I got a Face Lift!!!

Well, not really "I", as in "me". 

More like my Blog.

My Blog got a Face lift!

Do you like it?

My regularly scheduled readers may remember a few weeks ago when I declared winter officially over in the Bluff Country.   Lately, I've been dying a lot of yarn

and roving 

and mohair locks into bright, cheery colors.

I am so sick of dull, drab gray and brown that I could scream!

So I decided to change the background of my Blog.  I didn't want to go too  crazy.

It's not like there are flowers blooming or green grass in my peaceful, little valley in SE Minnesota. 

At least not YET!    But soon.

DREAM says...

"Oh, I HOPE  it's soon, Mom!

I'm really sick of the drab colors too and some fresh grass would taste mighty good, right about now!"

Don't forget to hop on over to Verde Farm's blog to link up with lots of other FARM FRIEND FRIDAY bloggers!

P.S.  I wish I could get a face lift that easily!

I didn't tell a "lie"...I was making: LOTS more color!!!

I had planned on doing another post, yesterday, showing how my latest batches of tri-dyed, mohair locks turned out.  Unfortunately, I was up until TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING rinsing the suckers  said locks!  It takes a long time when one has to separate each color from the others and rinse each one individually!

The photo above shows plates of separated locks, waiting to be rinsed.

Below is a batch of "rust" in the rinse water:

Each color was hand rinsed in that colander in my sink!

Although the colors weren't necessarily what I expected, I love them all!

I got more than three shades from each jar because the areas where the colors blended often created a lovely layer of locks.

Above is the 'buttercup yellow' with some 'copenhagen blue' and a bit of 'rose' blended during the dying process.

This is the 'cophenhagen blue'

Below is the layer where the 'voiolet' and 'apricot' blended.

I actually like some of the blended areas better than the main color areas!

The 'Egyptian red' was dyed by itself, in the bottom of the roaster.

When the Egyptian red was done, I removed the locks and put a ball of white, Shetland /Angora rabbit blend roving, into the exhausted dye bath.

There was a little, loose roving, but most of it was still wound in a ball.  I turned the ball about every fifteen minutes and kept the temp at 250 in the roaster.  I really didn't think much color would take as I'd forgotten to presoak the ball of roving in hot water with dish soap added...

But it turned out beautiful!

The layer nearest the center of the ball took less color and the outer layer and loose roving took much more, giving me a beautiful bunch of graduated pink roving.  I can't wait to spin this up.  (unless, of course, I might sell it before I get the chance to spin it!)

DREAM says...

"I'm dreaming about beautiful colors too, Mom.  Can I  come in the house???"

Sorry Dreamer.  It's bad enough with two dogs and three cats in here!  Not to mention the mess that I've been making with all my spinning and dying lately.  I bet the grass will start turning green for you in just a couple more weeks.  I sure hope so ~ I'm running out of room to put brightly colored yarn, locks and roving!

Vertigo....

I went to the doctor last week.

He said that I have Vertigo.  (you were right, Jean)

He gave me some pills to help with the nausea and dizziness and some exercises to do, once the dizziness was under control.

Unfortunately, the medicine doesn't seem to be helping.

:-(

I'm still feeling dizzy and queasy.

I still went to my 'retreat' over the weekend and it was SOOO much fun, in spite of frequent dizzy spells.

It was great getting together with friends and playing with fiber!

I  dyed mohair locks (above) and a couple of skeins of  yarn that I had spun up previously, from Alice.  For the record, all three piles of locks were dyed at the same time, in the same jar!

The 'apricot' yarn looks great with a pale green skein that I had dyed at home, previously.

It reminds me of Cantaloupe!

I am amazed that I got so much accomplished during the retreat  because  I was (of course) not feeling well after dinner on Saturday evening so I went up to my room to lie down for "a few minutes" and didn't wake up until after breakfast on Sunday!

It was wonderful getting together with friends to spin and knit and dye fiber.  We talked and laughed and learned from and inspired each other. 

Look at the tiny little baskets & furniture that Alan Greene weaves!

We're going get together again in the fall.   We were all imagining sitting on the big porch of the  Amish B & B and spinning or knitting as we watch the Amish , horse drawn, buggies go by...

 I can't wait!

DREAM says...

"I'm glad you're back home, Mom.  I MISS YOU when you're gone!"

I miss you too, Dreamer. 

It's great to get away but it's always wonderful to come back home.



You're Invited to...

Hug A Sheep!

The first, annual Hug A Sheep (HAS) Day will be on Saturday, October 30, 2010.  There will be an Open House and Fiber Festival (complete with vendors, demonstrations and a needle felting class!) at Bluff Country Shetlands in Houston, MN.  from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.   "The Crazy Sheep Lady" of Punkin's Patch will also be hosting a HAS Day Open House in Cynthiana, KY.  We hope that others will jump on the bandwagon and share the joys of sheep and shepherding with others by hosting Open Houses or other events to promote our wonderful, woolly friends!

Feel free to vote for the sheep that you'd most like to hug at the Open House in the Bluff Country  ~ see the poll added to the side bar on this blog.  I will be offering photos taken at the Open House and Fiber Festival for those who chose to Hug A Sheep.  I will also be teaching a beginning needle felting class, at two o'clock and will have needle felting kits available for those who want to take one home and make their own fluffy sheep or soap in a blanket.  There will also be wool carding, spinning, knitting, felting and weaving demonstrations as well as a variety of wool items to show some of the wonderful things that can be made with the fleece from a sheep. Learn about how a sheep is sheared (it's just like getting a haircut!) and how to process the wool into usable items of clothing or works of art.

There will also be vendors on site, offering wool related articles ~ from raw fleece to roving to homespun yarns or knitted or felted items.  Be the first to purchase my homemade,  goat milk soap or add a colorful lamb or even a beautiful chicken to your existing flock ~ or start your very own flock!

You'll have the opportunity to sign up for beginning spinning, knitting, felting or soap making classes.  Enjoy the process of turning wool into  family heirlooms  or treasured gifts.  Those in attendance at the Open House will also have the chance to win a sheep figurine by voting for or suggesting a name for the new, home-based Fiber and Goat Milk Soap business that the Shepherdess will be operating from Bluff Country Shetlands.

Meet the  dogs, cats, mille fleur bantam cochin chickens, blue laced red Wyandotte chickens, and of course the delightful Shetland Sheep that make Bluff Country Shetlands (and Backyard Chickens!) a wonderful place to live ~ to learn ~  and to visit. 

DREAM says...

"I sure hope you can make it to our HAS (Hug A Sheep) Open House and Fall Fiber Festival!  Just think...you might even get your picture taken with ME! 

Donations of (uncarved) pumpkins and animal crackers are welcome and appreciated"...

Dream!

Please forgive her. 

 She gets a bit carried away...

For more information on the Hug A Sheep Day Open House and Fall Fiber Festival  email me at nkmajik@acegroup.cc  or call me at:  (507) 896-2487

That's Enough of That...

Poor Dreamer!

My wonderful Shetland sheep have been SO neglected!

It's my friend Katie W.'s fault.  She's been coming down to my place to help me build pens and condos and perches and roosts and all sorts of stuff for my chickens. 

Which seem to have taken over my HOUSE!!!

Talk about fresh eggs:

We aim to please our mail-order customers!

Enough about the chickens, let's talk Shetland Sheep!

Sable continues to mingle with the flock, daily, and shows neither fear nor aggression toward our woolly friends.  It's too bad the same thing can't be said for the sheep!

In this photo, Destiny is planning Sable's demise...

Someone left a comment on an earlier post about Zorro being in with ALL of the ewes...

They were right! 

Zorro (shown here whispering sweet nothings into Dream's ear!)  decided that he was going to tear down my fences if I didn't let him in with the rest of the ewes and since I'm not big on repairing fences and he's really NOT mine to sell, Zorro got his wish.  There will be LOTS of lambs in the Bluff Country in 2010 after all!  This will be a strange lambing season since I didn't even put my first (unplanned) breeding group together until late December.  We'll be having lambs from late May to early July!!!

ALL of the lambs born this summer will have to be sold as I simply can not care for any more sheep than I have right now, so start thinking of what you might like to add to YOUR flock ithis summer...

I also have fleeces and rovings for sale now and will have many more to come.

Contact me  for availability of colors!

DREAM says:

..." (get out of my spot, Flash Dance!) "

 "A $50.00, non-refundable deposit will reserve your choice of the beautiful 2010 lambs!  Make your deposit today so that you can have the lamb of your dreams (maybe even one of MINE!)  from the Bluff Country"...

Good idea, Dreamer!!!

;-)

SHEEP Therapy...

Since I was too sick to do much yesterday (I feel even worse today), I decided to spend the morning sitting with my sheep.
Can you see how 'loose and inviting' Zaria's fleece is? It was just begging me to pull it out!
I was much too weak (from my illness) to resist...
The wool fairly flowed out of Zaria's neck into my bucket.
Rooing left a nice, fluffy layer to protect Zaria from the sun and keep her warm during these cold Spring nights.
She has a perfect fleece for rooing. It virtually slides out, lock by lock. I was like a woman obsessed!
I actually roo'ed almost a pound of fleece off of Zaria's neck and shoulder in maybe an hour (?). It was fun!
"Yeah, RIGHT!!"

And just look at this beautiful fiber! It is so soft and lustrous. A handspinner's delight!!
I'll be adding it to my DREAM FIBERS blog for sale for $1.00/ounce....

Take a bow, Lucca...


Thank you all for your well wishes! Since I'm still sick, (truly worse than before!) I think I'll go sit with the sheep some more. Zaria's still got a LOT of wool on her...

I've Been BUSY....

Please stop by and see what I've been up to at:
DREAM Fibers...