Frolicking at the Frolic

Although my past weekend as a vendor at the Maine Fiber Frolic was filled with frizzy hair, cold hands and wet feet, the rain would not keep me from seeing old friends and making new ones.

Each year, during the Frolic, we all gather and share our lives, that somehow get so far ahead of us, and laugh and cry over the happenings of spring ...lambing, mud season, struggles and gifts, all an importing part of farming and an important part of life.

This year I met the awesome ladies of Starcroft Fiber Mill. Owners of a terrific spinning mill in Monroe Maine, Jani & Leah spin the wool from several of the island sheep flocks here in Maine. One island in particular, Roque Island, located in Downeast Maine, is home to a lovely flock of island sheep as well as my brother Doug and his wife Amy. The Starcroft ladies, while visiting the island, met my brother and also my dad who was visiting for the day. It's a small world and connections in the sheep world can be made, it seems, just about anywhere. I was so happy to meet them, and find that they are right on the same page as me about the farming life and of course ....dogs! Sheep people rock!!!!Hercules and Zeus were a big hit at the Frolic. Hercules, loud and demanding of attention from anyone that would stop and rub his chin, was told over and over again just how cute he was and Zeus was his pleasant quite little self, munching grass and allowing hands to fondle his soft lamb locks.

This week I have been unpacking and restocking my shop. The sheep are anxious to get up on the hill and begin their weed control jobs, and Mom Nature is being kind to us so far with only off and on rain ...unlike last summer which, well, we won't think about. Summer is here ...get out and enjoy it!

Well, it has been back to "work" this week. Over the past few weeks I have been gathering, sorting, skirting fleeces, and putting together blends of fiber. Last week I picked up 400 lbs of beautiful wool from several local, Maine producers and next week another 1000 lbs will be delivered to our farm for sorting.
Our own Romney fleeces and mohair were delivered a while back to Green Mountain Spinnery and should be arriving soon. Fresh paint, a new window and ceiling are being finished in our yarn shop, and sheep are being shuffled around for the summer months. I guess saying "back to work" sounds a little silly.:) Our new Sweet Maine Feet Yarns have been a big hit. This pair of socks was knit using the color Strawberry Jam. It is a light worsted weight 100% Maine wool yarn, that I have hand-dyed in some funky, eye-popping colors. This past spring, I found a sock pattern in an old cook book that had once belonged to my grandmother. After deciphering, tweaking and rewriting the pattern, a friend knit a test run of the socks and they turned out beautifully. With out even knowing the pattern existed, this yarn was spun. Funny how life works out sometimes.I have put the yarns into a kit with enough yardage for 2 pairs of socks, the pattern, needles and a few yards of nylon which can be knit into the cuffs to help with the elasticity of the socks. This kit will be one of several that I will be bringing to the Maine Fiber Frolic which is fast approaching. These kits are designed with a few folks in mind .... my traveling friends who take the time to stop in each summer. I also put my Shepherdess Scarf into a kit, as well as my Shepherdess mittens and the ever popular Joe Romney Bag. Each kit is R.T.K ...Ready To Knit with all needed needles and notions.

Speaking of the Frolic, This year I will be setting up on the lawn rather than in the barn. My buddy Hercules will be joining me with one of my Romney lambs. This is such a great festival that continues to grow each year but still remains a small and "cozy" event.

And speaking of events ...there is a HUGE Knitting Event taking place this august ...more info soon, I promise.

On a not so nice note. I have finally had to start taking the steps to legally copyright all of my work ..including my logo and tag line. Seems the person who cannot come up with her own ideas is after my tag line now. It is against the law to copy other people's work ....not to mention shameful.

This OPEN HOUSE is for the dogs ..and cats.

It is time for our Annual Spring OPEN HOUSE! Twice a year we hold these events to showcase freshly dyed yarns for the season, to "show off" our spring lambs or beautiful growing fall fleeces, and to help out our local Animal Shelters by collecting dog & cat food at our farm.

We encourage visitors to bring bags and cans of Pedigree Dog Food and Friskies Cat Food when they visit, we in turn will take $5 OFF any purchase from our Yarn Shop and will deliver donations to the Lincoln County Animal Shelter in Edgecomb.

The Mighty Hercules ( pictured above) encourages you to bring a friend. Our goal this year is to fill the back of our Yukon to overflowing.

Please join us on May 15th & 16th from 11-4.

The Wool Witch

It is good to be The Wool Witch. Years ago when e-mail was making it's debut, my dad came up with the "woolwitch" as my email address. It suits me perfectly since I live in Woolwich Maine, and I spend my days stirring pots of color and making magic happen to plain white yarns.
My latest "spell" has been cast on a terrific new yarn, just spun my my good friends at Green Mountain Spinnery. This past February, David, the Spinnery owner and my good friend who understands my crazy visions, stopped in and loaded up his car with over 100 lbs of carefully selected fleeces, took them back to the Spinnery in Vermont, and spun them into my favorite Double Twist yarns.

Dave has spun this yarn for me many times before but this time, he lightened the spinning count, and the yarns are much lighter and more of a heavy DK ...or light worsted, whichever you prefer. It screamed "make me into socks!" when I pulled it out of the box ...and I agreed. But I wanted to make this yarn unique, I wanted it to be knit into socks that folks would look at and say "Hey, those are some sweet socks you got there." So out came the dye pots, on went my witch hat and after a little experimenting, a pinch of this and a pinch of that, eye of newt, hair of dog .... well you get the picture, I invented a new way to dye.

I am calling these yarns Sweet Maine Feet Yarns. I hope to see lots of brightly colored socks on many warm, snug feet this fall. They will be just a bit heavier than traditional sock knitters knit, but we Maine folks like to make things rugged and durable. The Down fleeces make this yarn soft and springy and the Longwools make it strong. Of course they would also be great knit up as sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens ....anything you wish to be bright, bold and beautiful!!!

Garden Preparations

The best part of the day occurs in the early morning. The air only smells as sweet this the sun comes up. Quiet is broken as folks head off to work and the noise of cars begins to hum on Rte 1. When I was growing up on the island, the hum came from the lobster fishermen setting out for the morning to haul their catch. I enjoyed the early morning then, but I did not appreciate it as much as I do now. It is my zen time, my thinking time ....my thankful time.

We spent Easter Sunday redesigning the front garden. For the past several years it has served as a small tomato garden and garlic bed. The garden behind the house was much larger and spacious making it perfect for vining plants. This past fall, I let my sheep in to clean up the left overs and decided to keep them there as the mud all around the paddock was so deep from all of the endless rain. Last week I picked up my raised bed materials from the local lumber yard. Rough cut 2 inch thick, 12 foot long planks weighted down the truck as it was loaded. My son and I worked all morning cutting, nailing together and positioning the beds, as well as turning and amending the soil. It was no small feat moving the heavy planks into the garden, I could not have done it alone. The onions had been planted as well as some mesculn. No peas this year, it is just too late and this garden is not big enough. Instead we will fill this sunny spot with tomatoes and cukes, scallions, herbs and some squash. I am calling it the Gazpacho/Salsa Garden.The chickens helped out after the commotion of pounding hammers and grunting humans digging and tossing dirt around was over. This garden plot is full of worms, but the hens were more interested in the seedling weeds and any little bugs they could find. Once our vegetable seeds are planted though, the beds will be covered with chicken wire so these seedlings can not be scratched up and eaten by the hard working girls. They are the hardest workers I have ever seen, cleaning up the garden and tilling the soil. I'll be working on some new dyeing techniques this week, and hopefully finishing up a hooking project that I started a few weeks ago.

Fat Lambs, Rainy Days and Beautiful Sweaters

This morning the robins chirped and sang during chores. The air is sweet and earthy smelling. My garden is waiting. Inhabited by sheep and goats at the moment, it sits under hay and straw while seeds slumber, awaiting the warmth that will urge them to seek the light. Hercules, Godiva and Athena, looking content and full-bellied, are resting by the barn. The air is damp and rain will drive them in soon.

With so many things to do this summer, I welcome this early spring with open arms. I left off fencing the hill in this past fall as the ground began to freeze and then snow began to fall. The barn needs the last of its siding put on, the rams need to be moved to a summer pen, and the paddocks need fencing repairs.

I cleaned the yarn shop up this weekend, rearranged and restocked, the little building will serve us for a few more months as our yarn shop as we have outgrown it's size and new shop plans are being designed.

I have wanted to share the beautiful work my knitting friends have been turning out, just been so busy ...so here are a few. I'll post more on my website this week.

Mary Bird finished this sweater in record time for me to take to the New England Products Trade Show. The pattern is available in the Interweave Knits Fall 2008 Issue. It is The Mosaic Yoke Jacket by Veronik Avery. I chose some eye-popping colors rather than the traditional browns and whites of these types of sweaters. Nice work Mary! You can read Mary's helpful comments and view other versions of this pattern on this Ravelry page.

Sweater Designer Aloisia Pollock left my house with a bag of my favorite colors and returned, also in record time, with this beautiful sweater, designed and knit by her very talented self. The pattern is available through myself and Aloisia on request. I'll post a "full view" pic on my website.

Becca Huben ( fellow weenier dog mom ) knit two shrugs using two strands held together and size 17 needles. This one is done in Mulberry Red and the other in Navy Blue. You can read about her works in progress on her entertaining blog seek an occasional peek of Jackson here.

I also want to thank Susan Swanson for the great hats and finishing my vest for me ( thanks Sue!!! ....I was so far behind!!!! ) She is also an amazing knitter ( with a great dog ) check her work here. She is ahead of me with posting pictures. :)

The week ahead if full as usual. Mostly paperwork and orders to ship, but a much anticipated day of horseback riding is coming soon!

Spring Shearing

Do I dare say it? It sure seems like it ...the birds are saying it ... and the pond has no ice ...could it be that Spring has come early? Sam came up from the basement with the Maple Tree spiles ready to tap the trees. Such a cutie.

All of the lambs have been born. Meadow had two beautiful lambs during the wind storm that knocked out power for days, and my gigantic monster-of-a-sheep Martha, who I was sure was carrying twins or triplets, had a single spotted little ewe lamb which we have named Godiva. It has been an interesting year for names. We started with a candy theme and somehow,with the birth of Hercules, switched to Greek Gods. Meadow's new babies are being called Zeus and Athena. Both are good sized solid Romney lambs. Their sturdy legs appear to have leg warmers on. We will be shearing in a week, and boy do we need to get the fleeces off these sheep!

Today I am beginning to clip my Angora goats. Paulie Walnuts is half done and Silvio will be next up on the stand. Such beautiful boys ...such beautiful mohair.

Restless Ewes

Restless ewes make me nervous. I watch and hover, and poke and feel and fuss. They become quite frustrated with me and yet I can't help myself! Watching lambs be born scares and thrills me at the same time. It does not matter if it is lambs, puppies, rabbits, or chicks hatching out of eggs. New life is amazing!

Jelly and Bean have graduated from sweet and innocent, to troublemakers with a mission! They are into everything! Their curiosity know no boundaries and I look forward to letting them out every morning to see what new discoveries they will make ...or who will be their springboard for the day.

Carmella finally lambed a week ago. An almost 14 lb ram lamb we have named Klondike, and a 9.6lb ewe we have named Truffle. This is the largest lamb I have ever had born on my farm and he is marvelous! She looks like her mother with her narrow nose.

Annie popped out this little gem yesterday. If you look closely, you'll see the H on his nose so we are calling him Hercules. Two ewes left and I am done! Seems like I wait and wait and then I am in Lambtopia!

Feed Your Soul

Another bitter cold morning. Well, this is Maine after all. My hope for this winter was more cold and less snow ...was that a bad choice? My arms are certainly toned and muscular from carrying the water buckets out to the fussy little goats. The sheep get their share too of course, but quite often I will find full, frozen buckets as they prefer to eat snow for some unknown reason. Maybe they just enjoy watching me build up my biceps and know that come spring I will be grateful to them as I pull my summer clothes out of the closet.
Gromit a.k.a Mutant Sheep Boy ( named by my husband ) enjoys the sun with his snug coat and good layer of fat. Gromit is Judy's boy from a few years ago. He is Suffolk/Romney and Babyd0ll Southdown. I think he is kind of cute. My husband says if we fall on hard times he'll feed us all for a solid month he's so fat. ....I do not agree.

Watching the prego-ewes get fatter and fatter makes me very excited! I am beginning to develop an eye for the ones who "drop" and seem to be noticing that more this year than watching for udders. I remember my own pregnancies and when my kids went from bracing themselves off my ribs to dancing on my pelvis. I wonder what these creatures feel as they are not supporting the lower half with bone structure. The grunting I hear when they walk up to the barn must be a sign that it gets pretty uncomfortable. But like all females in this world ...we just keep on going and doing.

My lambing system seems to be working well this year. We sectioned off the back of the barn into four stalls. each with dividers so that as each ewe lambs she is dewormed and moved to the next stall. The first stall is mucked out and re-bedded and ready for the next ewe. With all dividers down, we have a large "play area" for the moms and babes until they can go outside. Of course the one flaw is that I have too many bred ewes ( by adding two to my flock this fall) but we can erect pens as we need them with panels. When lambing is over, we can take down all of the dividers and remove the doors opening up the barn . I am really enjoying this system. It is easier to keep up with and cleaner.

Jelly and Bean have gained almost 3 whole pounds each! I let them out in the barn afternoons as poor Mama Belle is going stir crazy. They are quite the busy boys investigating all corners of the barn and chasing chickens. It is good for the soul to watch these babies enjoying life to the fullest.

You can watch a few videos of them on our Facebook page just search Romney Ridge Farm in the search box ...or click here . :)

Fatties

A very nice lady, who visited my farm this week, was admiring my sheep and asked why they were divided up in pens. I explained to her that we had a pen for wethers, pregnant ewes and fat loafers. "What" she asked, "are fat loafers?"
Perhaps this picture will help. :)

Jelly Beans

Well, after a long discussion over breakfast a few days ago, the kids have decided on a theme for naming the lambs this year. There was talk of naming them after rock stars, flowers, and even favorite book characters. Finally a decision was made when I described the two new little lambs that were born on Wednesday as "little black jelly beans". And so ... Jelly and Bean are the first babies born on our farm this year.
A watched pot never boils, yes that is very true. The "pot", my pregnant ewe Belle, presented a water bag Wed morning around 7 a.m. She had spent the night in the jug so there was no chance of her having her lambs in the cold snow. After packing lunches and snacks and sending the kids off to school, I wrapped up in three layers and headed up to the barn to check on her and hopefully see the birth.

Being a first time mom, it is good to see how the lambs present and to listen for the soft talking, a sign of a good mother. I watched and waited as she lay down and got up several times, pawed the ground and had several contractions. This went on for two hours and I began to get cold. So back down to the house I headed for some hot tea and the heat lamp. Sure enough, when I returned ( less than 10 minutes later ), she was standing over lamb #1.

Sprout was very interested in what was happening and steamed up my lens.
Carmella, came over to check things out then .......had a seat nearby and watched the chickens roosting on the stall door.

Martha and the others waited outside the door, but came in to check on progress from time to time.

Finally both babies were here, warm and nursing. Max and I headed back into the house to warm up and clean up. One down, five to go.

Two Feet ...and Counting

Well, after almost two weeks of no snow and adjusting to the cold ... Mom Nature pulled a fast one. It snowed ...and snowed ....and snowed ....stopped this morning ...started again this afternoon. Okay ....I have had enough. I was actually looking forward to the cold and less snow this year. My "crapsman" snow blower stopped doing it's job today. No big surprise as every appliance, weed wacker, chainsaw ...etc. that comes from Sears lasts about one year, then quits. Time to pay them yet another visit with a broken product and demand they replace it.

My woolie wonders actually made themselves paths today after they listened to the choice words I shouted at the snow blower. Guess they figured it was the least they could do as I stood dripping in sweat, red faced with steam rolling out of my ears. Tonight Belle is a deeply bedded jug, fresh warm water and the best hay I have, accompanied with a generous amount of mixed grains and some molasses lick. Here udder is full, but her teats are still not quite giving me the sign that she is ready. This could change overnight though. I am excited, but exhausted from shoveling and lugging water buckets. I would love to see little lambs in the morning, but am happy to wait until the sun is out.

The Good & The Bad

Yesterday was a day of good and bad. Lots more good than bad thankfully, in fact only one bad ...but I will get to that. The panic mode that consumes me in early spring wrapped itself around me tightly last week as the weather went from very cold to tolerable in lighter-weight clothing. I have been having lambs for how many years? Yet each and every fall I over think and worry and rethink and fret. So yesterday, fully panicked and worrying, I pulled on my insulated overalls and spent the afternoon mucking out the stalls, re-bedding, cleaning cobwebs, washing and cleaning water buckets and feed pans, and restocking my lambing basket.

I did however take a little time to love on Junior. At a moment of pure exhaustion, I sat down in the hay ...well actually lay down in the hay outside the barn door, and stared up at the blue sky. The sun was shining on the hill and it was warm. My overalls kept me cozy though I knew getting up would take an act of God. Luckily I remembered my camera.

Some days I do not have enough time to spend with him and I do feel very guilty. He is such a love and needs his daily fix of kisses. As soon as he stops growing, he can join the adults and be in the lower paddock. But for now, he has to stay with the boys who continue to Become "men" and eat proper amounts of growing goodness. I'll be in the barn more as soon as the lambs start arriving and I am sure he will love that. I don't feel too bad for him though, he and Mike and Angus have quite the games of King of The Mountain. Speaking of lambs, The first date on my calendar is Jan 25th. This is 145 days from the day I put Crazy Shirley in with Joker. Of course it could be 1-20 days after the date ...and usually the girls are not really willing on the first day. Udders and puffy "hoochies" will give me a more accurate date. I'll have to find the "sheep porn" picture that I took last year when we were about a day away from the first little woolie to arrive. Poor Shirley and Laverne had the hugest udders I have ever seen, and sure enough one day later Lyra arrived and then Pixie.

So all in all the day was satisfying. For once I am ahead of schedule and, dare I say it ...100% prepared. What I wasn't prepared for was the pile of feathers and headless, gutless chicken that was laying on front of the coop. So yes, that was my bad. I saw a large hawk flying around all day but thought that with the dogs out and me making so much noise that it would go away. Apparently when I was lying in the hay, it struck and killed one of my big Buff Orpingtons. He ripped out her feathers and ate her innards as well as her brain ( eeeeeewwwww) and eyes ...and then left the rest! Her crop was still full of grain, the poor thing. So once again I am down another chicken ...so frustrating.