Saturday - January 4, 2014

You can now find some of our hand spun yarns and hand woven items here: on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/oldschoolhandwovens?ref=si_shop


Oh glory day! The sun is bright and shinning on the mountainside across the road, making an inspiring invitation to arise, step out and participate in the coming day!
What an awesome and promising moment in time, Thank You God!

That said, I find myself daydreaming in the early days of the new year. So much to look forward to now that we have turned the corner from old year, to impending Spring. Such promise.

These days in between Christmas and New Year found me spinning like crazy. I have alot of fiber that needs to be taken from its raw ( in the case of shorn fleeces ) or processed ( in the case of mill processed roving ) state into its spun, woven or felted state and the sooner the better. I like the tactile nature of creating things from dyed, blended and spun fiber so I don't find it a chore but rather a delight for the most part.

These are some of the most recently spun Finnsheep yarns.

They came directly "out of the bag" of roving from the mill, spun as they unwound, no choosing of colors on my part. The yarn on the left is a single - ply, the yarn in the middle is a two - ply and the yarn on the right is a two - ply bulky.

66 yards, 180 yards and 40 yards, respectively. In the meanwhile I've done something similar with the Border Cheviot I've been spinning as well as blending, so I've been productive this past week.

Soon it will be time to get back to the looms, but for now, I'll just spin and day dream!


Regards,
Kathryn

November 2, 2013

Asa seems to be asking ...What?




 

Yesterday was a busy and fruitful day by anyones' standards.

Raining and windy in the morning I set about doing chores, but soon the rain gave way to blue sky and lifted everyones' spirits a bit.

The day started with worming and trimming hooves on two mature ewes, Dallas and Cwen who are to be bred to Asa, for their new owners.

Asa is a young ram that I purchased from Stillmeadow Finnsheep, to bring in some different bloodlines this year.

Unfortunately, the girls don't seem to appreciate his affections at all, and he is left wondering what to do next.
They don't let him come near, though every sign says they are warming up to him and will be best buddies soon enough.

We also said good-bye to two ewe lambs and a fine ram lamb, sending them home with their new shepherd who will add them to her flock for fiber and breeding stock.
We are thankful and happy to see these beautiful lambs go to a home that appreciates them, but also sad to see them go.


I wove off the Shaker Rug and will finish the roving rug today, just in time to warp for the saddle blanket due before Thanksgiving.

We still have four quality ram lambs available and 6 ewe lambs for anyone hoping to expand or start a flock of their own Finnsheep.
This is an excellent opportunity to acquire well bred progeny from strong lines, for a great price!

We are accepting deposits on 2014 lambs now as well.

The first picture below is the wool rug woven with rovings. Fun, soft and given to felting with time, this rug washes well and makes an excellent beside mat, bathroom mat or entry way rug.

The second rug is woven with wool yarn completely grown and processed here in Chenango County, N.Y.  This rug pattern is also available in different color combinations, and as a saddle blanket. The difference between a saddle blanket and rug, is the dimensions. Saddle blankets are square - 34 " x 34 " while rugs are rectangular - 24" x 36".

Today will be filled with more of those farm tasks that I truly enjoy as well as more weaving and God willing maybe even some spinning!

Regards,
Kathryn

 

 

 

 

Using Our Wool

As a weaver who likes to use my own wool, I have run into a few glitches with supply.


The loom takes alot of yarn to operate. A 2 ft x 3 ft rug or a 40 x 60 throw blanket will use as much as five pounds to complete the textile.

When I first started spinning and weaving I did it all by hand, myself and gained experience along with many fruitful hours creating threads.

But once I had my own flock I realized that time was more of an issue and best spent tending the critters, so I opted to send my fleeces to a mill. This turned out to be a great decision for a variety of reasons.

The mill I use - Dreamweaver Creations in Sherburne, N.Y., is located a mere 17 miles from my home affording me the opportunity to just load up my truck and make a trek over. Once there I have the gift of being able to talk with mill owner Heather Lathrop about my plans, the fleeces I've brought and what I want the end result to be. Often she will show me something from another customer or her own fiber ( she raises Blue Faced Leicesters ) that may convince me to alter my plans somewhat. This face - to - face time is invaluable.

Our flock usually hovers around 15 animals give or take, which provide about 75 lbs of fleece after skirting. During processing I might lose 8 lbs of that leaving me with 68 lbs. Turning that 68 lbs into a 2 ply yarn gives me just enough for 13 projects. Not really as much as I'd like but overwintering more sheep isn't feasible either.

I have gone outside the Finn breed to local shepherds who aren't using their wool and arranged to purchase from them, incorporating that resource into a variety of projects and saving the Finn wool for special items only.
In this way I've had felt, roving and batts made from organically raised Clun Forest sheep nearby, lovely yarns and rovings from Border Cheviot sheep raised in proximity of the fiber mill, and a host of other breeds and types including alpaca and mohair.

Ideally I'd love to arrange to purchase unused good Finn wool from other shepherds, and utilize more of it in my special projects but most Finn shepherds use their own wool and the supply is limited so I work with what I have. Perhaps one day I'll be able to arrange to purchase unused Finn wool from other shepherds and expand my supply for hand woven items from my loom. Till then,

Regards,
Kathryn

Organic felt sheets and batts

 

Detail of commissioned saddle blanket

Detail of Wool Rug

 

 

Reproducing 19th Century Venetian Carpet

 

Throw Blanket in Progress

 

 

                                                  

                                                         

     Hand spinning organic roving

 Handspun Organic Chunky Yarn

 

 

Thick and Think Finn - Mohair blend

 

100% pure Finn Thick and Thin