We have now been at ‘the birches’ for a year and a month (thereabouts) so that was cause for a celebration, done in style with chilled champagne and french toast for breakfast.
On another note, work doesn’t stop just because we want it too and although we are getting better at doing things around the ‘farm’ there is always something cropping up unexpectedly. This week it’s the stove causing problems; I have to go and get a new door seal.
With the Gotlands’ though they are all well, content and noisy. There seems to be a lot of pushing, shoving and head butting going on; the ‘lambs’ are now tweens (5 months old) and are nearly as big as their mothers. Sometimes they try to catch a feed from an unsuspecting mumma, but most mums are onto that lark and walk away or turn and head-butt the unfortunate offspring.
I did have the whole flock shorn in February; 1) to tidy up the adults’ coats so that they grow a nice fleece for next year and 2) because I wanted to try spinning up the lambs’ wool. In hindsight the lambs should have been left a little longer as the fleece is short but that’s ok, I might have to felt that wool instead of spinning although I intend to ‘give it a go’.
My goal at present is to spin up the wool from the 2018 clip – prelambing shear. I have had two of the girls’ fleeces washed and carded by an outside processer. This was done for two reasons; 1) it is faster and easier for a professional to do this job as they are set up for it and 2) because the result is much better than I can do.
This photo is of Salt as it is her fleece that I am spinning up first.
Here is Salt’s wool washed and carded.
And here is the wool spun, washed again to set the twist and balled ready for knitting.
The wool is a beautiful grey/silver colour which should knit up into a fine garment. Each ball is approximately 65 grams, so I will need to do a lot more spinning before making anything, but it’s a start; my first project.
silva kurls 