Wanna Go To Lamb Camp?

Being as this is a Kentucky Fiber Trail sponsored event, I really should title this post something like "Want To Know Where Your Fiber Comes From?", but who would I be kidding...everyone really just wants to come out and snorgle some baby lambs ;-D.

This spring you actually can come out and experience a busy lambing shed and even snorgle a lamb or two if the mommas are agreeable.  The Kentucky Fiber Trail has put together a central Kentucky area tour that includes our farm (no lamb...yet ;-), Final Frontier Farm (lots o' lambs), Last Move Farm B&B, feltLOOM and Rebelle Yarn Store.  

Each stop is jam packed with fun, experiences, insight and education...on where your fiber actually comes from ;-).  

We hope you join us!

"Did You Wash Behind Your Ears?"

" Mims" aka "Peter's Mom"

Tring Farm

Daniel And His Bell

Let me tell you a story about Daniel.  Don't worry - it's a sweet story with a happy ending :-).  

Daniel is one of our more complicated sheep.  Not "Maisie complicated", but complicated more like an easy going middle child who doesn't demand special attention...but sure would enjoy a little...if someone would just notice him.

Daniel doesn't follow me around, pushing and shoving for back scratches or treats.  He doesn't climb on me or the gate, not letting me through with the hay.  In fact, Daniel is never underfoot.  Daniel is always well behaved and polite...and overshadowed by his rowdy brothers and sisters.

I am aware of this and mostly make sure I've said hello and rubbed his ears and asked him how his day was, but sometimes life gets extra busy and while I always make sure everyone is well fed and in good order, I may not think to take an extra minute to check in more personally with a sheep like Daniel.

When this happens, inevitably Daniel gets "sick"...which immediately gets my notice.  He looks droopy and sad and Eeyore-ish and I check his eyes, his ears, I rub his neck and shoulders and we have a talk about what might be the matter...and if he needs to have his temperature taken.  He never does ;-).

I really don't think he's deliberately faking being sick to get my attention.  I think his feelings are truly hurt and he's a tad depressed and therefore actually "sick".  Luckily a little special attention and some extra nose smooches perk him right up.

Petunia had gotten a small nick on her neck during shearing last week.  Over the weekend I noticed that her collar and bell had aggravated the spot and was not letting it heal properly.  I immediately removed the collar and as I was getting ready to set it on the ground so I could get a better look at her neck, I notice Daniel standing nearby, watching.

"Would you like to wear Petunia's bell for awhile?" I asked. 

I placed the collar around his neck.  He stood still and didn't seem to be at all concerned.  I fastened one side of the buckle and let it hang for a second, ready to remove it if he got upset. Some sheep really don't like the bells.  He moved his head a bit..and the bell tinkled...and special Daniel stood a little bit taller :-).    

Lamb Camp Begins

Stella and I got to go snorgle some cute lambies yesterday at Tring Farm :-).  I can't decide which picture I like best and I really need to go get busy, so it's a self serve blog today. You can pick your own favorite!

Another Story

"So what's this sheep's story?" Dr. Bridge asked as she knelt on the ground next to us yesterday morning.  The stories... 

As I sit there with my friends, waiting, I usually tell them stories.  "Remember that time when..."  Sometimes I just hold them and tell them they were good girls, good boys, good ponies, best dogs ever... Sometimes I just cry and say "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." 

I was told years ago that life with an animal is lots and lots and lots of good days...and one really bad one.  That's true with the stories as well - lots and lots and lots of good stories...and one last really sad one.  And even though the day is bad and the story is sad, at the end of the day I'm still grateful for the opportunity. 

Lila had some classic stories, especially as a bottle lamb.  It's fun to go back into the blog archives and re-read them. She was a character.  She will make you laugh.  And even though she settled a bit into the background as she grew up, she became a part of so many other sheep's stories. 

Lila was one of my girls...that group of sheep as close to daughters as I'll ever have.  I had fun raising her and Grumpy Lila (unless there were cookies involved ;-) could always be counted on in return to raise up any new flock members, young or old. 

Everybody loved Lila.  Probably because she had good stories.  Maybe because she was a good pillow ;-).

Lila Lambie

April 16, 2011 - March 23, 2019

And Not Just Because There's A Sheep

I always at least glance at the Google Doodle each morning.  Some are of no real interest.  Some have dinosaurs or shooting stars or flowers and bees.  Today's is amazing!

And not just because there is a post it note with a sheep and another with a big star shining on three little stars...out on the Iknitarod Trail.

Go check it out and play some music :-).

Resting During The Heat Of The Day

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Resting my “dogs” during the “heat” of the day. We’ve had a couple chilly nights, but the sheep are warm and comfy once the sun comes up. #iknitarod2019

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady) on Mar 19, 2019 at 9:45am PDT

I've got the body basically finished (still deciding on final length and what sort of bottom edging I want) and both sleeves started, so I can almost see the lights of Nome off in the distance. Once I get finished, I'll get the official shearing post up and also some other fun pictures from before shearing.

In the meantime, enjoy sitting in the sun with everyone for a few minutes :-).

Wherein We Finally Admit Maisie Has Been Possessed

We had our concerns after the Halloween debacle where/when she completely behaved herself out in public at the humane society fundraiser at the local Dairy Queen.  Still, Maisie is nothing if not a comedian and we decided she just had more fun making us look like fools walking around with our huge entourage of animal control experts.

"Seriously."

As spring shearing approached, I once again got nervous about how we were going to handle her.  We don't tip her upside down like the rest of the sheep because we are still worried about her ingested ball of hay twine that we can only assume is still floating around in her rumen and could cause trouble if it got stirred around.  

Bill hates shearing her.  It takes at least two people.  She's obnoxious and fussy.  She bites, kicks, tries to knock you down.  She's also short and built like a rhinoceros and her belly is so close to the ground that you can't get to it without getting down on your knees.  

She spent all last year with belly wool hanging down like fuzzy dice from a rear view mirror.  Bill apologized, but said he was worried he would cut her and I could tell also that he'd had enough of her for one year.  I asked if raising her up on a shearing stand next year would help.  "It might, if she'll stand on it."

I pulled the old shearing stand out and cleaned it up and Tim made sure it was still in working order.  When we got ready to shear Maisie this year, Bill pulled it into the shearing area, next to his clippers.  We looked at each other, looked at Maisie, laughed a bit nervously, discussed how we'd get her up on there...

...and I don't know, honestly, how it happened, but all of the sudden she was standing politely on the stand by herself with the white plastic chain behind her head and Bill was off and shearing.

Barely even a tail swish! :-o

At the very end, when we removed the chain so Bill could shear the last little bit where it was resting around her ears, she did eventually make a move and got away from us for a minute.  When it was all said and done though and she calmly trotted out of the barn with just barely a sassy glance over her shoulder, I still felt uneasy.

I think she's been possessed...by a good demon...and honestly...that's a bit frightening :-o.

Claire Bear

Brushy was a very spooky feral cat who, years ago, would sneak up on the back porch late at night to eat cat food we'd set out for Eli.  I spent weeks trying to tame him down.  He was so hungry that he'd let me stand next to him while he ate, growling, but would never let me touch him.  

One night, instead of trying to touch his hip, I reached up and touched his head.  He immediately bumped his head up into my hand, as cats do, and from that second on was completely tame.  I took him to the vet for a check and 'tutering and when I brought him home the next day I didn't hesitate to turn him loose.  I knew he'd not run off.  

But he did...sort of.  He disappeared and then reappeared a couple days later with a small black kitten in tow.  Claire Bear was always Brushy's cat and she may have actually been one of his kittens as they had a similar body shape.  Where he was very friendly though, she preferred to be left alone and spent most of her life tucked away in the barn and most never saw her.

Oh, she'd come out and talk to us some, but if we tried to pet her or pick her up, she darted or squirmed away.  God forbid if you had to take her to the vet.  Yearly vaccinations became a farm call rather than an office visit.  She was an odd cat, but we didn't care.  She was Brushy's cat and that was enough.

And yet...as socially awkward as she was, if we left town for a couple days, she was always the very first cat to meet us at the gate when we got home.  We always had a farm sitter, so we knew it wasn't because the food bowl was empty.  She actually seemed excited and happy we were home and we knew, in her own way, Claire Bear loved us.

A couple weeks ago she started asking to come into the house.  She'd walk around the kitchen, eat some of Betsy's food and then curl up on one of the dog beds and go to sleep.  She'd lost a little weight and looked like her teeth might be causing her some trouble so I got up my nerve and took her to the vet.  

Yes, her teeth were bad, but her bigger issue was her kidneys.  She stayed in the ICU at the clinic for several days and we hoped when they sent her home that she was rehydrated and stabilized enough that she might have some good months left, but it was not to be.

Interestingly, for those last few days, Claire Bear loved to be petted, followed us around the house, slept on the bed one night, was really happy if I'd sit on the floor with her and once even crawled into my lap.  

Was she making up for lost time, both giving and receiving?  Was she just looking for some comfort because she didn't feel well?  I'm not sure.  What I do believe, as she sat watching at that gate one last time, that Claire Bear knew she was loved and knew we knew she loved us as well and I think that was important to her.

Claire Bear 

2005 - March 14, 2019

Welfare Check

When a musher gets stopped out on the trail and the GPS tracker doesn't move or moves in circles...they try to find someone in the area who can get out to them and do what's called a welfare check to make sure everyone is okay.  

One of the musher I am following this year is Blair Braverman.  She appeared to be having trouble at a creek, or was maybe trying to get back to a cabin, or...her gazillion Twitter fans were all panicked.  I felt bad as well because I too feared the worst.  Turns out her GPS unit was malfunctioning and she was still on the trail.  

No such luck here.  I left "Unalakleet" in good spirits, knitting on strong.  I did my short rows, divided for the sleeves, added 8 or 9 inches to the body...started second guessing how it was going, hesitantly knit another inch or two...and stalled out.  

I needed a break anyway.  I'd knit to where my hands were sore.  Bill was in town so I was helping with shearing at Final Frontier Farm on Monday and then we sheared here Wednesday.  The Wool House Crafters met on Tuesday and I asked a couple folks for their opinion on the fabric I was getting and I think we all agreed that it was okay, but could be better.  

I ripped it all back to Unalakleet.  I figured if I was going to get stuck out on the trail making some necessary sled repairs, there'd be no better place than to hang out with fellow Iknitaroder knitski and eat sourdough pancakes ;-).  20 caught up with us there.

20:  Glad you've made it back here to Unalakleet and everything is okay.  Sounds like you've had some trouble this year.  What can you tell us about that?

TCSL: Well, the theme this year so far seems to be gauge.  Gauge too tight, gauge too loose, gauge not making sense, gauge inconsistencies due to sloppy or inattentive knitting on my part...  

20:  Why is gauge so important?

TCSL: Gauge affects how the fabric feels and how a garment fits.  If you knit it too loose it's "sleazy".  If you knit it too tight, it's feels stiff and harsh.  If your gauge doesn't work with the pattern size you've chosen, your sweater won't fit.  There are frequently gauge issues with stranded knitting versus straight stockinette as well.

20:  I thought you did some gauge samples before the race though.  Shouldn't that have helped?

TCSL:  Yes, absolutely.  My mistake was only swatching the plain knitting, not the colorful patterning as well.  I lost two days right off the bat because I didn't do that and had to restart 2-3 times.  After I finally felt like I was on the right track and finished the top section, I started down the body and all was okay for awhile and then I started knitting tighter for some reason and the fabric started feeling "off".

20:  So what are you going to do about that?

TCSL:  I did what Stella always says "Take it back out and do it right."  I unraveled it all the way back to the bottom of the yoke last night and I am going to go up a needle size which will make the stitches bigger and the fabric softer and smushy-er and I'm going to pay more attention this time.

20:  That sounds like a good plan.  So other than the sled runner issues, how have you enjoyed the trail so far?

TCSL:  Honestly, the trail this year has been one of the prettier ones.  We got all sorts of beautiful snow early on and Pip and I really enjoyed that.  I took a bunch of pictures of that and all the sheep and even did some videos that I just haven't had time to edit together.  

20:  I've noticed you've been knitting in the Wool House more this race.  What changed to encourage that?

TCSL:  I loved that cute little tan couch, but it wasn't the most comfortable sled ;-).

20:  It's been fun catching up on all the Iditarod race videos and interviews up there with you as well.  

TCSL: Yes!  I've really liked being able to run my iPad up there this year.  It's been fun to keep up with the race a little better while I'm knitting.  I've listened to some good books and podcasts as well and I like that better than trying to knit watching tv.

20:  What's been your favorite? 

TCSL:  Ooh, hard to pick.  I really enjoyed Winterdance: the fine madness of running the Iditarod and Dogsong both by Gary Paulson.  I listened to Call of the Wild by Jack London as well.  I liked it...I mean it's a classic, but some was hard to listen to.  I'm going to look for another sled dog or Iditarod story to keep us company as we get back out on the trail.  I also have a few episodes of the Iditapod to listen to.  That's a really fun podcast.  And you know, the race isn't over so there will still be more race updates from Iditarod.com :-).

20:  Do you think there is any chance you could still get finished before the Red Lantern?

TCSL:  Not really.  I'd have to think we are mathematically out at this point, but I'm basically okay with that.  It's disappointing for sure, but I'd rather be disappointed by not finishing quickly than disappointed in the finished sweater.   My sheep team worked hard to get here and I want them all to be happy and proud.  Sometimes what you learn out on the trail is more important than the race itself.  I'll come off this race a much more skilled knitter...and that will help me for next year!

In At The Bottom Of The Yoke Checkpoint

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I’m in at the bottom of the yoke checkpoint! 😀 #iknitarod2019

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady) on Mar 7, 2019 at 1:16pm PST

Looking forward to the next leg...or arm :-).

Keeping An Eye On The Trail

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We are all running strong now.  The sweater looks much better and I think I'm safe on the gauge.  Pip is not convinced.  She thinks it's going to be too big for her ;-).

After A Few Wrecks

I finally seem to have all my dogs facing the same direction and my sled upright.  Rough start, but we are mushing on.  I took several snowy pictures this morning and yesterday morning.  I'll try to get them posted tomorrow.  

The Official Restart

Because...oh you know it...

At least I'm consistent.  I continue to "be an example to others."  Always swatch in your pattern as well as stockinette.  Straight outta the book.  Sigh...

I guess if I want to stay true to the actual race, this is fitting.  The start yesterday was just ceremonial.  The actual race starts today. 

Mushing on!

At The Ceremonial Start

This is my seventh Iknitarod!  I always have to like to go back and count - Marcel/Woolliam, Keebler, Maisie, Baaxter, Liddy/Buddy, Baaxter and now Muffin/Biscuit/Mrs. Pepperpot.  

Each race has been different, but they've all been fun.  I've learned a lot about knitting each year.  I've learned a lot about mushing.  I've made some great new friends and we've enjoyed challenging ourselves and cheering each other on. 

I treat the Iknitarod very seriously.  Well, not like life and death seriously, but definitely seriously as in embracing the spirit of the Iditarod race itself.  I enjoy thinking about it throughout the year, planning my race.  I push myself to do something hard.  I choose my team carefully.  I get as prepared as possible.  

And on race day eve, I pack my sled.

My race map this year is the Dreyma sweater by knit.love.wool.  I took a bunch of pictures of the yarn and the color gradients (yes, there are colors if you look closely) and thought I'd already downloaded them to post here...but I haven't.  I'll include those in a future post.  

Before each Iditarod race, for a fundraiser they auction off the sleds for each musher and the winners  (IditaRiders) gets to ride in their musher's sled for the 11 mile Ceremonial Start. For the last several years I've carried a mascot in my sled throughout the race. My IknitaRider this year is that sweet little sheep I picked up off the road last summer.  

I didn't think sending a sheep to Nome wearing acrylic was a good idea, so I knit her a little wool poncho featuring some pattern colors and thereby getting to practice the increase stitch I was going to need to use for the sweater pattern.  I think she'll be toasty warm :-).

Muffin and Pepperpot came to watch the sled packing, but they won't be riding along.  The trail can be messy and dangerous (Oh, Graham, how we miss you!) and I would hate for something to go wrong.

Packed and ready...and without further ado...

This might be my favorite ravatar to date.  Like a Dreyma (dream), Biscuit and Muffin and I are at the Iknitarod, watching the Northern Lights and staring up at a bright shining star (Mrs. Pepperpot).  I have my hand on their backs to let Mrs. P. know I'm taking good care of her babies.

My project is too big, my hands are too sore.  Still, the pattern with it's bright shining star yoke is perfect and the ravatar is so sweet I just want to stand there forever...and so we once again hit the trail.  

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The Ceremonial Start begins at 2:00 p.m. EST today.  I believe you can watch live for free on Iditarod.com .  If you enjoy that coverage and want to watch video updates throughout the race (these are so fun!), I encourage you to sign up for one of the Insider packages.