Mange

Jack, one of our Pygora goats, came down with mange. This comes from mites, which may have been in a bale of hay we had. These goats are relatively easy keepers, but given the infestation, decided to strip out the goat shed completely to remove whatever may be left. We will be spraying the shed with Sevin, on a nice day, since we will need to shoo the goats outside for the day while the shed dries out. We stripped out 20 loads of hay and manure, which took two days to complete, given the cold windy snowy conditions, and my 53 year old energy level! Which, I do consider to be generally pretty high, but lots of heaving, and pushing the wheel barrow through the snow is definitely a good workout. Since mange is very much species specific, not all of the goats are bound to get mange from Jack, and although the sensitivity tends to run in bloodlines, his brother Mack may not get it. And the two Nigerians are showing no signs of it either. Our veterinarian gave Jack Ivermectin, subcutaneously, as well as vitamin D among other things. In addition, they all have lice, so we are treating them for that as well. The vet recommended Bug Block, a spray for horses, which we will be using on them as well. Jack is getting Frontline spray on his legs as well to aid in the arrest of the mites that are causing mange. The goat shed is cleaned out, and all interior surfaces have been swept down. We will attempt to spray the shed as soon as we have a warm enough day. I have decided to purchase 2 Amish made goat coats for Jack and Mack. Jacks fleece has been compromised, more so from the lice than mange. I cannot treat the lice effectively with the fleece on, so I will shear him when the coats arrive, and he will be warm until the weather is better, at least.

Tunis Continued!!

In the first photo, there are samples of the Tunis fleece in the grease, and washed, followed by a knitting sample. My task was to spin up a sample of the fleece at DK weight (3 on the Craft Council "Yarn Standards Chart"). Wraps per inch on the chart called for 12-13 for DK size yarn, and my sample came in at 12. Perfect! I measured wraps per inch as I spun on my Ashford Joy wheel, pulling a sample and letting it double back on itself. I checked the size every so often as I spun, to insure consistency. I hard finished the sample in soapy warm water, snapped the skein a few times and let it dry. It fulled beautifully, and bloomed well. The knit sample shown in photo 2 shows 5 stitches to the inch on size 6 needles at the bottom of the sample, and 5 and a half stitches to the inch on size 5 needles at the top of the sample. Since I will be knitting a neck warmer, I will go with the tighter gauge on the size 5 needles, perfect for this yarn weight. The wheel shows the bobbins in progress. As I spin this Tunis, I can see how important it is to select a fleece with minimal second cuts. I did not realize how poorly this fleece was shorn when I purchased it. Many many second cuts (those little tiny clippings of wool, where the shearer went over a section of the sheep more than once with the clippers) throughout this fleece. I tried to remove as many as I could as I went through the processing phase, picking them out as I found them, and even as I carded, I picked out more. And, as I am spinning, they are ever present. I have resigned myself to allow those that are left to be part of the textural makeup of the cloth, but would have preferred not to have any! I will be ever vigilant in the future when examining fleeces at the festivals, to check the fleece carefully for the quality of the shearing. Experience is a wonderful thing. As Billy Joel once said, your mistakes are the only things you can truly call your own. Learn well from them! Never the less, this prime Tunis wool is lovely, soft and springy with plenty of elasticity, perfect for the intended end use! And a little unplanned textural element, which may be quite nice once knitted up! Lets go with it----sometimes the best things in life can be unplanned! I will post pictures of the neck warmer as soon as it is finished...til then, stay warm!

Blizzard of 2013

February 8 and 9 respectively, here are before and after images of the blizzard of 2013 here in Connecticut. 27" of snow, and some places upwards of 40". We have been snug and warm here in our antique house, and as the snow blew in, I was forced to spend time in the studio! Below is an experiment in art quilting. The base fabric was a piece from some fabric marbling I had done in the fall. As I looked at it, covered with swirls in green and blue, I was not sure what to do with it. Once I free motion quilted it, with a metallic copper thread, it reminded me of water. Then, the first thing that came to mind was a kayak trip my friend Kris and I made last summer on a hot July morning, to a quiet backwater on Sebago Lake in Maine. The lake was like glass, and the sun shown down through the water to the aquatic flora and fauna below. It was intensely colored, and the sunlight rippled off the bottom of the lake, illuminating everything beneath the surface. So, that became the inspiration for the piece! Sinuous lily pad stalks, tiny fish, and lots of sparkles. This piece measures 4 by 5 inches. The quilt is painted with Jacquard textile paints, and hand stitched with French knots and beads. The edge is satin stitched with Sulky metallic thread in a variegated color way.

Tunis Fleece Sorting

Today is a great day to sort and wash the Tunis fleece. The deep freeze continues this weekend, and a heat wave with temps in the 30's and 40's is expected in a couple of days! What a perfect time to stay home, and hunker down in the keeping room with a dirty, chaffy, mildly smelly old fleece! Can't wait to get it soaking in the sink......;) I began by unrolling this fleece on the floor--you could work outdoors, or on an old sheet, but I chose to just work on the wood floor. The fleece really is not that dirty, at least not with loose sandy grit. I started by examining the wool, and determined which end was the neck end and which was the rump end. Then a look at the locks helped me determine which areas had the prime fleece. The shoulders and along the upper back typically have the best wool. The wool along the spine or top of the sheep is generally not as good. The prime wool has a longer staple length and is fine and relatively clean. The staple length on this prime wool is about 4-5 inches long. The average wool, which runs along the spine and down the sides of the sheep is about 3-4 inches long and a bit courser, but still quite springy. The wool at the edges and down the back end of the animal is courser and dirtier, but I will still process it, and perhaps use it for felting, or some other use,other than for "next to the skin" articles.

"Tunis in" for the next exciting episode of "Forays in Fleece Stashing"!

This is the last mild day before we are expected to get blasted with a deep freeze....well, as deep as it gets in Connecticut, these days....the weatherman is calling for temps to be in the 20's during the day---I do remember winter weather in the not-so-distant past, when weeks on end were typically low teens or single digits during the day and below zero nighttime temperatures.we had to move the goats into the heated garage at night! They had a hard time with that kind of cold, even with their beautiful new jackets. But global warming has changed our climate somewhat. Anyway, I thought it might be nice to wash up a sample of a beautiful Tunis fleece that has managed to escape the clutches of infestation, in storage in my basement for about 3 years, before we head out to enjoy the day. We "found it" , along with the yearling Romney fleece that I posted about recently, which did have bug infestation, but was salvageable. Usually best to clean fleece when you purchase it, so that you do not run into this problem. If you can store the fleece in an airtight covered container, with the air pressed out of it, you can buy plenty of time, as air is a cause of deterioration. So, as you can see below, the sample on the left is washed, the sample on the right is not. Quite a difference in brightness, there is just a bit of yolkiness to the unwashed wool, cause by a bacteria, actually. But, after a 10 minute soak in a bit of Dawn dish washing liquid and hot water, with only a gentle press or two to get the wash liquor flowing through it (followed by a rinse in hot water, also no agitation--otherwise it would have felted), it has cleaned up beautifully. I had read that detergent was okay to use ( I generally use Orvus WA Paste), and wanted to try it. The results are great. This Tunis fleece is very soft, fine, and springy. It has a lot of life in it. I think it would be a good fleece to make a sweater or hat from, as it will trap a lot of air in it, due to the springy nature of the fibers, and would spin up woolen style quite nicely. Can't wait to experiment with the spinning wheel, as soon as it dries! Maybe this evening. The rest of this day will be spent antiquing, and possibly a stop by an Antiquarian bookstore in Massachusetts--perhaps I will find something on hand looms or spinning wheels, or old knitting books!

Pygora Goat Fleece

Jack and Mackenzie both have beautiful fleeces that are nearing "harvesting". I am watching the two of them closely, since the fleece must be shorn just at the right time, since it WILL begin to felt on the hoof within a week or two of it being ready to sheer. The cold weather is an issue, since I don't want to shear too much off. They need to keep warm in this cold New England climate! If I can leave a good inch and a half or so on them, they will be warm and toasty. But, I run the risk of felting the fleece if I leave it on too long, in an attempt to grow it longer. Ideally, I would like at least a three inch staple on the shorn fleece. That means they need about a for or five inch staple growth...

Italian Ricotta Christmas Cookies

These Italian Ricotta Christmas Cookies are fabulous. Enough said.

ITALIAN RICOTTA CHRISTMAS COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1-3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 15oz. Whole milk ricotta cheese
2 tsps vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3-4 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 tablespoons milk
Sprills or chopped nuts

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs and blend. Add ricotta and vanilla. Blend in the dry ingredients gradually. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a parchment lined pan. I like to lightly roll the dough into 1" balls, to keep them consistently sized. They should be about 2" apart on the pan. Bake @ 350 degrees about 10 minutes, watching carefully, as they burn on the bottom quickly if left too long. Cool on racks. Mix frosting ingredients with a mixer to a fluffy smooth consistency. Frost cookies when cool. Add sprills or nuts immediately. Enjoy!