Spinning Like a Top!

Hi again.
If you are a first time visitor, welcome to my woolly blog! If you have been here before or have become a follower, welcome back! As I always say to people, you're always welcome here!
Here's my latest news.
Yesterday I visited my sister Anne. She lives about 18 miles from me. The first thing we do is sit down with a cup of tea and some McVities Digestive biscuits and proceed to put the world to rights. Actually what we do is share our grumps and gripes, then when that's over we just have a great time together.
As Monday was my birthday, Anne had bought me a present or three. See this.....

2 necklaces and a £15 gift voucher

She told me a little story about the gift voucher.
Initially she had gone to Harbro to get me a gift voucher. Harbro is a store which stocks animal feeds, medicines, equipment etc and also crofting type clothing. It's where I buy my sheep fodder and drench meds etc.
So she'd gone up to the counter and asked the girl there, "Do you have any gift vouchers?"
"Yes, sure", the girl replied. "How many would you like?"
"Oh just the one will be fine", my sister replied.
The girl disappeared into the back office for a few moments, then returned to the counter and said, "No sorry, we haven't got any just now. They should be in at the beginning of the week".
My sister could hardly stop a smile from spreading across her face.It seemed the situation had gone from "How many would you like" to "Sorry we don't have any" in a matter of seconds. But she was a tad irked as well because she knew how much I would have loved "a gift voucher for my sheep"!!
And speaking of sheep, here's a photo......

Agnah

From Anne's house I visited a new friend who kindly said she would show me how to use a drop spindle as I don't have room in my little house for a full size spinning wheel. Well, I could probably squeeze one in somewhere but that might mean getting rid of some piles of books or quilting and photography magazines..........hmmmmm...nope, the magazines have to stay!
My friend's name is Laura and she is great company. Funny, talented, very hospitable and generous. She has a little dog who was very unhappy about having to stay in his crate while I was in but he soon settled down. Laura explained that he is very full of beans and would be at the top of my head before I knew what was happening to me! And she also has 2 budgies and 5 adorable Indian Finches. Oh how I would love a couple of those but I must be content with my fleecy friends and leave the feathers to other people. We just don't have the space.
So I came home last night with a borrowed drop spindle and some Cotswold top to get me started on learning to spin with this unique little device. Here's a couple of photos I took this morning. I love to see the wood and fleece together. There's something very 'earthy and organic' about it..........

And a close up photo of the top of the spindle nestled in the Cotswold fleece.......

Now if you remember in a previous post I mentioned I had sent for two books. One to help me prepare my own sheep's fleece for spinning and one about drop spindles and spinning. So imagine my delight when, after receiving the spindle and fleece last night, I get up to this in the morning.......

So now I have no excuse. I must set aside some time each day to practice this age old art. I did have a go last night at Laura's place. That was a laugh! I found out first hand why it's called a drop spindle! Seriously, I don't actually know why it's called a drop spindle, but mine certainly dropped to the floor on numerous occasions! Am I going to master this? You bet I am, even if I end up spinning like a top!
'Til next time, keep creating and help someone else along the way.

View South from Sheep Hill Park

Hi again, just me checking in with a quick photo or or two for you today. It's VERY hot and sunny for Shetland today and certainly too hot for me, but it LOOKS amazing!! Shetland in nice weather is unbeatable.
Hubby and I went up to the sheep today. While he finished off the gate to the outer pen I went calling on the sheep to come and get their extra feed. They don't really need it every day, but I'm trying to get them to keep coming down the hill towards me as it's a very steep hill and I have no sheepdog!
I'm delighted to report my one and only Cheviot ewe responded to the pedicure and antiseptic treatment I administered the other week and she's now fleet of foot. Probably much more so than I am!!! But the exercise is good for me. I recently sold my Reebok stepper because I figured I was getting better exercise chasing sheep all over the place. It's a whole lot more fun than stepping on and off a piece of plastic!
So first of all, here's the view south from the hill park......

And here's my new (primitive) gate! It cost a whole £4.00 to make!

I also managed to get a photo of my two "Golden Girls" together today. They are in the autumn of their years and not looking their best but they are just adorable! I am planning to get them in the pen this week and perhaps just 'roo' them (pluck the fleece off) instead of clipping them as it's very straggly anyway and I don't want to lose the fleece among the heather. Here they are......

Golden Girls in Glad Rags!

And just to end with, I took a photo of hubby's jumper hanging over the pen and gave it a little post-click treatment and it looked quite good......

I'm easily amused!
Until next time, take care.

First Soay Fleece

What a birthday present! My first little bundle of Soay sheep fleece taken from my lovely ewe Yaisah today. Just look at this.....

There would have been more but, as Soays shed their own fleece, half of it was gone before I got to her to get the rest off. I may get nearer the full fleece from Shulah as she hasn't started shedding too much yet. Here are a couple more pics, a little closer up this time. Their fleece is very oily. Good for the hands!!

I've never worked with raw fleece before and as I want to learn how to spin I need to learn how to go through the whole process so I've oredered this book through Amazon......

And then of course because I want to learn to spin using a drop spindle I just HAD to order this book as well.......

I've found someone who is willing to teach me how to use the spindle and I'm so thankful and very excited about it. I would love to knit a shawl from my very own fleece. That is my goal.
And if all this isn't enough excitement for me, I'm getting 2 more Soays next week. This is my birthday present from my hubby. They are 'wethers' (castrated rams) and were born last year around the same time as the 2 ewes I have so it will make a nice little group. I plan to have perhaps half a dozen Soays and that will probably be my limit so I can add a few coloured Shetlands to my small flock too. About a dozen sheep altogether will be my flock size.
My hubby made a lovely gate for the larger sheep pen today. I was so grateful as it will help enormously when it comes to shearing time. We just need a couple more bits of wood to make it completely safe and sound. My hubby is so good to me and if I need something done or made he always does it and doesn't leave me hanging on or having to nag!! I wouldn't nag anyway, it's just not me.
So, I'll leave you today with a photo taken from the batch I took on Saturday at the Shetland Alpaca and Soay farm. Thanks for calling by my blog. As always feel free to comment, join, follow, ask questions......whatever you want. Here's a pic for you................

Three light Soays

Lace, Wool & Sheep (Not the normal order of things!)

Hi there.
If you're visiting my blog for the first time, WELCOME!
If you are a regular here, WELCOME BACK!
I am making some progress with the "Arches and Columns" patterned scarf I told you about in a previous post, so I'll just give you a sneak preview today.......

I found it difficult in the beginning and had it ripped back to the bare needles 6 times before I finally got underway with it. Now I'm enjoying it, and I feel the pattern suits this particular shade of blue.
My next project is a coloured cockle shell scarf and here are the colours I have chosen for that.....

I'm hoping this will work out in reality the way I think it will in my head! Oh my head!!! I feel the soft shade of pink and also the pale flecked bluey green will sit nicely between the natural colours but not stand out on their own.
Well, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it!! Ha ha

And now please allow me to indulge myself a little as I share some sweet photos of my sheep, taken last night at feeding time. Oh how I love my fleecy friends! Every night when I feed them I put out their food then turn the orange bucket upside down and sit on it (Oor Willie style!) and talk to them. Sometime when cars or cyclists go by they will wave, toot or honk. I expect they think I am completely off my trolley!! But guess what? I don't care!

So here are some photos, hot off the press as it were......

Shulah

Shulah and Yaisah

Nellah

Grub up, heads down!

Branjah the messy eater!

Full tummies on legs!

All very special to me. Some are missing from the photos as they don't always come down from the hill to be bucket fed, and I only have eight sheep at the moment. Planning on a couple more Soays and perhaps three coloured Shetland lambs later in the year, so I'll keep you posted on that.
Right now I'm off for a nice cup of tea.
I hope you've enjoyed browsing my blog. Please let me know if there is anything you'd like to see more of in connection with Shetland and Shetland wool.
Until next time, take care.