Waiting For Tomorrow ...

Ewe Flock Heading Up To The Barn

It's been bone dry here for the last several weeks. We finally got a small shower this evening & it was enough to send the sheep running back to the Loafing Shed, but not for long!  Here they are coming back up towards the barn once the showers stopped. It still wasn't enough to soak the ground under the trees, but the temperature dropped.
That's a good thing for tomorrow - Saturday is the 2017 Beaver County Self-Guided Farm Tour and Wild Rose Farm is on the map. With the cooler weather, we plan to have the flock grazing in the pen above this one along the driveway. The grass should have been about 4 inches higher in that pen, but there hasn't - been - any -  rain.  :(
The tour starts at the Beaver Farmers' Market where everyone who is registered picks up their swag bag and a tour map.  Snow White and her sheep with their soft wool yarn await!

New Career For Ewe Lambs!

Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet Ewe Lambs Leaving

Couldn't Get Anyone To Pose For The Picture!

With so much natural dyeing going on (I mean really?), we forgot to mention that 3 Rambouillet ewe lambs left this week! They are happily embarking on a new show & breeding career for a dedicated young lady. Her show experience includes sheep, market hogs, and various types of poultry ... and that's just what we gleaned in 2 visits with her. :)

Can't wait to see how they do for her next year!

2017 Beaver County Self-Guided Farm Tour

Here's another clipping from Lancaster Farming - stop by if you're in the area! 

The Dyeing Goes On ...

Natural Dyeing at Wild Rose Farm

Greens & Lace Weight Indigo Skein 

Here are the results of our natural dyeing yesterday ... some of the goldenrod has been over-dyed with indigo to produce some lovely greens. Once you have an indigo dye vat up & running, it can be used until it is exhausted. The dye vat will take multiple dips of the yarn skeins to darken the blue color.  The yarn airs out between dips as the dye vat rests. The light blue lace weight yarn skein was done after we finished the greens ...
Everything from yesterday is rinsed and hanging out to dry, whew!  Next up - more blue & purple.

We're getting prepared for the "Beaver County Self-Guided Farm Tour" on Saturday,September 30th. We'll have our Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet yarn, combed top, & wool available for sale.

Of course, we have lambs for sale too if you need some of those, lol!   

Sign Up For the Self Guided Beaver County Farm Tour!

*** Wild Rose Farm Is One Of The Tour Stops *** 

We're Dyeing Now!

Wild Rose Farm Indigo Dye Vat & Our Yarn

We started to do some natural dyeing over the weekend with our new yarns. The indigo dye bath is working out nicely. We've done some of the 2-Ply Bulky Art Yarn in 2 shades of blue so far. The foam & bubbles, aka the "flower" that you see on top is a sign of a healthy indigo dye vat. The bath is yellow-green under the flower.

Indigo Yarn & Goldenrod Dye Bath

Next up is the goldenrod dye bath. The goldenrod flower tops are soaked for 24 hours, simmered for and hour, and then the yarn is added to the bath and also simmered for an hour ...

Rambouillet Wool Yarn Entering the Dyebath

Here's the result!

Wild Rose Farm - Naturally Dyed Goldenrod & Indigo Wool Yarns

More Rambouillet Yarn Arrives!

News Flash! Yarn Arrives At Wild Rose Farm!

We've been hanging out & waiting for our next batch of yarn to arrive from The Mill At Meadowlands.  Here it is! A box of 2-ply, 200 yard skeins of our own 100% Rambouillet wool yarn arrived on Monday.  Now it's time to get serious about dyeing, lol. Three different types of yarn have been weighed so that I can start the natural dyeing process.

Now, out to clip some goldenrod ...

Snow White At Dusk

Wild Rose Farm - Snow White & Ewes

We had finished working with the ewes as it was starting to get dark.  Snow White & the flock are waiting for us to open the gate and let them go ... the weather is cooling down and the ewes are starting to butt heads.
Here's a pet peeve of mine.  I see these slow moving vehicle reflectors hanging all over the place where they don't belong & folks become oblivious to their safety significance.  We spotted this caution at the Big Knob Fair in the antique tractor and steam show area:

Proper Use of Slow Moving Vehicle Signs!