Reviving a Lamb

I went to the barn a little after 6 a.m. this morning and found what looked like a dead lamb along with two lambs who were up and nursing. The lamb that was flat out on the ground had membranes over his face and was cold and still. I pulled the membranes off of the nose and surprise! That lamb wasn't quite dead yet. It made a little sound and started to breath raspilly. (Spellcheck says that's not a word, but it works for me.) First, get lamb warm. The heat lamp wasn't fast enough... ...so I brought it to the house. After it started to revive I substituted a heating pad for the hot water. Tube feeding with colostrum was next. Fortunately I had a couple of ounces in the freezer.  I switched the heating pad from under the lamb to over the lamb while Rusty made sure he didn't go anywhere. I carried the whole bundle back to the barn so I could get on with chores. That's when I set up the heat lamp. I also milked some colostrum out of the mom and tube fed the lamb  another few ounces.It got up before long and now sports the most glamorous in lamb-wear. If a ewe lambs with a single lamb in the next few days I will try to graft this one on. That will be another post. These are the other two sets of triplets and their moms.

Today's Lambs

Lambing moved into high gear today. It's been one ewe a day until now. The morning started with Ginseng and twins.Next was Maggie. I pulled twins but one was dead. This one has a long story that I won't go into now because I still have to go back to the barn. Maggie and the remaining lamb are at the UCD Veterinary Hospital for the night. Maggie was low in potassium and that needs to be dripped in over a 24 hour period.  Esmerelda is a Jacob-BFL cross who is just a year old. She delivered 7.8 and 8.8 pound Jacob-cross lambs. That first lamb was on its feet within 5 minutes. 

Foxglove is another Lilac ewe with lilac lambs (although it's hard to tell when they are wet).This is the kind of lambing I like. Put her in the barn. Go to the house. Come back to the barn and there are lambs nursing. Here is the count so far. By the way the TB means that I've banded Tails and given BOSE. Rams and ewes are color coded (blue for boy)

Lambing in Threes - Not Always Pretty

Lambing count so far: 4 sets of twins and 2 sets of triplets. I hope this is not indicative of the rest of lambing season. After checking Ventura every so often for lambing progress I found her with only a tail hanging out. Not a good sign.I don't know any other way to deliver a lamb in that position other than to push it back in and find some feet to pull. This is lamb #1. With lamb #1 at 5 lb 6 oz and in an abnormal presentation that's an indication that this is a triplet delivery.Lamb #2.Here are all three.

Ventura with all three lambs the next day. They clean up pretty well.

Here is what I found in the barn this morning:Loretta had one small lamb that had obviously been up for awhile and there were multiple fluid filled membranes. Triplets again? Yes.The second two were trying to come at the same time. Match up a head and two feet and pull that one. The next one comes easily.

 That third lamb took quite awhile to get going. I let her stay in that sunny spot as long as the sun was there.

 Not triplets but three happy Farm Club members and three babies.

Weaving Class Gone to the Dogs

I taught a Learn to Weave class this weekend. There were three people who worked diligently all weekend and finished their samplers. I don't make everyone use the same yarns. Willard used Jaggerspun Green Line, an organic Merino yarn.Ruth used Ashford Tekapo yarn. I didn't get a photo of Marion's piece until our group photo but she used Imperial Stock Ranch Erin yarn.I wish that I had a separate classroom that could remain set up for classes and Spinners Night Out but we just have to move everything aside to turn the shop into a classroom. And this time we made room for dogs also.

This is Bear, who came for the weekend. I don't usually invite dogs to functions here but made an exception for Bear and her owner. Bear is a Leonberger and this is what Wikipedia says in addition to describing a "generous double coat": "When properly trained and socialized, the Leonberger is vigilant, loyal, and confident in all situations. Robust, adaptable, obedient, intelligent, playful, and kindly, the Leonberger is an appropriate family companion for modern living conditions". Evidently that goes for weaving classes too although at times I think Bear was a bit bored with us.

 "Mom, can't we go yet?"

Can you tell from this photos how large bear is? It's not just the camera perspective.

  And then there is Rusty who gets to come in the shop when he hears gunshots and needs to feel safe.At the end of the day.

Weaving Faith

When weaving  the yarns are under tension on the loom so they look thinner than they will at the end of the process. In addition the yarn looks thinner on the cone than if it is wound in a skein. So there is some faith involved in planning a weaving project. It is important to know how the yarn will look once it is relaxed and after the very important step of wet finishing.This is one dramatic example of the same yarn on a cone and wound in a skein and washed. Here is a project that I just finished:

.This is Jaggerspun Maine Line 3/8 sett at 10 epi (that's ends per inch, or the number of threads wound in an inch, for you non-weavers). That photo is off the first blanket I wove as it was going around the cloth beam. The two colors alternate in the pattern blocks.

 This is the second blanket on the warp. I didn't have enough of either of the warp colors so I used a third color and wove the whole blanket in the same color. Notice how much space there is between all the warp and weft threads? It's harder to weave this way with it so open. And this is where the faith comes in. It sometimes takes awhile for brand new weavers to have that faith that it will all work out in the end.

The photo above shows what the blankets look like off the loom and not under tension and there is a greater difference after washing. (Not the color difference--that is the lighting. I took the photo above in the evening because I wanted to get these washed that night.)

 The photo above and below show these blankets after washing and fulling. 

It's Spring Across the Road

I just posted springtime photos taken near my house. Then I looked at my iPhone photos and found some from Across the Road.  Almonds blooming along the canal.  Mushrooms.  Mustard.

 Even thistles are pretty.Wild radish.The alfalfa field. Rusty has posted in quite awhile. There are a lot of dog photos so I'll let him use the computer tomorrow.

It Looks Like Spring

I hope that winter is not over for California because it barely started. Our water situation is dire. However that doesn't mean that I won't admire the fabulous colors of an early spring. I took all of these photos within about 30 feet of my house.  The acacia tree in the front yard. The almond tree near the driveway. Recent rain (two weeks ago now) and warm weather bring out "the air force". In the pasture.Shepherd's purse in the pasture. In a pot in the backyard. Western redbud near my shop.   This one is not the best photo but I love the colors.

Farm Day

This year's pre-lambing Farm Day overlapped with Stitches West so some of our members chose shopping over barn cleaning, thinking that their yarn stashes needed a little reinforcing. However we still had an effective crew and finished our scheduled chores in just a couple of hours. (Dona was shopping so thanks to Lisa for providing some of these photos.)Lisa, Cindy, Alison, and Stephany helped clean the barn and vaccinate all the sheep. Betty came later and we skirted fleeces.We gathered  all the ewes in the barn. Some are looking quite large.

We checked eyelids of the ewe lambs for anemia using the FAMACHA scorecard and dewormed those who scored 2 or 3.Amaryllis is always happy when Lisa comes.

  Faulkner was all fired up after yesterday's tryst with Donna, who spent the day with him in anticipation of July lambs, but alas, it was just us Farmers who came to call today.After skirting fleeces in the afternoon......Betty and I treated the ewes to snacks.Usually Farm Day lasts well into the afternoon but today everyone had places to be (including me who went to Berkeley to see out-of-state cousins who had all gathered for a birthday celebration), but it was a beautiful morning to spend with friends.We didn't do much hard labor today but someone was tired out.

My Weekend in iPhone Photos

What a beautiful weekend we had, although I'd rather be able to say that it's been raining and cold like winter is supposed to be. I wonder if this is the future. That will take some major adaptation. Regardless, here are photos from warm, sunny Solano County. I usually don't put the ewes out on the main pasture until late March when it has dried out. However, this year the water has drained away and I will take advantage of the grass growing now. If it doesn't rain more this will be it until (and if) we get irrigation water.Waiting for me to change the fence.Rear view of one of the ewes due to lamb in about 2-1/2  weeks.More rear views. These ewes won't lamb for a month or more.

 Thatch left over from the overgrown dallisgrass last fall. Nothing grows under it--at least not useful for sheep.This was growing inside that pile.While walking around the pasture I saw something (rodent) scurry across this obviously well-used path from one clump of grass to the next.

Speaking of rodents this is a view I see every morning when I go in the chicken house. Well, not this exact view. There are always new holes and new piles of dirt. There are only 2 chickens and I think I am feeding a whole colony of rats. I posted this photo on FB and was surprised at the number of responses. The overwhelming suggestion was to get terriers. Three dogs is enough and I won't get another. If Maggie gets a chance she will kill rodents but she will also kill chickens, which is why they are in the chicken house. Next suggestion was the old-fashioned snap type of trap. I have used those for mice, but for rats it sounds disgusting. I think I will get some though. I tried a sticky trap under that garbage can but they just covered it with dirt. Faulkner. I sent photos to someone who has been asked to supply rams to participate in a Year of the Sheep celebration in San Francisco this week. I suggested Faulkner because he is easy to handle (relatively). They want horned rams so I sent more photos....but probably not with spots. They are still discussing it and I haven't heard the final word.Even if the rams don't get to go to the city, some of them are having fun. It's time to breed my ewes that will lamb at the State Fair. This is Foley and Isadora yesterday. Today it was Crosby and Clover. I hope that this will be one answer to another rodent problem. This is a trial straw bale garden. The gophers have made it impossible to grow anything successfully in this part of the garden. Last summer I put two bales out here and started watering them the way you're are supposed to. Then I went to Texas to wait for my granddaughter to be born. I gave up the garden idea until now. I have planted lettuce and carrot seeds in this one and chard in another. We'll see what happens.

  I took a quick trip to Sacramento Weavers Open House to pick up the things I had on display there. These are a few of my blankets. This is the first year in many, many years that I did not spend the weekend there demonstrating weaving. It felt odd to show up at the end.A friend's purse that uses my horn buttons for the closure and to secure the strap.I tried this AVL loom with the e-lift. One step on the button and the shed changes. No lifting 16 (or in this case 40) shafts with leg power.

Farm Club's Annual Retreat - Day 2

The first day of our Farm Club Retreat was rainy and windy--a good day to relax in the parlor of the Home. On the second day the sun was out and we had a plan. But first we gathered in the dining room for our traditional breakfast. Some of the group decided to stay at the Home and continue with their projects and others went to the Asian Art Museum. Some of us decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and walk to the museum.That was a good opportunity to see some of the beautiful old houses in this part of San Francisco.First stop at the Museum was the Museum Store. In recognition of the Year of the Sheep there were plenty of sheep figurines and trinkets. Alison showed me how this Buddha Board works. You "paint" with a brush and water. The image takes a few seconds to be seen and then disappears as it dries. Alison described it as a version of an etch-a-sketch.

We didn't have nearly enough time to see all that is in this museum. We split up as we wandered the three floors that hold art from 2000 years old to contemporary that represents all the Asian nations. I found myself focusing on finding sheep and horse images--at least a way to narrow my photographs. Not sheep, but labeled "A Goat Pen" from the year 25 to 220. Now that's old!

  Here is a beautiful "glazed earthenware" horse (618-906).

 Bowl (1662-1722)"Horse with pack" (386-584).

There were a lot of other animals represented as well. Tiger netsuke (1675-1800) in ivory. Wikipedia says: "Netsuke  [netsu͍ke] are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function (the two Japanese characters ne+tsuke mean "root" and "to attach")" Traditional clothing had no pockets so people used small containers hung around the neck with cords. Netsuke were decorative closures. 

I love this one:Buffalo (1800-1900) in rock crystal, but I think my favorite piece of the day is this one:"Ewe with lamb" (1644-1911) in ivory.

After lunch at the museum we headed back to the home where we said our goodbye's Some of us headed to Ribboneri, a store filled with any kind of ribbon you could possible want and some went to Lacis in Berkeley.

This was a great weekend and we already have a plan for next year!

Farm Club's Annual Retreat - Day 1

I think that this is Farm Club's fifth annual retreat to San Francisco where we spend the night at the Home, designed by Julia Morgan and owned by the Native Daughters of the Golden West. If you search for NDGW in my blogs you will find photos of our activities during past retreats and of this gorgeous Home. We usually try to find a farm-related activity for Friday afternoon, but couldn't come up with one this year. Since a big storm was predicted we decided that it was just as well to curl up in the parlor for the afternoon and evening with our spinning and knitting projects. And that's just what we did.We arrived in the early afternoon from the North Bay, East Bay, South Bay and Solano and Yolo Counties. Since there were to be 14 (!!) of us for dinner we scoped out our favorite restaurant and the pie place (where we get pie for the next morning's breakfast), were assured that there would be room for all of us at dinner, and returned to the Home (only a block away) to spin and knit for the afternoon.This is an example of one of the 30 rooms that can be reserved for NDGW members and their guests. Each room is decorated and maintained by one of the many "parlors" around the state.The rooms are on the third and fourth floors. This is looking down the stairway to the second floor. To the right is the dining room and a huge kitchen available to all who stay there. The atrium is directly across from the stairs and I found out on this visit that originally there was a glass pyramid in that area directly over the museum that is beneath. How wonderful that natural light must have been on the lower story. There was also decorative painting (I have just blanked on what that is called) on those columns and around the ceiling. To the left is the parlor where we spend our time socializing (albeit in pajamas instead of flowing gowns).We walked up Baker Street to Green Chili Kitchen......where we had an early dinner, which left us plenty of time for our evening of sitting around in the parlor in our pjs.There was a record 14 of us! Here are some of our projects: Alene spun Teeswater wool. Amy began a knitting project with help from Shelby. Betty was knitting a shawl.Wandering around the room to take a stretch break from projects one can find all kinds of interesting things. This is from an oversize journal in which donations to the Home were recorded. "Wool" caught my eye here. Other donations included tea towels, dishes, and preserves. Look at that penmanship!

  Carol brought spinning and knitting.Kathy set to work on deleting  what may be an embarrassing number of emails that were bogging down her computer. She worked diligently on this all evening and made good progress.

  Another break time with yoga for Amy and Shelby.I worked on the Zoom Loom and on spinning Raquel's fleece, bringing far more than I could possibly spin in a week.Joy needlefelted a guinea pig.Polly worked on rug-hooking while Janis took photos and worked on her computer.

  Another break. This is a book on the coffee table edited by John Muir.

  Kathleen finished a handspun knitted sleeve. Only one more and a body to go!

 Lisa spun and knitted. If you look closely you'll see someone else also wearing sheep pajamas.

 Mary knit a colorful sock.

 Shelby knitted and......Stephany worked on a sweater. She is wearing a Jacob sweater that she finished last year.

Stay tuned for the Saturday adventures of Farm Club in the City.

More Cuteness in Texas

 After a too-short visit here who was waiting at home: 

Visiting Texas

This is what I did for the last 5 days. These are just my i-phone photos and it was hard to narrow it down. I still have the other photos to go through.  First taste of yogurt. Not a big fan.  Helping in the kitchen while I made cookies.  Sleeping on Mama's lap.   Carrots are better than yogurt.  Ready for the Superbowl. Asleep with me. Trying to catch a ride home with me.

Random 1030 photos

I had a good time with this post of random photos so here is another. Jazz (#1030 ) is another one of my ewes. Here is her photo and a bunch of other photos that come up when I search 1030.Jazz as a yearling. Jazz with triplets.

 I took this at Pinnacles National Park  when we camped there last year.

 Chris showing his goats when he was a sophomore in 2006.

 A  handwoven vest from the new book Weave, Knit, Wear, that I just got into the shop...the book, not the vest. But I tried on the vest at TNNA and it fit me.  Matt & Kaleena in 2009.

Katie and Benny in 2002.

Ginny Across the Road

Have you seen Rusty's blog with photos of Ginny and Maggie playing? They look fierce there. That's a different kind of play than when they go for walks. This is the third successful trip Across the Road With Three Dogs. I think we've got it down now that Ginny will walk on a leash without trying to play with the others. Once we're to the dirt road along the canal I can let her go and all three dogs run free. I don't worry about Ginny as long as she is with Rusty and Maggie. She stays right with them.   When I take my camera Across the Road my walk could not be considered a workout. It turns into a pretty leisurely walk because I get easily distracted by envisioning things in photos. I guess the dogs like that because we're out longer.

 

Can you believe this blue sky? What a day for January! But it's very troubling that we haven't had any rain since December. Another thing about a blue sky--it shows up the slightest dirt on my lens or in my camera. But I'm too tired to fix it now.

Distracted

I am updating my sheep info in my sheep database. I am looking through the manual to pick up on the stuff that I haven't figured out or noticed yet--entering photos, entering ancestors of sheep I didn't breed, etc. I am exporting photos so that they can be entered properly. Searching sheep by # and/or name in Aperture, my photo program. As you can guess from this blog, I like taking photos. I have A LOT of photos. Entering #868, a sheep named Clover born in 2008. Not too many photos of her but when I search 868 dozens of other 868's pop up--of course these are photos that have 868 somewhere in the file name. So here is a random idea for a blog post and, in my opinion, a better way to "waste" time than on Facebook because I like looking at my photos. Maybe some of you will too.  Here is the 868 I was looking for. I wonder if I should put the rest in order by date or not... I think I'll go with random. One of the wool blankets I wove for my recent show using Sincere Sheep yarn. This is Katie, about 6 years old, and Sequoia, a calf who was born prematurely and I raised on the back porch for months. That's my first Border Collie, Flash. Kaleena (DIL) and Matt (son) and Guinness and Sam a few years ago somewhere in the El Dorado National Forest. Dan, Matt, and me in my once/year 5 km run to support Kaleena and research on ovarian cancer. This is Chris and Meryl and Matt and me (Kaleena must be taking the photo) taking a Duck Tour in Boston on the way to Katie's wedding in VT a few years ago. A handwoven blanket of Jacob yarn on Mom's rocking chair.  Spotted in the pasture. My cousin, Kyle Vincent, (who has a new album out) performing in our barn. Christmas in 2013 when all my kids and spouses (and spouse to be) were in one place. Leaping lamb. Chris selling a hog at the auction at the Solano County Fair. He looks young--maybe a sophomore?Tencel scarves woven in advancing twill that made an issue of Handwoven a couple of years ago. Well, that's it for 868, Clover. This was fun. I may do it again.

Another View of Shearing

I wrote a post about Shearing right afterwards but now I have Farm Club member, Dona's photos to round it out a bit more or just to give a different perspective. All of these photos are hers. Farm Club members getting organized on a chilly morning. Sheep getting organized. There was a lot of Farm Club help and lots of visitors. A wonderful thing about Jacob sheep is the variety of fleeces from mostly black... ...to mostly white... ...to some of each.  Gynna was one of our sheep wranglers, feeding sheep to the pen where Stephany had them ready for the shearer. Alison was at the skirting table all morning teaching FC members and other visitors about evaluating and skirting fleeces. An important part of any fiber gathering is the food. We wouldn't want to starve in the three hours it took to shear the sheep. This is the pot of vegetable chili I made and everyone else brought wonderful side dishes. After shearing we could enjoy lunch. That's our fabulous shearer, John, on the right. And everyone else are FC members. We missed getting Kathleen and Jackie in the photo.  It's hard to corral this group. (And somehow we missed Rusty. I think he was lying in the sun after a long morning of watching sheep crouched on the concrete floor.)

Amaryllis was grateful to NOT be part of the action. After shearing there was still time for FC members to do additional fleece shopping......and other shopping.  Lisa was one of many FC members who helped in the shop so that I could spend time in the barn.

. "Is it over?"  

TNNA 2015

TNNA is The National NeedleArts Association and there is a trade show every winter. This year's was in Phoenix where I met up with my friend of 35 years, Irene who owns Cotton Clouds. We stayed at the Hyatt...   ...and here is the view from our window. Kind of makes me think of Ghostbusters. But wait......Here it is as I saw it without the aid of the camera.

We spent Saturday and Sunday on the show floor. I hadn't planned to buy anything for my shop this year because it is already pretty full. But there were some things that I couldn't resist.

 This is just to pique your interest. I will be selling these kits and developing a new class in this technique for making very cool scarves. What a way to use up leftover yarn!I already sell Sincere Sheep's Bannock Targhee yarn but then I saw their Cormo yarn that is grown and spun in Wyoming. How can I choose from all these colors? I really can't have them all.These will be in the shop in a couple of months. I saw the "Olympic sweater" in person. This sweater was knit with very soft wonderful yarn that I sell here and that I used in some of the pieces in my November show.

Irene and I  took a class taught by Judith Sangold who wrote a wonderful book called Weave-Knit-Wear which I will have in the shop shortly. An advantage of taking the class was that we got to try on the garments that are in the book. They all fit me just right!

There were photo ops...

In the Spinning and Weaving Group's booth with Liz Gipson, promoting Spinzilla......and with Irene. Hey, why am I wearing the funky hat and she didn't dress up?

This is in the Lavishea booth. I'll be getting new scents of this great lotion bar. Is there something about us that says The Beautiful Hero and the Weird Sidekick?Speaking of weird, what about this book? I love some of the projects in it. How about a knitted moosehead to hand over your fireplace or a knitted wolf head hat? Hey, I'd wear that scarf. Did you know that I made my husband a cow tie once complete with head and tail? But that's another story.This is Irene and me sandwiching a new friend who also designs kits for Irene but whom I'd never met.

And speaking of yarn, here is more that I bought:Unfortunately this lovely lady won't be coming home with it because she had to return to England. The yarn is called Titus, after Sir Titus Salt who became important in the burgeoning textile industry in Yorkshire in the early 1800's. It is a wonderful blend of Wensleydale, BFL and alpaca. I couldn't afford to buy bags of all 13 colors but will be getting these 4 as well as packs that include all the colors in small quantities.

Here is one more photo of Irene and me. I just learned how to use Instagram and this is my first photo on it.

After getting home I emptied all my loot out on a couple of tables. Can you believe that I got all of this into my carry-on suitcase along with my clothes?

Ginny - 3 months old

Ginny has been here a month and will be 3 months old on Monday. I still feel this pressure to turn her into a Well-Mannered Dog, but I think we are doing OK. I have decided that puppyhood is like condensing the childhood years from 0 to 15 into about 8 months. That's how much time I have to get it right. She has a smudged face from rough-housing with Rusty. He is still stand-offish a lot of the time but he has his moments. In the early morning I can see Rusty playing with Ginny in the yard but I think he doesn't want me to know. After doing chores Ginny and Maggie play (me bribing Maggie with treats) and Rusty will chase, but not get involved in the actual tussling. When I am finished at the computer it's Rusty's turn for a blog post and he'll show the photos of this morning's play time.Here is the doorway. Rusty is in his regular spot at the backdoor. Maggie has the mat to the right and Ginny has a couple of towels...and a stick. It's a good thing that when Dan built this back porch  he used two doors. We are now using the door to the right that leads directly to the laundry room because if you go in the usual door you have to climb a puppy fence. When we all go in I open that door for Ginny and the other door for the rest of us.  Yesterday I tried to take all three dogs for a walk Across the Road. That was a mistake. Ginny was way too excited and distracted and trying to play with Maggie and pull on the leash. Today I took her on her own walk and she did very well.  This is the latest photo while I'm at my desk.

Shearing 2015

Although we had a cold start the weather for Shearing Day turned out great and a lot of people came out to watch and to buy fleeces. Ewes before shearing.  Farm Club members handled all the jobs. I don't have photos of all of them but FC photographer, Dona, will probably have some for me to add to another post. That's Stephany and Gynna who wrangled sheep all morning.  Alison and others helped skirt fleeces that people purchased.  Here is a view from above. Carol and Amy are in place to sweep between sheep and to let the shorn sheep out the gate.  John Sanchez has been our shearer for several years. The fleeces are always beautiful and the sheep look great too. He's prompt and he's fast too. He finished everything in 3 hours.Looking at this photo I wish that I'd done a series of photos of footwear. There are a lot of stylish boots in our Farm Club.

 Jackie kept track of names and cards...

...while Mary scooped the fleeces into bags. All Farm Club members rotated tasks and helped all day--answering dozens of questions from visitors and also helping in the shop. Thanks to everyone: Alene, Alison, Amy, Betty, Carol, Dona, Gynna, Jackie, Janis, Joy, Kathleen, Lisa, Mary, Peggy, Polly, and Stephany (and to Judy for joining us).Jimmy is one of two wethers (castrated male) who was well marked so that the shearer would be told to watch for different parts while shearing off the belly wool.

 Amaryllis was probably glad that she wasn't on the shearing list.

This is what Dan made out of the pressure tank we had to replace a couple of months ago. It provided a welcome place to warm hands. Maggie behaved admirably all day.Rusty kept watch.Ginny was in the barn with us but had her own pen to keep her out of trouble.

  Bags of fleeces for me to sort through. 

This is how I felt at the end of the day.