Month: February 2013

Yet Another Storm, More Snow and Wool!

/ LDSVenus / 1 Comment

2013 Polypay Ewe Fleece

Spring 2013 Polypay Ewe Fleece Up Close

 

You might wonder what storms and snow have to do with wool.  I was given a Polypay fleece by a friend who owns a farm where along with growing corn, they also raise sheep for meat.  Just before spring they shear the ewes in preparation for lambing.  Last year my friend gave me a Polypay lambs fleece (1st shearing at a year old).  This year she gave me a fleece from one of her ewes.  I needed to skirt it (taking off the dirtiest parts and the short fibers)  so that I can send it to the fibermill I use, who will clean it and prepare it into spinnable roving.  Because there was a storm on the way, I had to bring it into my house.  For those of you who have not been around sheep, they are a bit pungent, but I don’t find the odor that bad, tho my poor neighbors might :P.  I did the first picking through for VM (vegetable matter ie: hay, straw, and sheep “stuff”) outside on Monday because I knew the snow was coming and wanted to get through that part before it snowed, it was cold, brrr.  But I needed to bring it in where I wasn’t rushed because I was too cold to work on it outside for more than an hr and these sheep are not coated so their fleece has a lot of  stuff other than wool in it.  I learned from the last fleece I sent in that I need to try and get all the shorter (2nd cuts) out because if I don’t the resulting roving is full of noils (small knots in the roving).  They are not preferable to me for spinning.  I will mail this fleece off on Monday to the mill and we will see how the roving turns out this time, it’s a learning process for me.  In the 2nd fleece picture you can see how nice and crimpy and springy Polypay fiber is :).  This fleece also has a lot of lanolin which seems to keep the fleece nice and soft.

Yet Another Storm and Snow

 

This started yesterday afternoon about 3:00 pm, so far we have a couple of inches of new snow, but it’s still spitting snowing.  I know spring is just around the corner, I know spring is just around the corner, I know spring is just around the corner……

*Update*  We got 5 inches of snow.

 

 

Another Storm & More Snow

/ LDSVenus

Late Feb Snow Storm

.This is what we got on that snow storm last Thursday.  They had predicted up to 8 inches of snow.  We got about 4 inches.  I’m not really complaining, I’m not really a snow person, but I know we need the moisture and the weatherman said it takes about 12″ of snow to make 1 inch of rain.

More snow is suppose to be on it’s way this coming week.  We will see what it brings.  Hope you all stay warm and safe!!

More Snow

/ LDSVenus

More Snow

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We had an ice storm last Saturday night and Sunday.  Then on Wednesday we had a snow storm.  This was the snow from that snow Storm.  It was such a nice warmer winter until late December, lol.  The last couple of weeks we have had temps with the wind chills into the minus 20’s.  But to be honest that is warmer than normal as well.  We get into the minus 30’s all the way down to minus 50 in December and January.  Not my favorite part of winter, can you tell?  But just 1 1/2 months and those warmer temps into the 20’s will be more of a reality.  So until then I will just keep telling my self, just 1 1/2 more months, just 1 1/2 more months, just 1 1/2 more months……

The master cylinder for the brakes on my car went out so I’m trying to get that repaired so I have my car back, hate when my car is down for repair.  But that little car needs something repaired every year, I just have a savings acct ready for when it happens.  Told my mechanic that eventually it would be a brand new car :).  It gets good gas mileage (especially when it’s not running) so I keep it  :P.

I’m working on some spinning and knitting, I’ll get pictures to post of those in the next week.