Author: denisemor

Preppin’ for Spring

It’s mighty soggy outside.
But I’m taking the groundhog at his word.

Spring is right around the corner.

Mid February means a lot of things:
rosebush maintenance
fruit tree pruning
garden planning
baby chickens?

Things start moving fast.

and then it’s shearing time!

Probably within a month I’ll have five new fleeces!
So I thought I should probably get a handle on the remaining unwashed wool that I still had in the queue from last spring (yeah, I’m a little behind).

I washed up the last of Griff and Edgar on Friday.

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Did some spinning on Saturday

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And I got about a pound of wool carded today

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That’s a pretty good wool weekend!

I’ve really got an itch to do some dyeing, and I was putting together a plan to do a madder dyebath, but I’d have to do that outside, so I’ll have to wait until the weather is more cooperative.

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Mmmmm. Madder.

For the Sheepy Booklist

I keep meaning to tell y’all about a book that I read over the holidays.

Picked it up at the Cannon Beach Book Company when we were down there in mid-December.

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The Shepherd’s Life- Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape

Up in the fells of the Lake District in northern England folks like James Rebanks raise Herdwick sheep, a heritage breed of sheep that is amazing hardy and awfully cute

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But the book is about more than the sheep. It’s about community, and family, and belonging to a place.
It’s not romantic, and not sentimental, but full of love for the landscape and the lifestyle.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and might even read it again.

And if you want some cutie Herdy merchandise, check out http://www.herdy.co.uk/about/about-us

Monkey See

Monkey Do(s)!

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Not that I get to keep these guys, but I’m calling this one Mel.

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And this is George

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And Frieda

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And Maggie

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I still have some slabs of felted Frank and Felix wool available for use as monkey hairpieces, but I think I need a little break.  Gotta get some knitting done this week!