Super Sheep?!?

Wild Rose Farm Ewe #141

We had just moved the sheep back over to the Loafing Shed after replacing a couple of ear tags, when this ewe caught my eye.  Hmmm, who is this somewhat short legged, chunky little ewe?  I had to creep up on her quietly to see that she was #141. She's a Dorset x Rambouillet cross and her records show that she's had 4 sets of twins. We'd already made the decision to retain her ewe lamb this year based on her growth - she's the only x-bred ewe lamb that we're keeping. It's tough since we're keeping 5 ewe lambs (3 Rambouillet, 1 Dorset) & we could only keep one more.
I'll try to get a picture of her one of these days ...
We have some really nice twin x-bred ewe lambs for sale that would really be nice to keep. We've sold a Dorset ram lamb & a horned Rambouillet ram lamb in the last couple of weeks and it would be great if some of the ewe lambs went to a new farm!

Fall Chores ...

Wild Rose Farm Ewes on the Move!

With the shorter & cooler days of fall, the sheep are always nice & frisky!  Here they are rushing past on their way in to graze down the hospital pen. We're sorting through the ewes and planning the breeding groups for this season. We'll have a group of Rambouillet ewes with a Rambouillet ram and the Dorset & crossbred ewes with a young Dorset ram. That smaller sheep in the picture above is a crossbred ewe lamb. She was born late and we just separated her off of her dam last week. She's been running with the ewes all summer … it just seemed easier to leave her out there and she did quite well!
We've had some folks looking at lambs lately & we have some really nice crossbred ewe lambs for sale + 2 commercial Dorset ram lambs & several Rambouillet ram lambs.  We were skewed towards rams this year and ended up with only 5 Rambouillet ewe lambs - we sold one and are keeping the other 4 for ourselves. They're all twins and one is a triplet. :)

Show This Weekend!

Wild Rose Farm at Pioneer Craft Days

Yes, we're still out and about here at Wild Rose Farm!  We had a replacement window and siding project on this old farmhouse over the summer. Lots of other family activities and travel and now 2 shows recently. This weekend we are at Pioneer Craft Days at Beaver Creek State Park.
This show features all homemade/handcrafted items and antiques.

Antiques & Wool Quilt Batts

The antiques were good sellers today and the table thinned out by the time I remembered to take a picture. The antique Canadian sock form got a lot of attention as a curiosity to the non-knitters in the crowd … We also have an antique Pearce wool blanket & a nice Pendleton red plaid shirt available.
Come see the show tomorrow if you're in the area!

Soaking Black Walnuts For Our Next Dyebath!

We sold some lovely brown combed top dyed with black walnuts at the shows and we're sold out of indigo dyed combed top at the moment. A fresh walnut dyebath is soaking as we speak … it will be next up followed by a batch of indigo.

Antique Coverlet - Pearce Blanket - Pendleton Shirt Jacket

1st Place Rambouillet Fleece

Seen At The Auction!

Words of Wisdom!

Here's one bit of commentary that I wanted to post … I spotted this farm supporter at a local auction & had to take a picture!

Lambs & Ewes Out Grazing ...

Wild Rose Farm X-bred Lamb #152 Nibbling ...

One thing is for certain … this has been one of the wettest springs/early summers on record. The pastures are growing like crazy. We've seen some hay that's been rained on & still plenty of fields after the 4th of July not cut yet. Here's what it looked like in June at Wild Rose Farm!

Dorset Ewe #118 Surrounded by Lambs

Grazing in a Sea of Grass! 

Rambouillet Yearling Ewes Foreground 

The yearling ewe lambs are in excellent shape this year. The one in the left of the picture above has a small set of horns ...

Yes, The "Middle" Spring Development Water is Flowing! 

Just Hanging Out!

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Resting 

The weather has been going from hot & sunny to hot & T-storms over the last week or so.  We've managed to get the grazed sections of pasture mowed, but it has been too wet to plow the garden area. Hmmm … not sure when we'll get any veggies, herbs, & flowers planted! The ewes and lambs have started to get out for grazing so we'll have some pictures of them soon.
We paid a visit to the Great Lakes Fiber Show over Memorial Day weekend to drop off and pick up our processed wool items. I'm starting to clean and put together the old Sears & Roebuck 6 harness Hearthside Loom out in the studio … it looks like I'll have to order a couple of reeds and then figure out what the first project will be. This will be fun (I keep telling myself)!

Wild Rose Farm Fleeces For Sale @ Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest!

Our skirted fleeces sold well at the Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest. They are sold with a washed sample lock and the ewe's micron test ... there was a lot of interest in the Rambouillet micron tests this year. The hand spinners were comparing the tests and the "% of Fibers > 30 Microns". Fibers greater than 30 microns are the indicator of the comfort of the wool, since 30 microns is where the famous "itch factor" creeps in & becomes important!  I am planning to go to the Lawrence County Wool Pool next week to drop off fleeces that we don't need for processing this year. This pool pays the day of the pool and they will be grading each fleece out of the bag.

Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest Stuff!

2019 Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Fest Shoppers!

Here's an idea of what our Waynesburg Sheep & Fiber Festival customers found from the fantastic vendors!  Lots of yarn of course, but plenty of other goodies ...

Spun Bunny - Gorgeous Colorways & Fabulous Fibers!

Ridgetop Pottery - Porcelain Buttons
A Great Addition to the Pottery & Yarn Bowls! 

Earth Tone Fiber Arts - Hand Woven Shawls, Ponchos, Scarves, & Table Runners!

Anderson Hollow - Goat Milk Soaps & Lotions