From The Pastures: Plans for New Year

December is sure going by fast. Soon it will be time for the holidays and the end of the year. I have started to make some plans for next year. I am looking forward to having a few Shetland lambs so my granddaughter can take them to the 4-H fair. I have a young black ram. Last year we had a variety of Shetland colors in the lambs. I always hope for gray tones. The gray fiber is very popular with hand spinners. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to spin some cream wool and a gray. When the gray was twisted between two cream yarns, the three-ply yarn had a very nice heathered appearance. It would be fun to make more of this yarn.

This summer, I sold a couple ewes to a family getting started with sheep. They asked if they could bring them back and put them with the ram this breeding season. The day after we put them all in a pen with some of my ewes, they all broke the fence. Of course, they all mixed in with the older sheep. It was a little bit of a chore, but we were able to get everyone sorted back to the proper pens. Rams are sure clever during this season. The family wants to make sheep milk soap. I am happy to help them with their adventure.

We participated in a live sale with a fiber arts group. It is always amazing how many people, from all different areas of the country, watch our video. These online sales take a lot of dyeing and getting the fiber together. The group is very supportive and always gives me a lot of positive comments on the fiber I made. I was happy with the number of sales. It is so nice to have help and support. Over the winter, I hope to get some more of my fiber dyed and spun. In addition to the live sales, there is a new fiber show March 1 near Bloomington, Illinois. This is their second year and I am looking forward to participating this year.

Have a wonderful holiday and happy New Year!