Shearing, locks, lambs and a garden

 The alpacas and 3 of the Merinos were shorn this past Wednesday. The alpaca fleeces were fine, but the ones that really excited me were the Merino fleeces. All of them were very fine, but the finest and loveliest color of all was the Moorit one top left. It was variegated from deep chocolate to taupe. I have already washed that fleece and I am working my way through the rest other two.

 I am having a lot of trouble finding a shearer who is willing to do angora goats. Nathan Good sheared the alpacas and Merinos, but he has already told me that he was not willing to do the angoras. If anyone knows someone on the east coast, I would  love to know. I have called quite a few listed on the American Shearers Association page. Most are not returning calls. Some have bad numbers.

 Columbian obviously got pregnant by a Merino ram, since her lambs look just like him. These photos were taken a week ago when they were a day old. I let them out in the front yard today. They are almost as big as she is. One ram and one ewe with sweet faces.

 I am still waiting for Blackie to deliver. On the day that Columbian delivered, she thought she had babies and went looking for them every time the lambs bleated. She even went so far as to nuzzle Left a few times. It was funny to watch. Of course, she is getting bigger and bigger and is definitely overdue based on when I pulled the rams. Marc said she will have them some day. Maybe...

I am spinning, felting and washing fleeces. The one big advantage to Maryland is that I can now have a garden. With all the rain that we get, it is looking pretty good. We are eating lettuce and three kinds of radishes from the garden. I have a spicy kind that has ruined the traditional ones forever. My turnips and rutabagas are getting close. I will be harvesting sweet peas this evening. The chickens are loving the radish tops, lettuce and whatever else I pull from the garden. I really love the varying shades of green. They are my inspiration for a few yarns.