Under The Son Farm: 2013 lambs

Showing posts with label 2013 lambs. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Under The Son Stilton

Elaine wanted a picture of Castello. Well, I'll introduce Stilton first, then on to Castello.

UnderTheSon Stilton - moorit, C. Pegasus/UTS Sateen

And no, that isn't a beard! He got into some foxtail like grass (I have no idea what it is). This ram, and his twin sister, have had my eye since the minute they were born. Elegance and presence are the two words that best describe them. I went "Wow!" when they were born. Dense, fine, crimpy, dark moorit.

Stilton's rear

Stilton's fleece - fine crimp with deep curvature.

UTS Blue Castello - this is the best I can get for a body shot. He'll hold his head up high when he is getting his scratches, but I don't remember the last time we've had a more laid back ram. Stocky, but not over done, he is a different type than Stilton. He and Stilton are actually about the same size.

Castello's fleece - note the extreme fineness and tiny, yet deep amplitude, crimp structure. This structure is what gives Shetland fleece 'memory' and bounce and is so essential in soft, long lasting Shetland knitted garments (and is quite different than Merino crimp and amplitude!). This is why Shetland knitted lace, especially the very fine lace, sometimes looks like a crumpled mess when it is being knitted and why Shetlanders use what is called a 'raepin string'. A raepin string is run through the knitting and tied to the knitter's clothing so the knitting can be stretched and the stitches more easily seen while knitting. Pretty clever, eh? Yet, this 'mess' is transformed into a webbed beauty when the knitted lace is washed and stretched on a frame or board or with (nowadays) lace wires.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Blue Castello

This is a fleece shot of Blue Castello, a premium superfine emsket ram lamb (B/b). Emsket and mioget are two of the least common colors of Shetland sheep and especially in fine fleeced ones. They are highly prized by spinners because they are so rare and because the colors blend very well with alpaca, mohair, and angora. Emsket has been the very hardest color to get this finely crimped and this ram lamb is the best so far that we've produced. His fleece is fantastic in type. Very soft and silky handle, very finely crimped, and it is dense. Castello will be put to 4 or 5 mioget and emsket ewes to concentrate on these modified colors - all lambs should be either mioget or emsket. Sorry, but he does not like to pose for the camera - this one was taken while he was lying under one of the hay wagons. Very laid back in personality, nothing really fazes him. I even had a halter on him a few days ago and he was almost trained in just a few minutes. He did take notice and act like he was at a show, with great presence (but I forgot to get a picture). Not freaking out doing the flop, drop, and roll like some do. I like calm rams. Too bad he's not signed up to show.

Blue Castello (UTS Stronsay/UTS Formosa Jade)

Bella and the pup are playing again. This time I caught her in the act of using the waterer as her pool. And yes, I cleaned it out . . . for the third time today (so far).

This is better, although I have to rinse the algae slime off her.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Sheep For Sale Aug 2013

This is a picture heavy blog post.

Dewormed lambs today and got group shots of sale sheep. We have over a dozen adult ewes for sale, 17 ewe lambs (some breedstock/show quality, some pet/fiber quality), and a few select ram lambs. There is also a black yearling ram for sale as well - Vementry, and possibly a 2 year old ram. We also have 13 crossbred ewe lambs for sale too.

Adult and Yearling Shetland ewes (shown in the below group photos)

Adults are proven producers with good fleeces and conformations.

Yearlings and Adults range from $125-300

Yearlings 2012

Taransay - white (Dungaree/Tralee)

Eriskay - black HST spotted (C. Pegasus/SP Orchid)

Ballet - grey katmoget (Velour/Allemande)

Jura - black/shaela (Walden/Jade)

Fara - fawn (Dungaree/Ellie)

Shuna - white (Perse/Bombycina)

Adults

Ellie - fawn (Galway/SP Cecila), 2006

Morchella - grey (Drum Jings/TK Prairie), 2007

Allison - fawn katmoget (B. Dreamie/TK Prairie), 2009

Shalimar - shaela (B. Dreamie/Shawnee), 2009

Monaco - grey, spotted iglet (Minder/Morel), 2009

RoseDale - fawn, (Galway/SP Cecila), 2009

Red Rose - fawn katmoget (B. Dreamie/Rahab), 2010

Moire - black (WS 0923/Mercure), 2011

S'More Minuet - fawn (Apache/Fantasy), 2001

Adults and yearling ewes

2013 Ewe lambs (shown below in several group photos)

I did not separate out the breedstock quality from the pet quality, sorry!

Breedstock/show quality - $300-400 each. Outstanding conformations and fleeces!

Milleen - black (Earl Grey/Moreen)

Crema Agria - black (C. Pegasus/Ceylon)

Anari - white (Stronsay/Assam) NOT SHOWN - in the WI to go group

Parmesan - white (C. Pegasus/Paxina) NOT SHOWN - in the WI to go group

Grana - moonspotted black/shaela (Stronsay/Galerina)

Serat - moorit (Velour/Samba)

Rigotte - black smirslet (C. Pegasus/Rhumba)

Piora - white (Earl Grey/Pashmina)

Anjou - fawn katmoget (Stronsay/Jasmine) NOT SHOWN - in the WI to go group

Mycella - grey katmoget (Velour/Mirky, aka "White Monkey")

Fiber pets $125 ea - these have outstanding fleeces!

black - (Cleggan/WS 0932)

dk grey katmoget - (Velour/Samba)

moorit - (Stronsay/Minuet)

black - (Velour/Shalimar)

fawn katmoget - (Velour/Shalimar)

black krunet - (Stronsay/Damask)

2013 Ewe lambs

2013 Ram Lambs

We kept back a few select ram lambs for sale. The rest were culled to market. We only sell rams that are good enough to represent the breed standard and to show! A couple of other ones that are available were previously posted a week or two ago. Ram lambs range from $300-350.

C. Pegasus/Cambric - twin. White. Very fine, very soft. Refined build. Excellent horns.

C. Pegasus/Cambric - twin. White. Very fine, very soft. Refined build. Excellent horns. This one is a mirkface.

C. Pegasus/Viva - twin. Grey yuglet. Very wide behind. See fleece below.

C. Pegasus/Viva grey yuglet fleece. Very fine, very soft. Biggy to see crimp.

Stronsay/Cinnerelle - triplet. Moorit smirslet. Scurred (half poll), very fine, very soft. See more pics below.

Stronsay/Cinnerelle moorit smirslet ram - very wide rear.

Stronsay/Cinnerelle moorit smirslet ram's fleece - very fine, very soft.

C. Pegasus/Radison - triplet, black. Refined. A bit smaller because he is a triplet. See pic below for fleece.

C. Pegasus/Radison black ram's fleece - very soft and very fine.

North Country Cheviot/Shetland Ewe lambs

Here are a few of the cross lambs from last month as I forgot to get a picture of them today. They are huge! $160 each.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A few ram lambs

Croglin - Stronsay/Cinnerelle. Light moorit, triplet (and has 2 brothers!). Croglin has a nice rack, but it isn't overpowering. Proper amount of fleece on the forehead, excellent typey defined head, and a good structure. His overall appearance harkens to a more ancient specimen, yet he wraps the breed standard up quite well. He has a silky soft fleece with fine crimp coming in. I really like his package and will probably incorporate him sometime in the future for many of the characteristics that he possesses, especially since he is a Brandon grandson (a very fine, silky soft black ram).

Croglin again, profile view. Notice the excellent dishing

Asiago - C. Pegasus/Velvet. Another excellent set of horns. Asiago has a dark kat fleece but with the clear, crisp facial markings so desired. Silky, soft, fine, dense, and crimpy. He and Croglin, along with another triplet ram lamb are keeping Dreamie company in the chicken pen. This is another watch ram for me. I've got about a half dozen on my list as several of my adult rams will be replaced.

Mobay - C. Pegasus/Magnolia. HST black/shaela. Mobay is coming into his own pretty well. Very soft and finely crimped. I'm not much into spots but he defies the norm. Definitely watching this one.

Stilton - C. Pegasus/Sateen. This is Sirene's brother. Elegant ram. Nice and dark moorit.

Stilton's fleece

Monterey Jack - Stronsay/S'More Minuet. Jack is coming in a fawn color and is very fine and soft. Jack is definitely for sale. Many of Tori's sheep have really tiny fluke tails and Jack definitely inherited that. His overall type harkens back to his grandsire, Apache (a best fleece on hoof winner).

Mahon - Stronsay/Madeline. Light moorit. Mahon is very similar to Jack in type, mainly different in color. He may tend to go towards the mioget end of the scale.

This is just a smattering of the rams, as a few of these I'm considering on bringing to Jefferson. There are a few more to get pictures of but the raindrops came and chased me inside.

Matooq - Velour/Mirky. Nice fleece on this ewe lamb. I've got 5 fawn kat ewe lambs this year and she may be for sale. This one's grey kat ewe sister is definitely for sale, which is why I'm waffling on her. She is in the show pen for right now till I pick a few ewes to bring.

Leyden - Stronsay/Lace. One of the ewe lambs I wasn't able to get a picture of the other day. Leyden is a a combination of refinement, yet substance. I really like how she does it without going over the limit on either bone or body. Dense, fine, crimpy, soft fleece. She wraps up a nice package! Another nice moorit addition to the flock (the reason I used Stronsay on so many ewes was to try and get moorit ewe lambs as I have so few moorit adults).

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Lambs and a peek at a finished project

Warning - picture heavy.

I dewormed the lambs again on Thursday. Yeah, all 100 of them . . . by myself. It's actually not too bad. At least this time I didn't have to tag them. But, I separated out the purebred ram lambs and ewe lambs from the adults and the crossbred lambs so that I could get some group shots. Wonderful conformations and fabulous fleeces on this bunch!! I'm having a VERY hard time trying to decide who to take to the Wisconsin show in Sept. And I need to do it quickly!

I know which ones I'm keeping. That wasn't a problem. Not nearly as many in years past. I will hang on to a few ram lambs because they are so nice. You can ask about which ones are for sale (but I did list them individually on the last post). Please give me a holler soon as we'll be shipping those we aren't keeping shortly, regardless of quality!!

I also have 13 crossbred (Cheviot/Shetland) ewe lambs available for commercial stock. Wow! Huge girls. Will be great ewes for a grass-fed market lamb flock. Also, if you are in need of a crossbred ram or would like to butcher one, I didn't wether the Cheviot/Shetland boys this year. I'll send them to market soon, so ask if you are interested.

Scene across the pond yesterday morning. It is good to live in the country.

Ewe Lambs

(and 3 yearling ewes - 1 moorit and 2 whites)

the moorit in the center is a yearling (FS)

the white ewe in front is a yearling (FS)

Ram Lambs

Fleece shot of Keemun's spotted fawn kat (FS)

Fleece shot of one of the black rams (FS)

Fleece shot of Blue Castello (Stronsay/Jade). He is turning gloriously blue and is extremely soft and very fine. This ram lamb I'll use on my modified ewes for a mioget and emsket lamb crop next year. The group will only be about 4 or 5 ewes.

Another probable keeper ram lamb. No, he is nowhere near as crimpy as the above rams, but so what? Crimp is a good indicator of fineness, but not always. Shetlands are not cookie cutter sheep and this ram is very silky and fine! That is a trait that I value highly and the fleece style is just a bit different. Actually, the fleeces of all of the above are not the same on the outside. Similar, yes, and within the range of the diversity of the breed. It's when you start losing the crimp structure altogether or don't have any in the first place is where the boundaries of the standard and the breed are compromised.

A couple of crossbred lambs with their mother. And these two are about the last born ones!

And finally, a sneak peak at my just finished handspun lace shawl! I love it! Six days to spin (and spun almost twice as much as what I used), and 14 days to knit. Not bad for me.

Welcome to Under The Son blog!

There are about 50 Shetland sheep on our farm during the winter months and over 100 with the lambs in the spring time. Most patterns along with a few spotted sheep are here on the farm. I specialize in breeding classic fine fleeced Shetlands that are the hallmark of the Shetland wool industry and have been for hundreds of years.

Blogs posted will be relevant to our Shetland sheep farm goals such as working towards a classic type fleece - a fine to very fine, dense, silky, lustrous, 3-6" Shetland fleece, raising conformational correct pure Shetlands and growthy Shetland cross market lambs, as well as all manner of Shetland fleece production through to the finished products.

I am a spinner, weaver, knitter, felter, crocheter, dyer, soaper and have done all manner of other crafty things such as basketry, beaded jewelry, sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, etc.

Wool for sale includes raw fleece, washed fleece, rovings, spinning batts, quilt or comfortor batts, felt yardage, handspun yarns, millspun yarns, and finished knitted, woven, or felted goods such as fingerless gloves, purses, scarves, shawls, ponchos, ruanas, vests, jackets, and blankets.

Vist my Ravelry group for even more information. http://www.ravelry.com/groups/fine-shetland-wool

About Shetland Sheep

Shetland sheep are a heritage breed dating back a thousand years or more and are related to Soay sheep. They have primitive characteristics such as a naturally short fluke shaped tail, wool that 'roos' or sheds in the springtime, small size, and fine bone. They are famous first and foremost for their fine, soft, naturally colored wool that is very lightweight and warm. This wool was one of the two pillars of the Shetland Island economy for centuries.

Shetlands, the 'kindly' (soft) wooled native breed of sheep, were preserved because the Shetland wool industry was facing extinction with the the infiltration of coarse long wooled big sheep on the island. Steps were taken, such as the writing of the breed standard and paid ram incentives, to ensure the existence of this rare native breed and the continued existence of the woolen industry that employed so many of the women of Shetland.

Garments made from breed standard 'kindly' Shetland wool can be next-to-the-skin soft scarves to warm, soft outerwear sweaters. It is a fine wool with crimp (called 'wave' by the writers of the standard) and is normally used for knitted garments with good memory such as stockings/socks, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, shawls, under clothing, and the famous Shetland sweaters. It is a 'longish' wool, around 3-6", depending on crimp. It is sometimes good for felting and some fleeces are very silky. As it is a heritage breed, there is quite a bit of diverseness found within the breed, especially in the colors and patterns that run the gamut of browns, blacks, greys, and white as well as spots and patterns. All in all, it is one of the premier handspinning fleeces to be found.

From the Shetland Sheep Society

"Shetland sheep have for generations been noted for their very soft and well crimped fleece. The wool is the finest of all native breeds and shows an amazing variety of colours and patterns. There are 11 main whole colours and 30 recognised markings.

By selecting from coloured fleeces a range of naturally coloured yarn can be produced. This eliminates the need for dyeing and therefore retains the soft feel of the natural fibre and is favoured by those who prefer a totally natural approach.

Shetland wool fibres are of a simple construction witha central cortex covered by a thin scaly cuticle, and have an average diameter of about 23 microns. However there is a range from 10-20 microns for neck and shoulder wool to 25to 35 microns for britch wool. the average staple length is 3.5 inches. The amount of crimp varies, and is most important in providing the 'bounce' required for knitwear. There is a positive correlation between fineness and crimp, with wool of the finest quality being crimped at between 8 and 12 to the inch. Wool from shetland sheep is used to produce gossamer lace, the famous 'Fair Isle' knitwear, and fine tweeds. Pure bred Shetland sheep tend to shed their fleece in sprin. The growth of new fleece can cause a rise or weak point and where this is present the fleece can sometimes be plucked or 'rooed' by hand. The timing of this can be different in each sheep, however, it is worth taking the care to get it right as rooed fleece can be amongst the softest because the fibres have no harsh cut ends as occurs with a sheared fleece.

Shetland fleece can be handspun straight from the fleece or made into rolags and then woollen spun. It can also be sorsted spun by hand, used on a peg loom or handwoven. It also felts well using either dry or wet methods. When processed commercially the wool can be made into the finest lightweight worsted cloth or heavier weight, harder wearing fabrics and tweeds."

Under The Son Farm

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