Freeform Yarn and Green Grass and Timonium Show

 I dedicated this freeform skein to spring flowers. Even dandelions, the harbinger of spring and a nuisance to many, has a redeeming value. The sheep and goats will eat them!

 I have been experimenting with letting a select few of the sheep and goats out to browse on the grass in front of the house. It is tall and gorgeous. It would be a shame to use a lawnmower on it. The dairy goats hang close to each other and do not wander, so they were among the first. We have discovered that Rose Mary produces a few more cups of milk when she is allowed on the green grass. Guess hay, grain, and water just don't do the trick. Of course, the angora goats have figured out what I am doing, so they are crowding the gate and escaping. Marc and I are going to use our electric fencing (minus the electric) to enclose this area. Anything to not have to mow!

If you are following me on Facebook (Kathy Withers) or Unique Designs By Kathy, you will recognize this picture. Pearl and her two boys were also let out to roam. One of them was a bottle baby, but he is not quite as much now. Mom's milk and the green grass are a lot more satisfying.

I set up my booth at the Maryland State Fairgrounds for another show. I am hoping to make enough to cover my feed bill. I am going to keep this year's kids on pellets and hay till they are six months old. I want them to be strong and healthy. I am in business to keep them fed. Such hungry critters. They sound like locusts when they are eating.

Finally! Shetland Lambs and My Class Schedule

 Shetland lambs have been popping. Six  have been born so far today. They are all really cute and worth the wait. Shetland moms are so much easier than the angora goat moms. Babies are stronger and their instinct to drink is more developed.

I have already set up my booth for the Sugarloaf show at the Gaithersburg Montgomery County Fairgrounds. I have already met up with several of my friends and my booth neighbor is a friend, so it will be a fun weekend. Hope to make some sales of course. I have displayed my yarns in a different way, so you will be seeing them as new.

This is the front area with the art yarns. It will change first thing in the morning, since I forced myself to price three pounds of new yarn. More fun to spin than to do the administrative stuff. If I could transfer what is in my head easily to someone else, I would hire someone to do it for me!

Classes here at the farm for the next month are listed below.

April 18—Nuno Felting 10-12:30 $80


April 20—Nuno Felting 10:30-1 $80

May 8—Pleats 10-11 $15

May 10—Crazy Lace 10-noon $75

May 11—Nuno Felting 10:30-1 $80

May 14—Freeform Art Yarn Spinning 10:30-2:30 $100

May 18—Wet Felting 10:30-1:30 $25 instruction plus supplies

May 25—Freeform Knit and Crochet 10:30-2:30 $75

June 1—Drop Spindle 10:30-noon. Free with purchase of drop spindle and 3 ounces of fiber.

Nuno felting and wet felting classes are limited to 5 students, unless you are able to bring 6 foot plastic tables. 
You may also schedule a class for yourself or your group at a different time.

A Whole Year in Maryland

 Today is the anniversary of our arrival in Maryland. Can't go running off to celebrate anywhere because lambs and kids are popping again. Three moms delivered today. A black mom had a black buck, a white doe had a white doe, and a moorit Shetland had a black ewe. This last one does not even weigh 2 pounds. Fits in the palm of my hand!

 My sisters came from Massachusetts and California to visit this past week. No one can sit idle here at the farm and all got involved in helping feed, bottle feed and milk. Nadia is above left. Shirley is to the right.

 We have named the black bottle baby Raven and Pearl's ram is going to be Pearl's boy. He is half Merino and feels luscious already. Paula is on the right.

Shirley took to milking right away. Marc taught her, not me! She milked half of the time she was here, I milked twice and Marc did the rest, with Drew, Paula's son doing it once.

We had a blast and I hated to see them leave this morning. Shirley has decided that she needs to move to a farm now. She wants space and a dairy goat. She would have taken either Rosemary or Parsley and been happy. Paula is contemplating moving to Maryland to help out and maybe start her own business.

I am listing yarns as well as wearable art on my eshop as time permits. Take a look, since I now have traditional yarns millspun from my animals and some new textured yarns.

I have also finished my Random Pleat Scarf and published the pattern on etsy, Ravelry and my eshop. It requires 300 yards of sport weight yarn. I have embellished the scarf with vintage earrings. The scarf model will be for sale in the fall after Stitches East.

My mannequin contest is still ongoing. I am getting some really good names. I might have to put them up for a vote at the end of April.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me over the past year. It has been a wild ride and time has flown by!

Article in Carroll County Times

Just discovered this article published in December. So exciting. It is my first real publicity in Maryland!


http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/advocate_of_westminster/columns/eye_for_art/withers-focuses-on-fiber-arts-from-the-farm/article_6d7daf46-026d-50a2-8620-12071cf82a66.html

Name my Mannequin Contest

 It is funny how the angle at which you see something changes your view/perspective. I stood on a chair to photograph the scarf above and I stood on the ground to photograph the one on the bottom. If you have met me, you know that I am seriously short.

I think this one looks snooty. Maybe that is why short people look at tall people and see a different attitude than those who are taller.

Contest rules:

I would like to name this mannequin by April 30, 2013. The winner will receive a $25 gift certificate that they can spend either in the shop, on my eshop or etsy (email me if you decide to choose an online gift, or at any of my shows. Must be redeemed by the end of May or win is forfeit.

Baby Season is Here

Baby season is officially here. In 6 days we had 37 kids and lamb born. I still have ten does to deliver and 12 ewes. They appear to be a week or so out, which is giving me a small break to get shop things caught up. Photos and stories are below.

Just before the kid explosion, I picked up my roving and yarns from Sweitzers Fiber Mill. They turned out lovely. The above yarns are a three ply lace weight from a first fleece Border Leicester Shetland X. It is lovely and I dyed it dark turquoise. I always add yarns over a period of an hour, so there will be variation in color. The lighter ones at the top were put in last. I have 5 skeins of the paler turquoise (pictured below) and 10 of the truly dark ones. They all have 240 yards and will be priced at $17.25 a skein. You can order direct by email: jmarckathy@aol.com or wait till I get it listed on my eshop or etsy shop - hopefully later today.

 

This is a skein of natural colored Suri alpaca that I have spun. look for it on my eshop soon. I have one other in the wash.

 Above are two skeins that I got back from the Sweitzers Mill. The top is a moorit Merino blended with a first red kid mohair. It is gorgeous. The bottom skein is from a Shetland lamb blended with kid mohair. It is just a tad less silky feeling, but still gorgeous. Both are three ply and DK weight. I also have a dark chocolate 100% Merino.

 I have been busy spinning and playing with new ideas. The above yarns have twisted coils. Still have to knit or weave one up to see how they will look, but they feel lovely. The ones below are brushed mohair (not as soft as kid mohair) that are spun thick and thin.

 I just finished a scarf with random pleats and I will be listing the pattern on etsy, my shop and craftsy. I still have to get a good photo. I have ordered a mannequin that will arrive this week. My old mannequin now looks too beat up to use. All that hauling around for shows has worn out the "Headless Wonder."

 Now for baby pictures. The little doe in the back took five days to get on her mom. She had to be treated for pneumonia, since she got amniotic fluid in her lungs at birth. I finally took her coat off last night. She is happy to be running around freely with the rest of the kids.

 I just don't have enough hands to get the baby bottles and kids back and forth from the house. This little buck fit perfectly in a bag and was content to ride up to the house for a short session with a heating pad and baby bottle.

 Among all the baby births, the adult goats and sheep got their spring shearing. Now I can keep an eye on udders and predict (not likely) when the next batch of babies will be born. Got 53 fleeces and have already washed 4. I turned the water back on in the bank barn, so I can wash. Soon I will be listing classes since I  have a long list for nuno felting.
 .
This mom was awesome. She had just had a baby, when I had to pull a kid out of another white doe. The second mom was stressed and did not look like she would take her kid. I took the kid, covered in goo, and put it in with this mom. She adopted it as her own immediately. I will be able to tell them apart, since one is a buck and the second one is a doe.

Lots of babies: you can call to schedule a farm visit: 401-795-6070. I have decided that I am not going to do a fiber festival here at the farm this year. Too many issues with scheduling a shearer and so many shows in the fall. I will be updating the list of shows on my website as soon as I hear back from a few places. I will be doing Stitches East in November in Connecticut. This coming weekend you may find me at the Carroll County Home Show in booth #60.



First angora goat kids of the year are lovely black and red bucks out of 394. It is easier to remember some of the goats by their numbers and this mom is one of those. She did a great job. Both babies are already up and drinking, but I will verify that a few more times.

I have a few more who could deliver today. So hard to predict since I have a lot of drama queens!