close to you?


Wind In Her Hair... I live out of a small town called Alton.. My son-in-law (who lives here on the farm) works in Willow Springs.. it's only about an hour away.. one of my best friends (he's who convinced me to jump in with both feet into the sheep) is from a sheep raising family (Romney) in Willow Springs.. He spins/knits/weaves/judges.. all things wool.. he is doing our shearing and will be the one helping me decide who/what to keep... we've actually talked about getting a small group together... it might be fall before we are at that point tho.. I'm buidling a fiber/art studio as soon as kidding season is over.. Ken is building his own home on his family land this spring/summer.. If you think your friend would enjoy a couple older, fat hippie gals and their Ambiguously Gay barn boy (I'm old enough to be his mother.. tease him that we are too hillbilly to have a cabana boy.. hence barn boy LOL)..we'd love to meet her..

susie,


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

yarrow - I am sending my buddy a link to this thread! :grin:


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

Susie- you'll fit right in here <3


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## Ketoriverfarm (Aug 8, 2014)

Hello Susie,

I have had an Icelandic herd for eight years. I love, love, love my sheep. Great personalities. Welcome to the world of fiber. Icelandic wool is wonderful for felting (spring clip). And the fall clip is great for spinners. Susan


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I'd be interested in a very tame wether or two with good fleece. Don't really want to breed sheep but would like to raise my own fleece. I'm over near Ellsinore.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Random thought of the day, actually for the past week or so.

There are a LOT of people named Susan (or a derivation of that name) in the fiber world. I've never felt so good about my name before (personally always hated my name) and never been in such great company


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

Lets see:

Marchind=Susan
Wind in Her Hair=Susan
Susang=Susan
Ketoriverfarm=Susan
yarrow=Susie

who am I missing?


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

All the best ones! <3


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## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

Cyngbaeld said:


> I'd be interested in a very tame wether or two with good fleece. Don't really want to breed sheep but would like to raise my own fleece. I'm over near Ellsinore.


I bet we can hook ya up with a couple tame wethers.. esp if all 8 girls are bred..(want to take it slow and steady like we have with the goat herd.. being very selective and culling hard..first possible lambing date is March 18th.. last day May 13th.. (IF I counted it out correctly LOL).. we always have a huge over abundance of goat milk.. so pulling and raising lambs on a bottle will be easy for us.. (we are only about an hour from Ellsinore..

susie, mo ozarks


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Do you have a spinning wheel yet? If you spin up a fleece or two, then you'll know what to look for in a good fleece. If you haven't spun much, a drop spindle is a good starting point. Lets you really get a feel for how fiber twists together.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Is that a compost pile I see in your third pic, Susie ? :bouncy:

Great intro, btw.......you'll fit in like flint around here.


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

Forerunner said:


> Is that a compost pile I see in your third pic, Susie ? :bouncy:
> 
> Great intro, btw.......you'll fit in like flint around here.



I forgot you liked compost. Should have show you ours before we started the new gardens... I couldn't see the tractor behind it when Steve would go get a load!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

*howls as though somebody pinched him too hard*

Lord bless me!



You forgot I like compost ?!!!









:facepalm:


.


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## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

hee hee

Lexierowsell, 

look up the word "forerunner" in the encyclopedia and there is a picture of a compost heap! :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: :rotfl:


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## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

Forerunner said:


> Is that a compost pile I see in your third pic, Susie ? :bouncy:
> 
> Great intro, btw.......you'll fit in like flint around here.


yes.. that it is... it needs turned and worked tho.. think most of what I use on the garden this year is coming from our old doe barn.. we just let it build up the last few years (knowing we were taking it down and building in a different location).. so once the building is down.. this is my spring for TALL raised beds, so I don't have to bend over as much (had a brain bleed /surgery a couple years ago.. I don't do well, head down in the heat & humidity anymore LOL).. so raised beds it shall be.. (I'm slowly trying my hand at a more permaculture
type set up.. the bermuda grass and I are at constant battle LOL).. I just keep adding in fruit trees/berry bushes and herbs here there and everywhere.. this year the focus is on elderberries and blueberries..

susie


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## CAnnie (Mar 14, 2008)

Hi Susie...I raise Icelandics in Central Nebraska. I started out with Tongue River lines and have added AI lines from the Creeks Edge flock. It's nice to see breeders relatively close so new blood can be added. I'll keep you in mind as I will be needing a ram lamb for this fall.


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