Shearing Day Photos

We do not do the shearing ourselves--we hire a 19-year-old with a good back. He's paying his way through college. He earns every bit of the money we pay him. Anyone who says kids today don't know how to work has not watched this guy in action.

No, it does not hurt the sheep. It's like your son getting a buzz-cut in the summer. Closely cropped. Once in a great while, one will get a nick (like when you're shaving). But if anyone tells you that shearing sheep is cruel and inhumane, they are wrong.

Here's one, freshly-shorn. The bluish green crayon mark on her head means she has been vaccinated for tetanus. This happens pre-lambing so that the ewe and the lamb(s) both get the benefit from the vaccine.

This is my job--spreading out the fleece (which comes off all in one piece and stays together if I'm careful) on a wire table, dirty side up. I talked to the kids (when they turned up their noses at how dirty the wool was) about what would happen if they wore the same clothes and never took a bath for a whole year. They got the point.

I then removed as much manure and hay as I can and wrapped it up, clean side out, to be put in the wool bags. See how gorgeous it is on the inside?

Here is a young man (perhaps 7?) who is learning to spin. We arranged for someone to demonstrate spinning for the visitors to our shop. One of our daughters also manned the shop. She showed anyone interested the basics of spinning.

All in all, it was an exhausting and productive and successful day. Congratulations to Angie, who won the grand prize of a pair of our socks!

Bloggy Giveaway--Now Closed

**This bloggy giveaway is now closed** Thanks to all who participated and gave such great comments. Janette is the winner of the $15 gift certificate to our etsy store . I'm participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Carnival . Click the link to go to the carnival where you can enter to win literally hundreds of things. The good news is that even if you have no time to play on the computer trying to win hundreds of things, you can still enter to win one thing right here. This week, I will be giving away a $15 gift certificate to be used toward the purchase of an item in my etsy shop . This contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada only. The winner will receive free shipping on whatever item they choose. Items in my etsy shop include handwoven rugs, wool yarns and roving from our farm, and the ever-popular cotton dishcloth! To be entered in this wonderful drawing, you must go to the etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and type a comment that

Haying 101

A few posts back, "deep end of the loom" (love that name!) asked me to tell a bit more about the haying process. If you want my version, read on. If you'd like to read the official wikipedia version, click here . Haying happens in three steps: cutting, raking and baling. This process takes several days, as the hay must be dry when baled. Moist hay molds and heats up and has even been known to spontaneously combust, burning down the barn. Gotta have dry hay. This first photo is of our haybine. The haybine not only cuts the hay, it also crimps each piece of long grass in several places, to allow for faster drying. We usually cut hay in the early afternoon, when the dew is gone. When we're done, long row of cut grass lie waiting. The hay is allowed to dry for two to three days, depending on wind and sun conditions. Obviously, the more wind and sun the days hold, the quicker the hay will dry. When we feel like the hay is nearly dry, we go out with the rake. There are diff

This Giveaway Is Now Closed!

Today starts a giveaway at Farming in the Shade! I am happy to contribute this complete hat kit (needles not included) to someone who has a knitting obsession and a small person in their life. Here are the rules (contest open to US or Canada residents only): Giveaway ends May 1 at 9 p.m. EST. Winner will be announced by Sunday, May 3. Enter by posting a comment on this blog post. Tell me something about your knitting--who taught you to knit, your favorite yarn, the coolest thing you ever knitted. Make sure you leave contact information! Earn extra entries by: 1) Following me on twitter. (If you don't know what twitter is, don't worry. It's another way to waste your time on the computer.) Add a comment here so I will count it as one entry. 2) Tweeting this giveaway (no more than once daily). Add a comment here so I know you did it. 3) Blog about this giveaway. Add a comment (with link) here so I can go visit your blog. 4) Follow or subscribe to this blog (or tell me if have

Farming in the shade

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