A Great Weekend!

Wild Rose Farm Naturally Dyed Yarn

We had a great weekend at the Old Economy Village "Christmas At The Village" event.  It was good to see old friends and customers and to meet some new folks!  Our new Rambouillet wool yarn spun at Mill At The Meadowlands was super soft and popular with the knitters who stopped & gave it a squeeze ...  Many of our collection of vintage woolen sweaters, scarves, hats, & blankets found new homes too. Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the historical site and the wonderful food and entertainment.

Rambouillet Ram & Ewes

The rams have been in with the ewes for almost 2 weeks now. Most of the ewes have been marked since they have an approximately 17 day cycle. We'll have to get an updated picture of the ewes in the next few days to post on the blog. It goes without saying that the sheep love this colder weather!

Come See Us This Weekend!

Wild Rose Farm Will Be At Old Economy Village!

Wild Rose Farm will be set up at Old Economy Village in Ambridge, PA this weekend. It looks like we will be in the Feast Hall on the 2nd floor. Come and visit with us. The grounds of Old Economy Village are lovely with candle lanterns lighting the walk ways outside. We'll have our new farm yarn made from our Rambouillet wool and other wool items. We'll also bring vintage woolen sweaters, hats, scarves, & blankets.  Come on down!

Snow White in the Barn With the Ewe Lambs

Breeding season started on the 25th, so Snow White is pulled out of the ewe flock and moved indoors with the ewe lambs. Here she is with the lambs. She does some humming for the first day or two as she settles in ... she misses the ewes and has to adapt to the lambs that she hasn't seen since July.

Rambouillet Ram (center) & Rambouillet Ewes

We have the sheep split up into two groups this year. The Dorset ram is in with 22 Dorset & crossbred ewes and a young Rambouillet ram is in with 10 Rambouillet ewes.  His dam is in a separate pen with another unrelated young Rambouillet ram ... we've got to keep things straight for registration!

Ewe Lamb Leaves For New Home!

Wild Rose Farm Crossbred Ewe Lamb Loaded Up!

Another of our nice Dorset x Rambouillet ewe lambs left the farm this afternoon. She was a twin ewe lamb born on April 28th ... out of the first ewe to have lambs this spring. She had been chosen several weeks ago and was waiting for pick-up. We were working on the ewes in preparation for breeding season and her new owner stopped in on his day off from work. We trimmed her hooves, loaded her up, and away she went ...

Rambouillet Ewe Lamb #561 - A Keeper!

We had a lot more ram lambs than ewe lambs born this spring for "whatever" reason. All of our Rambouillet ewe lambs were born as twins, but their twins were ram lambs!  The #561 Rambouillet ewe lamb above is shown in the handling chute with several of the crossbred ewe lambs that we have for sale. What a beautiful day to be working outside with the ewes & lambs!  We'll be putting the rams in over the weekend to kick off the breeding season here.

Besides The Sheep ...

Wild Rose Farm Glenda Wants To Come In!

Visitors ask what goes on at the farm "besides working with the sheep?". Well, the sheep are the centerpiece of the farm activity, but Glenda and Snow White have to manage and circulate around the ewes & lambs. Glenda is always nosey and shows up when there's activity in the pens or when people are visiting.
Snow White on the other hand, is more likely to hang back and avoid the fuss. She can be found in the lead of the flock, but if we WANT to move everyone, she has a way of trying to skip out on the round up!  She also has to be fed separately from the piggish ewes and can be seen fending them off if they get too close.  Unfortunately, sheep don't always understand llama-speak ...

Hey, You're Getting Too Close To My Dinner!

 Snow White gets her feed over the pen divider in the Loafing Shed, but the ewes sometimes crowd her, even thought they can't reach it ... and the ewe looks so innocent & friendly, right?

Now You're Really Annoying Me!  

That's Right, Go Eat Your Hay! 

Off To New Pastures!

Wild Rose Farm Ewe Lamb #0641 Ready To Travel

Who Opened That Gate?

Three nice ewe lambs left the farm yesterday for a new home. Their new owner is a fiber artist. We picked over the ewe lambs, looking closely at their fleeces to select the type she preferred to add to her flock. Twins out of our #142 ewe were selected and a twin from our 20 micron #98 ewe rounded out the little group. All were sired by a Rambouillet ram, so they are all at least 75% fine wool Rambouillet.
The lambs were delighted to find some nice second cut hay waiting for them in the trailer.  Much tastier than the 1st cutting they've been eating!

Two Wild Rose Farm Ewe Lambs Loaded Up  

What's For Supper?

Wild Rose Farm  Ewes Around Loafing Shed Door

After working with the ewes at the barn on Sunday, they trailed back over to the Loafing Shed.  Of course they know that their grain ration comes out of the front door and they attempted to get inside ... "I knew you kept the goodies in there!", they seemed to say.  You'd think they hadn't eaten for days.

On The Way To The Feed Bunks ...

The fall color here has been fleeting & slightly drab. A lot of the maple leaves went from brown tipped and yellow to "gone". Some are still turning orange & red, but not nearly as colorful as usual due to the dry & hot weather that we've had. See how dry it is in the woods around the water tank?

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Enjoying Spring Water

BTW, now is the time to come out and look at ewe lambs if you'd like to start a flock! We also have several Rambouillet ram lambs left & they'd be great to breed a small flock this fall.

Pollinators & Gathering Goldenrod!

Wild Rose Farm - Lots of Bees Here!

There were plenty of honeybees & other native pollinators buzzing around as I gathered more goldenrod for more natural dyeing projects. This picture came from a clump of flowering goldenrod stems next to the roadway. I ended up leaving one of the "not fully opened" stems for the bees ... feeling a little guilty, I guess!  There are also a TON of black walnuts falling everywhere right now. Every walnut that I gather from along the driveway goes right into the pot of water to soak for a dye bath.
We've finally gotten a bit of rain, but not as much as we'd like. Take a look at how dry the soil is here as we broke a little ground for a small garden next year.  The soil test sample has been sent off to the lab at Penn State and we're waiting for the results & soil pH to come back.

Talk About DRY Soil! 

Perfect Day For The Farm Tour!

"Hey Llama, Why Are You Looking At Me Like That?"

We had a perfect fall day for the 1st Beaver County Self-Guided Farm Tour. Temps ranged from the high 50's to the mid 60's with big, puffy white clouds and a nice breeze.  We were able to have Snow White & the ewe flock grazing right along the driveway in the small "Hospital Pen".
We were so busy talking with everyone and answering questions that I only got one or two pictures taken when the crowd thinned out near the end of the day - oh well!  Llama Snow White was pretty popular with the visitors. The young fellow above kept talking to her and asking why she was looking at him so funny ... we told him that she usually only sees sheep and they don't ask her questions!  One thing that I did notice - look closely at the grass in the pen. The flock spent most of their time grazing as far away from the people as they could get. The grass next to the front fence line is still tall after 5 hours!
Glenda did not disappoint either, with her random & raucous braying next to the folks looking at the lambs in the barn.  Thanks to everyone who came out and visited us at Wild Rose Farm!

Wild Rose Farm - Snow White & Her Flock Back at the Loafing Shed

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!

Lambs For Sale

Wild Rose Farm Ewes In August

It's August and we've got ewe lambs & ram lambs for sale. All of the ewes have been separated off from the lambs and they've been grazing with Snow White ... see her in the upper right of the picture? Of course, they have been walking back & forth and she sees no need to follow them each time. Smart llama!
And why are they walking back & forth? We weaned the last 3 ewe lambs from their mothers the evening before this picture was taken. Those 3 ewes keep walking back to the gate to call for their lambs.  Occasionally, the rest of the flock follows them.  The 3 lambs are in the barn (penned up with the older lambs) and they keep bleating for their mothers. It takes about 2 days for them to settle down on both sides. Then it's peaceful & quiet again ...

Three Wild Rose Farm Ewes - Where Are Our Lambs?

Aside from working with the sheep, we were at the Hookstown Fair for several days. Here is the 1st Place wool hooked rug ... very nice entry again from this lady!

2017 Hookstown Fair - 1st Place Hooked Wool Rug 

Take a look at this massive heavy weight team from the Saturday morning draft horse pulling contest. They are from Florida and were on their way to somewhere north of here ... just "pull'in through" as they say!

2017 Hookstown Fair - Unhitching Heavy Weight Draft Horse Team From Florida

2017 Lawrence County Fair

1st Place Rambouillet Ewe Lamb Resting 

After The Show

We made a trip to the Lawrence County Fair to see the sheep show. The Rambouillet ewe lamb that was picked up in late July seemed to be an old hand at showing and was resting calmly after the show.  It looks like she took the Penguin Stanley Cup Hockey theme seriously, lol!
We wandered around the grounds and spotted the Mercer County Spinners & Weavers Guild set up and doing spinning and weaving demonstrations. Their natural dye workshop sample cards caught my eye & reminded me that it's time to collect goldenrod & walnuts ...

Mercer County Spinners & Weavers Guild 

Natural Dye Sample Display Cards

New Ram Joins The Flock

Suffolk & Dorset Rams Ready To Unload

We traveled to the annual PDA Performance Tested Ram & Buck Sale on Saturday and brought home a new Dorset ram. Our friend went with us and got a Suffolk ram for his flock. It's always amusing on the ride home as passing cars, with both kids & adults, stare, smile, & point at the sheep.

Bidding Underway On A Suffolk Ram 

The auction picture above shows an interesting aspect of the sale ... the man seated on the stage is accepting internet bids while the Amish men in the front row join their English counterparts in the live bidding from the floor.  Hair sheep (Dorpers at this sale) seem to be getting more popular as sheep shearers are getting harder to find and year to year wool prices are erratic.  Also, meat goat bucks now far outnumber the rams being tested & sold. In watching the bidders, most of the goats were sold to folks from Eastern PA.

Dorset Ram Settles In At Wild Rose Farm 

Off To A New Home!

Wild Rose Farm #557 - Loaded Up & Leaving! 

The first Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet ewe lamb sold this season headed off to a new home over the weekend.  She leaves comfortably ensconced in a large Rubbermaid tub tucked into the back of a Jeep!  There was barely enough time to remember to take a picture as she thinks about jumping out ... I'm sure that she enjoyed looking out the back window during her air conditioned ride home.

I Brake For Wool!

Auction Find - Drawer Box of Wool Tapestry/Needlepoint Yarn - "Before"

Many of our followers know that Wild Rose Farm has a little vintage or "up-cycling" wool goodies sideline.  It started several years back when folks were asking for wool fabric or blankets for felting or crafting. I occasionally found wool items at auctions or estate sales and offered them for resale. A sideline was born and now it seems that I see wool everywhere ... yes, I brake for wool!  One woman even gave me two Norwegian wool sweaters knowing that I will find a good home for them ...

Auction Find - Sorted By Dye Lot - "After"

 This big box of wool yarn came from an auction last weekend ... it was in a large closet full of acrylic yarn and scads of cotton crochet thread stashed in plastic tubs. Guess who won the bid & choice of boxes? :)  Seems that the Amish ladies at the sale were after the sewing & crochet thread ...
But there's more!  My travels over the last 2 months yielded these lovely finds:

Eastern Pennsylvania Stash of Wool Yarn & Corriedale Sliver!

Central Ohio Thrift Shop Collection of Wool Yarns!

I've even stumbled across some G.C. Murphy's wool yarn recently at a random yard sale. You just never know what's hiding in a nest of acrylic yarn. Granted, I've picked through stacks of yarn and found no wool, but here's a funny one ... a mothball scented chest full of acrylic yarn ... uh, what's up with that?!?

A Look At Our New 2-Ply Rambouillet Yarn!

Wild Rose Farm - 2-Ply Rambouillet Wool Yarn

Here's a glamour shot of our yarn finishing up the process at The Mill At Meadowlands. We have ~200 yard skeins of this 2-ply, but I don't have a total skein count or wpi on it at the moment ... details, details!  Rumor has it that it's soft & squishy too ... a lovely farm yarn.  You'll have to stay tuned for the details on this batch!

Yarn Processing Continued ...

The Mill at Meadowlands - Skein Winder

Wild Rose Farm 2-ply Rambouillet Yarn

Here's another picture of our Rambouillet 2-ply yarn in process at The Mill at Meadowlands. The skeins will be ~ 200 yards. The bobbins below will be wound off next and turned into skeins ...
It's interesting to see the process and Ruth makes sure to keep you posted every step of the way as we make decisions on the final product.  Or, as she likes to say, "what kind of yarn the wool wants to become", lol! :)

More Yarn Coming!

The Mill At Meadowlands

Ruth Processing Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet Wool!

 

Wow! We had a chance to view our Rambouillet wool processing at The Mill At Meadowlands a couple of days ago. We visited family in the Chester County, PA area and then took a ride to the mill in Maryland to see our wool being processed. Thanks to Ruth, owner of the mill, and Brianna for taking the time to explain & show off the process.  Brianna was operating the spinner and here is a sample of what our current batch of 2-ply looks like ...

The Mill At Meadowlands

Wild Rose Farm - 2-ply Rambouillet Yarn Sample On The Spinner!

We picked up our finished 3-ply "sport/DKish" weight yarn while we were there. It's currently resting and releasing the moisture from the mill spinning process. All in all, a great visit and we've gotten some really soft, squeezable fine wool yarn ... can't wait to gather some natural dye materials as the season goes on and start dyeing some yarn!