Bird(s) On A Wire

Bird(s) Off A Wire.



Gotta love those power lines. Sigh. Without them though I guess I would not have been able to get these pictures...or have power.

We sure have had some beautiful sunrises this fall.

Those Dirty Boys

I've had several requests for a picture of Keebler's face. I completely understand. If he didn't still act like my little baby, begging for cookies and wanting to take naps with me, I'd never know he was the same sheep either.

This also brings up issue of the dirt on these two boys. The difference is amazing, isn't it? Why are my lambs so dirty? We have good grass, clean straw in the stalls, no dirt patches anywhere.

Is it the type of wool? Are these longwools greasier than my other sheep? I don't think so - well maybe Buddy - he's pretty greasy. But so is Henrietta and she washes sparkly white. There are no super dirty tips on either Peabody or PeePee.



Is there anything I can do to get them clean?

At least it all blends together. And I guess antique ivory is technically a color. And it could be purple (and I'd take a picture of it for Sunday Stills this week!) and I'd still think it was fabulous...because it's Keebler's ;-).

By the way, I'm going to spin this thin - fingering weight-ish - and Stella and I are going to start a lace scarf knitalong this winter. Stay tuned.

Keebs And His Big Boy Haircut

"Yikes, Keebs, what did they do to you?"



I guess Keebler's all grown up now.

He did a good job at the barber shop. The tips from the shearer at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival really helped. I tried to flip him over to do his tummy, but barely got that done. Stella and I decided it wasn't worth the physical trouble and also the worry about having them upside down. Besides, if I can't flip Keebs, how the heck am I going to flip Boudreaux, Buddy or Peabody? I know there's a technique, but we've gotten along pretty well so far...



In case you are wondering about the wavy lines, those are his curls. Aren't they neat?

They'll be even neater when they all grow back. I miss my shaggy baby :-/.

Who Does This Look Like?

I couldn't help myself ;-).



We went to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival over the weekend. What a nice festival! Lots of nice vendors, lots of good classes (that were all filled to capacity), lots of sheep. I had hoped to meet up with Nancy K., but she had to get back to her chickens.

We watched an excellent shearing demonstration and the highlight of the trip was the shearing a standing sheep workshop in the afternoon. Dave Kier did an outstanding teaching job and I learned as much in one hour as I've "figured out" over the last five years. If you ever get a chance to watch and listen to him, do it!

And if you get a chance to make a trip to Wisconsin Sheep and Wool, do that as well.

The Truth About (our) Cats And Dogs

This cat has actually earned this nap. You will notice Claire Bear is sleeping on hay. Mostly you would only find hay in our barn. Where the barn cats are supposed to live.



This cat looks like he might be working. He's not. Eli's only thinking about fishing.



Or taking a nap with Comby. On the porch.



Me and the boys (Keebs and GL) and Hank were laying out in the pasture the other night. Graham Lamb and I can only find two constellations, but we keep trying. Hank was completely cashed out. I assumed he was sleeping so sound because he knew I was out there covering his shift. However, I heard the smallest strange noise off in the distance and WHAM, he was up and giving it 'what for'.

I'm glad that Hank is on duty around here. And thanks to (only) Claire Bear, there are no mice in our barn.

Early Fall

This is my favorite time of year. I love these cool, foggy mornings.



Ewen McTeagle and Boudreaux the Biter. Boudreaux is so dressing up as a fancy dinner table this year for Halloween. That is one big, flat, fat back. Some bordeaux on Boudreaux ;-).





Little baby Keebler. Looking all grown up and ready for his big boy haircut. Snif.



Hangin' with his best bud - who won't be getting a haircut this fall - different wool type, thickness, amount...



And what they're eating. I don't often see a variegated four (or five) leaf clover. Maybe it's some extra luck.

The Verdict

I recently tested the product Power Scour. My fleeces weren't getting as clean as I wanted (I've never let them sit this long before washing), so some internet searching and recommendations from friends led me to the popular Unicorn products.

I called the company and ordered some free samples. They also carry leather cleaner and conditioner (which I'll be able to try as soon as I get my fleece washing caught up ;-). The representative I spoke with was very helpful and she rushed out a sample box and price sheet. In the meantime, a friend ordered a box set for me as well. What a nice gift (nicely packaged, too, I might add).

I washed a couple of fleeces. I was pretty happy with the results and will admit the wool house wash room smelled wonderful. I started doing the math to see how everything added up though and have to say there was some sticker shock. Is it worth that much extra money? Keep in mind we have 30 fleeces to wash each year. And even though you don't need nearly as much of the PS, that's still a lot of soap.

I decided to split a fleece in half and wash one half in Power Scour and the other half in my traditional Dawn. Peabody (Border Cheviot) was an ideal choice as his fleece is solid white. Well, as white as Peabody gets.



Spread out on the skirting table. How 'bout that for a lot of wool?



Heavily skirted, split down the middle and headed to the wash room.

I tried to get a picture of the two halves drying side by side, but couldn't figure the lighting out. There were two distinctly different halves though - one whiter than the other.



Which one is which?



Under natural light outside.

Surprisingly, the Dawn fleece was cleaner. I grabbed two separate chunks of each fleece to card and spin. Consistent throughout. In fact, even with the Fiber Rinse on the one half, there was no real difference in feel between the two.

I had enough left for one more test, so pulled out a nicer Jacob fleece for contrast - Billy Belly. Again, the whites were a bit whiter with Dawn. The Fiber Rinsed half might have been a hair nicer to work with, but honestly, the difference was slight.

Keep in mind though that these are only my results. I tried to be consistent between fleeces and even gave the Power Scour an extra soap bath soak (two washes and two rinses each). Also, remember I washed a Border Cheviot fleece and a Jacob fleece. I did not try any other fibers (I've got enough of my own to worry about ;-). Also, these fleeces had been sitting (dirty) for over four months.

So, the final verdict? For dirty fleeces, between 66 cents per ounce (not counting shipping) for the Power Scour (and not counting the cost of the fiber rinse either) and 9.6 cents per ounce for the Dawn I can get locally, I'm going to have to say I'm sticking with Dawn. However, it is a nice product and I love the smell. I wouldn't be too surprised to see it on my shelf for finished goods.