Yeehaw! New cam

Splurged on a new Nikon CoolPix yesterday.  Only took >300 pics so far  . . . and I DON'T have time to take any!  This is just going to be a very short post.  Next week I'll take time and get more pictures and post what I took already.  Suffice to say, taking pictures is one of the really fun things that I've always loved to do.  I bought my second camera in high school with 'horse' money - a Pentax 1000 SLR.  Had fun in the school darkroom with developing pictures.  Loved it!  Had some good cameras since then, but since the digital age, I've not had a 'good' camera, and even this one is nowhere near a top one.  But it can take some decent shots!  This is just a taste of what I've taken so far.  I'll play around with the 16 MP later as these are just low res ones.

This moorit spotted ram lamb is a C. Pegasus/Ceylon get.  I've 'shelved' him till about now as he was born with a dog coat.  The hair is falling out and is being replaced with a very crimpy soft fleece (you can actually pull the hairs out as they are so loose).  I'm thinking I might use this one this fall for breeding as Ceylon has a long staple that is very soft and crimpy.  Very square and wide with strong horns.

UTS Stronsay.  Growing up very nicely!  His lambs are excellent.

B. McDreamie.  Had to move him to one of the smaller pens as the 2 year olds were trying to dethrone the king.  Still very soft and very crimpy!  May use him again this fall too.  

This is Bella, my 'helper'.  

Where are the sheep?

Hmmm . . . just when I had a few minutes to snap some pics of the lambs . . .  I'm assuming the sheep are the blobs of color poking above the grass.  And the 'bunnies' that are hopping around in the field look an awful like lambs . . .  Praise God for the grass!

Here is a ewe lamb that was up to the sheds (that Jeff has been working on fixing because most of them 'flipped' in a very strong windy storm coming from the south back in Feb).  This is Sateen's ewe lamb (by Pegasus).  Nope, this one isn't going anywhere!  Her sculptured features combined with her wonderful, well muscled conformation are too nice to slip away.  She's layered with an even fine fleece to boot.  And friendly.  And with that upheaded 'show' personality.   She reminds me very much of her great grandmother, Anglaise.   I'm keeping a few moorit ewe lambs as I'm very low on them - Sateen's, Lace's (Stronsay), probably Spice's (Stronsay), and at least one more.  But, there will be a couple other ones available.  All with very square conformations and great fleeces.    

I've been doing a bit of felting again - usually during the 'mud' times.  This is a nuno felted shawl that I made to wear to Jordan's wedding.  I dyed my Shetland white top 2 different purples, and used a bit of silk, blue tencel, purple tencel, and novelty yarn as embellishments.  Wonderfully soft and cushy!

Here's my new 'fancy' purse to take too.  It is made with Shetland shaela top and a bit of silk embellishment. A doubled corded felted handle, light grey cotton liner (to see inside!), and a zipper to close it.  Ok now!  This was fun and interesting to make and I can EASILY see myself making a bunch more purses and bags and other felted items (slippers, boots, and/or shoes are HIGH on the list but they don't need top).   

Start of 2013 Sales Listings

Yes, it has been awhile since I've last posted.  It is crazy busy around here.  I'm hand shearing the flock . . . and only half done.  The rain (and MUD!) has put a literal damper on progress. But, to be reasonable, the sheep are rooing rather late for some of them.  A couple that I've put on the stand, I've only rooed/sheared the neck and britch, put their coat back on, and sent them on their way.  They just weren't 'ready' yet.  At least all of the boys are now shorn.  The big rams I have to do tied to the fence and not on the stand.  It is hard enough getting some of the big ewes on the stand by myself!

So, here are some pictures of a couple of the rams that are available for sale:

UTS Fetlar - Moorit POLLED yearling ram 

(UTS Perse/UTS Fraiche)

Very wide stance.  Lives with horned rams!  Milky dam.  Second in his class last fall at WSWF. 

Fetlar's fleece - very soft, dense, crimpy

Yearling stats: AFD 25.3/ SD 4.7/ CV 18.4/ CEM 8.3/ SF 24.1/ CRV 63.5

UTS Vementry - dark shaela, dense, crimpy, soft fleece.  

Yearling stats:  AFD 23.9/ SD 5/ CV 21/ CEM 8.8/ SF 23.2/ CRV 68.6

Excellent head and horns on Vementry!

I've also got Cleggan still available and Coburg.  All of these rams, with the exception of Coburg, will be shipped to market, possibly next month.  I'm reducing the ram flock by approximately half as I'll be looking to keep some of the upcoming ram lambs. 

There will be several ewes available for sale after weaning lambs:

Allison - fawn katmoget, (larger size)

Morchella - grey (Ag/Aa), F1 Jings (larger size)

Monaco - spotted grey (Ag/Aa), F1 Minder (larger size)

S'More Coppelia - moorit (smaller deer type)

S'More Minuet - moorit/fawn (medium size)

Taransay - white yearling

Shuna - white yearling

S'More Ballet - grey kat yearling

There will probably be more adults added to the list next month.  I'm waffling on letting a few go.  I really don't feel that bad about it either because I just read on someone's facebook page that every sheep they let go has claw marks on them (because they don't want to let them go!).  I feel about the same way . . .

For lambs, there are MANY that are available.  I just haven't had time to get pictures - and seeing that there has been so much MUD, I really haven't wanted to get pictures of them anyway!  But, to give you a feel for what is available, we'll have several spotted ram lambs, and both rams and ewes in kats, blacks, whites, and moorits.  For the ram lambs, we have some with big horns, and some that are going to be half pollled.   A couple will be full polls.   Fleeces and conformations are wonderful.  I'll be taking pictures NEXT month (after the wedding!!).  There just isn't time this month!

Sires for the 2013 lambs are UTS Stronsay, UTS Velour, Crosswinds Pegasus, UTS Cleggan AI, UTS Earl Grey.  

Looking ahead, I'm already thinking of breeding groups for this fall!  I may possibly use this guy:

UTS Ben (UTS Shaughnessy/Whistlestop 0923 'Black')

Proven, B/b

Disregard the 'tuft' on his back end - I started to shear him, then realized I should get a picture first!

Background is his fleece - intense coal black, very dense, very crimpy.  

I've really liked this ram from when he was very young.   He and Stronsay are very similar in type, though they have somewhat different bloodlines.  Ben's neck is a bit longer than Stronsay's and Stronsay's rear is a tad wider.  This is the only ram I keep by 'Black'.  I didn't use Ben last fall as he was leased out.  Getting intense blacks (and hopefully dark moorits) will be one goal for using him, as well as breeding him to the kats to hopefully get some more grey kats.  Everyone keeps panicking about getting too many grey kats . . . but what is the problem with that???  I love grey kats!  The fleeces are wonderful!