Our 2012 lambs!

This handsome guy is the son of BonBon, one of our lovely Shetland girls.  He is a lovely ram and growing nicely.

This is ChocolateChip (don't ask me how she got that name!  I have no idea) and her new little black ewe lamb.  I would love to sell the pair to someone looking to start a nice flock of Shetland sheep.

This is Iris, daughter of Violet who was daughter of Buttercup, cousin of Rosebud...notice the flower theme? So I had to think of three more names for her triplets...so welcome to Pansy, Daisy (who is sporting the cool summer do) and Marigold.  They are just a wonderful family and Iris is a wonderful mom.  Other little Icelandic babies just seem to like to hang out where this gang does.

We will be lambing for another week or two.  We choose to lamb late for the warmer weather. 

This weekend I am at a Art Festival and Farmers Market which celebrates fine, LOCAL Artisans and Growers and it is being held at Deer Lake Orchard at 1903 10th St. Sw, Buffal, Mn. 55313  It is from 10-6 on Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday.  They are planning on live music, nature walks through the orchard, visit with animals and babies and purchase wonderful local art and locally grown flowers, fruits and veggies and other local delicious food. There will be demos put on by some of the artists there, including me as I will have my spinning wheel along and my lovely wool items like handspun yarn for sale.  It is supposed to be a hot weekend but we should be in a cool old dairy barn and it should be great fun. If you have questions about the event please call 763-682-4284 or visit their website at http://www.deerlakeorchard.com/.

Baby Wolf Loom for sale

My Sis has decided that she loves, loves, loves knitting more than she will love weaving so she is selling her Schacht Baby Wolf Loom which she just purchased (used).

It is the wonderful smaller floor loom that folds up so it takes up less room.

  She also has several extra reeds and things that go with it.  See the complete listing under mpls. craigslist and search loom.

She is over on Sat. and we are off to do a Spring Garden Day down at St.Michael/Albertville Middle School where they are having classes on horticulture and all that good stuff plus vendors showing all kinds of their products and Master Gardeners to help answer our gardening questions.  Not quite sure how sheep fit into all of this but will take along the natural dryer balls that I make and naturally dyed yarn and fleece for garden mulch, etc.  I am hoping to find some garden seeds to promote planting for a dyeing garden to any one that may be interested.  You all have a good weekend!

SLIPPERS FOR BIGFOOT OR BIG FEET?

Last week I took a few days and headed out to my sister's home in the woods to do some felting and fiber things.  Previously I had spun some wool from our grey Icelandic ram named Gisli for a pair of slippers for Sis to knit.

 She finished them up while I was out there and got them stitched together.

She then commenced the felting process on the slippers while I worked on scarves for up-coming sales this year.  We ran out of time, as usual, and I brought them home with one started and one not at all.

Last night I had the opportunity to use a top-loading wash machine and took both the slippers and threw them in and let it go.  This is where we are so far:

The one is still larger and they both still need to go a little smaller, like an inch or so and I am thinking that I will make some feet forms from my husbands feet so I can work on felting the shape correctly for his feet.  Not too bad actually and I know he will like them alot when they are done and when our wonderful polled ram has to move on to a new home, hopefully this year, we will have these wonderful slippers to always remind us of him.

BAAAAAAAA.....BAAAAAA...HUMBUG

Sheep Treat Buried

We have had more snow in Minnesota where we live than we have had in years, or so it seems and it brings challenges we have not had in years...like finding the pumpkins given to us by a friendly farmer so that we can treat the sheep to nummy gourds.  We had a whole pickup full piled close to the fence and I tried to feed several of them before they would get soft and rot but along came the deep freeze and the insulating snow and they have been hidden now for months.  So one day when I was home I decided to see if I could once again give the girls and boys a treat.
So I guesstimated at where I thought they were buried.... somewhere on this side of that fence...

just kept shoveling right along....

of course when looking down and taking a picture the camera cord has to get in the photo too!...
Keep shoveling!

I was sure hoping that this was the right spot...

And voila!  Success.  Orange delights still in wonderful firm condition.

Way down in there like buried treasure!  I was able to grab a few out and hurl them to the sheep who immediately commenced to gobbling them up or is that gobbling them down?

Our beautiful Ophelia not too thrilled about more snow coming down.

And speaking of coming down, with all the snow on their outside hoop shelter, it came down...although one girl thinks that it is just her size for standing in.

Oh well, have to have something a little more snow proof next year.  This shelter has worked for years but so much snow this year!  The sheeps yard had to be blown out just so they could get outside of the barn!

We are now on to much warmer weather and the snow is almost off their shelter and I may try to get some repairs going on their hoop house and the boys' as theirs had collapsed earlier...Always work on the farm.
Gotta love it!

The Blessings of 2010

Some of my many blessings of 2010.

Hope you all had a blessed year and many many wishes for a happy 2011!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAD ENOUGH SNOW YET?

My goodness this winter is a year like when I was a child growing up and we were constantly shoveling snow and building snow forts and having snow ball fights.... staying outside till our cheeks were dark red and having the crisp cold snow stuffed up into the sleeves of our jackets and down into our boots and we finally went in when we were practically frostbit!  I remember it with very fond memories and playing with all the neighbor kids. 
This weather has given us a challenge down in the dip where we live as the road is almost higher than our fence in some places and since we are close to the road, the snow plow and the drifting has pretty well drifted across the ditch and the fence and progressed into the barn yard so the sheep have been stuck in the barn for a few days until we can get some of that snow moved and another panel fence put up inside the existing one!
I had to shovel snow off the boys' hut last night as it was collapsing under the weight of the snow.  Ugh!

You know that adage "if the shoe fits"?  Well one of the girls is having trouble with her hat!
So from all of us at Diamond D Shetland & Icelandics we wish you a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!