Current Events at Sweet Spring Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Fri, 7 Jul 2006 23:17:00 -0500

Hannah after shearing. She did he best to squeeze into my lap. She still thinks she is my lap baby! Even if it is a tight fit. Her fleece is streaked with silver now. I wonder what color she will be next spring when I shear.
And of course the day would't be complete without Tiki coming to see just what Mom is doing.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sat, 27 May 2006 23:19:00 -0500

Well lambing season is over as is kidding season, shearing is almost done and most of the garden is in so now, maybe, I'll be able to update my blog. Here are a few of my favorite photos. Top left is a side view of Josiah or Jo for short. Top middle is a head shot. Top right is the angora kid, Gabriel, or Gabby on the day he was born. Bottom left is Mattias and bottom right is another picture of Gabby at 3 months.
Jo is a moorit shetland, Gabby was born a pale red, but has faded to near white and Mattias was born a dark brown black. Mattias has white markings and grey fleece roots so I think he will be musket as an adult. All boys this year, but aren't they cute!

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:30:00 -0500

Well I have only one breeding group of sheep this year. I've put my black ram in with both ewes. I have several reasons for doing this. The first is that I didn't have a companion for the ram lamb and didn't want to leave him alone for the time he would have been alone. Then second is that I'm trying to figure out the color genetics of Rebecca, the white ewe. Last year she gave me a grey lamb and she has never thrown a grey lamb before. Another reason is that this ram has only given me girls in the past and I want to see if he will give me a boy if he is put to another ewe. So this year Vasheri will get both Joanie, who has given me two black ewe lambs, and Rebecca, who gave me a grey ewe and a white ram lamb last year. I should know something in by March 18th at the eariliest.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 13:01:00 -0500

Well I've finished another shawl. I'm calling it Desert Sunrise. Not that I've ever seen the desert, but it looks like I imagine a desert sunrise would look. You can't see the golds glinting in this picture. I knit this one from a wool mohair blend - the mohair is in different shades of gold. I have another shawl started and hope to get it finished by the first of next week and I am spinning the fleece of our moorit ewe blended with shades of green mohair. This is the yarn for the next shawl I'm planning.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 12:51:00 -0500

Well it has been a few weeks sense my last post. Sense that post I've added a few new rabbits to the mix and finally brought those goat homes. Here is a picture of the senior pair.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sun, 4 Sep 2005 08:41:00 -0500

Sunset Shawl is finished and waiting to be blocked. I'm really thrilled with how this one turned out too. NOW got to go thru my yarn stash and figure out which yarn I'm going to use in the next one ROFL! I must say these are addictive. Sunset was knit from the first novelty yarn I intentionally spun thick and thin and I just LOVE the texture it gives the shawl and the colors! Here is a pictue of it unblocked.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sat, 3 Sep 2005 21:07:00 -0500

Well I need to post a update on the shawlet. I have decided to donate it to a online auction that will go to benefit the hurricane victims. Please check this auction out - they have all kinds of things that are being donated, not just this shawlet.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Fri, 2 Sep 2005 19:52:00 -0500

Here is a close up of the shawlet showing the play of the different flecks of color.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Fri, 2 Sep 2005 16:54:00 -0500

This is my newest project. I am making a shawl from the novelty yarn I spun a few weeks back. I love the way this handspun yarn is knitting up. I spun the yarn for this single ply thick and thin and the first thing my brother did when he saw it laying across the back of the chair was to touch it. That made me feel good because he use to be a weaver and appreciates both color and texture. I hope I can finish this shawl by the end of next week - I can hardly wait to see how it looks when it is finished.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Fri, 2 Sep 2005 15:51:00 -0500

Well I finished the shawlet I started on Monday. I enjoyed making this shawlet. I didn't use a pattern and worked out the pattern as I went. I put just enough shaping at the neck area to give it a nice smooth drape in the back and enough shaping at the shouldger/arm area so that it will stay in place around your shoulders with it being tied. It measures 28 inches from the top to the point in the back and is 33 inches wide at the back top. The ties/ drops in the front are about 22 inches. The wool blend this was knit from came for a purchase a few years back and there was no label on the yarn. This yarn is a base color of beige with flecks of blue, purple, red, burgandy, orange and white scattered throughout. There is also a hair like fiber spun in this yarn and it lends a nice fuzzy halo to the finished garmet.
I will be listing this shawlet in my store on the Mydrew site. If you think you might be interested in it just click on the link below.
MYDREW.com

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 21:18:00 -0500

Today I scoured Joanie's fleece from this spring. It should spin up interesting as she is going from moorit, dark brown, to grey.
This picture was taken a few months befor shearing.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 20:32:00 -0500

Here are a few pictures of last weeks spinning efforts.
I call the first one Creek Moss. It is a wool mohair blend. The wool was a multi-toned brown and the mohair was dyed a bright golden green. This was spun on a drop spindle as there was so little of it, 33 yards of a 2 ply fingering weight.
This wool mohair blend is one of my favorite to work with, it spins like a dream, and the mohair gives it a nice halo effect. This is the same blend that I'm knitting the mysterystole from only in a different color.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 17:44:00 -0500

In this picture the skein on the left is Hayfield. It is a mystery blend noviety yarn that is thick and thin single ply. It was spun on Babes Electric Spinner, the total amount spun was 83 yards.
The skein in the middle is 100% Mohair in Raspberry. It was also spun on the electric spinner and ther is 164 yards total in a 2 ply fingering weight.
The skein on the right, seaweed, is another mystery blend noviety yarn that is also thick and thin, the total amount spun was 69 yards.

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 17:43:00 -0500

Here are two more skeing of the mystery wool noviety yarn. Both were spun on the Babe Electric Spinner. On the Left is 57 yards Sunset. On the right 55 yards of Dusk. These 2 skeins are different from the other 2 noviety yarns in that this wool contained som short, almost hairy fibers that make these single ply yarns have a wonderful hairy look.

Crocheted Cape from Glofly's wool

noreply@blogger.com (Norma Sutton) — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 23:06:00 -0500

Well I'm about 1/4 of the way thru with the cape I decided to make from Glofly's Wool. I just love the color. Washed the last of his fleece tonight and only have a little of the previous washed fleece left to spin. I will spin it and then crochet some more on the cape while waiting for tonights washing to dry.