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I might have forgot to mention that a few weeks ago I sent a sample of our pasture grass to the lab at the University of Idaho.
And Monday I got the results back in the mail.
Here they are:

So, the first thing I had to do was put it in context.
I did a little math, consulted http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/sheep/as989-3.htm to get info on how much of each nutrient sheep actually require, and came up with this-

(when looking at the Mineral Supplement info you have to consider that the sheep are only eating a very small volume of that daily- I haven’t actually been able to figure out how much they are eating, because they waste a fair amount,, but it’s probably about an ounce or less a day.)

There are a couple of things that jump out at me.
1. We’ve got a lot of Molybdenum. I was expecting this to be the case, and the lab results confirm it.
2. We’ve got a lot of Iron and Manganese

Otherwise, we’re doing pretty good.

I do wish that the trace mineral panel they did had Selenium,, but that wasn’t on the menu. So, I’m going to assume that we’re deficient, just like everyone else in this region.

The Molybdenum is a problem because it interferes with the uptake of copper. And the Iron might be doing the same thing.

So, that could be causing the sheep to not get enough copper, even though it is present in the plant material they are eating.

I’m going to do some reading up on the various minerals and how they interact and affect metabolic processes – to see if I can get some clarity on how this whole thing comes together.

Wish me luck.

In other news, we’ve got new yarn (from last week’s impulse drum carding)

A doggie hat

And 1 and 1/3 mittens

Hopefully I will soon have 2 mittens.
And yes, I know they look a little long.
I plan on lightly felting them, and that should bring them back to the perfect proportions. 🙂

Have a great week!

Today’s high was about 32 degrees.

And so, other than taking care of critters, I’ve been mostly engaged in indoor pursuits-

Turning pumpkins in to tasty things:

Soup

And cookies

Also got some spinning done. This is about 160 yards of silky, fluffy shetland goodness. Hoping it will look kind of tweedy and nutty when knit up.

Then I thought I would take a look at the stash inventory I started last January, to see how much progress I’ve made in SY2010 (Spinning Year 2010)

I didn’t quite finish. About the time that I repacked the third rubbermaid bin, I felt the need to break out the drumcarder and accelerate the process some.

Here we have some dyed Romney, mohair and alpaca. Nice thick singles, I think.

Maybe next week I’ll get brave enough to add it up and see where I stand 🙂

The Take

Ok. I truly cannot resist a fleece sale. But in my defense, I only took half of it. And I didn’t have any light, pearly grey in the stash, so this baby is definitely admissable.

The De-Stash.

This lovely glowing  creamy white stuff is bargain Romney from last year. Amazing what a pair of combs can do!

The Finished Object.

Kinda cute, eh? It’s stranded, so it’s really thick and squooshy. Got another one in the works already.

And some gratuitous sheep photos-

The boys seem to be adjusting to the shorter days and the colder weather. I know they are pretty well insulated, but I think it’s so odd that they prefer to sleep out in the field rather than their new shed. Silly buggers.

(Sorry. Stupid Jedi Mind Trick.)

Anyway,
I finally finished the Groovy Red Toe-Up Socks, and here is photographic proof-

They were really fun to knit, but they took forever on little size 2 needles, so my fingers are very gratified to be moving on to this Cowichan Hat!

Gauge is about 3.5 stitches to the inch, so it’s going pretty fast. And I think it’s going to be really cool (and mighty toasty)
Almost instant gratification knitting 🙂

And in non-wool news, I have to report that I have discovered the neatest kitchen gadget ever.
I think these have been around forever,, but it’s new to me, and it has pretty much transformed my relationship with apple pie.

Here is the thingee-

It peels, slices and cores, all without the use of electricity. And eliminates any chance of me maiming myself with a corer and or paring knife. It’s like magic. (I got this little gem as a Christmas gift last year, and had almost forgotten about it. Many belated thanks to Carole!)

And here is my pie. Or what’s left of it right now. Probably won’t last long.
Guess I’ll get to play with my new toy again soon.

That’s about all the excitement here.

So, I’ll sign off with a message from Boo Kitten.

“Getcho own socks. Theses all mine”