This morning Joyce and Barney Terrell arrived from their second trip to the Fancy Fibers Farm this week to bring us a total of 13 additional Shetland sheep.  While their hearts wanted to raise Shetlands forever, various body parts were giving them signals that maybe it was time to reign in their passion for these little heritage sheep. So it was with very mixed feelings of relief and sadness that they brought 13 of their Shetlands to join the herd at our Farm.

Shetlands are one of the smallest breeds of British sheep, having originated in the British islands.  They are considered a “primitive” or “heritage” breed which means they are “unimproved” by man’s genetic tamperings. They are small, hardy, adaptable, and long-lived. In fact, Joyce kept her older sheep, one of which is 16 years old! They are also calm, docile, and generally easy to manage. Our Shetlands we bought from Fairlight Farms last September will come up to us and hang around to be petted!  Ken chose Shetlands to raise for just these reasons, and for their natural beauty. Their wool is prized for everything from rugs to fine clothing.

There will be some jostling and head-butting today and tomorrow between the 3 Shetland wethers who were already Farm residents and the wethers from Barney and Joyce’s flock.  But that will subside. Interestingly, the does, having better sense, have already begun to mingle.

We look forward to the spring and the bountiful wool these new additions will bring!

Originally uploaded by Fancy Fibers Farm

I guess what I’m supposed to be doing (or at least what I’ve told my DH I’m doing) is raising animals for their fiber which I am then processing and trying to sell. To other people. For them to use to make beautiful things.

But sometimes I have to stop and play with my fiber myself. This bobbin of yarn is the result of a little play time at Sassy Spinster yesterday with my spinning sisters!

This handspun yarn is a combination of Sari Silk (the little fluffy pieces of bright colored silk that is a byproduct of making silk sari wraps) and “Harley” mohair that I dyed a brilliant turquoise.

I think the result is stunning, and the next time you see this yarn, it will be a beautiful openwork shawl!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blog post to bring you this Special Bulletin:  Six new goats have joined the herd at Fancy Fibers Farm!

After much thought, spinning friend Terri B. has decided to disperse her beautiful Cashgora goat herd.

Now really, how could I pass up a herd of Cashgora goats that were already known fiber producers?  Well, of course, I couldn’t, so today, Terri and Neil brought the goats over to live at Fancy Fibers Farm.

There were a few tense moments as we introduced Buddha and MudBud to the new animals that it is their duty to protect.  Terri’s goats had not previously ever met dogs that weren’t trying to eat them!

Then there was the running-from-the-sheep and head-butting dances that were to be expected.  Guess they weren’t too sure what those other furry non-goat things were, and didn’t much care for their curiousity about the newcomers!

By late afternoon, thee “getting to know you” issues were largely resolved, and they had headed out to the pasture to graze.  We’ll invite them to come in with the rest of the herd this afternoon with a bit of grain to get a last look at everyone before nightfall.  We know they know what grain is, so they should come in without any trouble!

In other news, Ge’mar, Ken, and I started cleaning out the large loafing shed this morning, and our phenomenal worker Greg came over this afternoon and finished it off for us.  Yippee!  We sent him away with his paycheck and an Ameracauna who turned out to be a rooster and was mean to our hens.  Goodbye and good riddance!

Tomorrow, I let the cat out of the bag on one other new farm development!

We were busy beavers at Fancy Fibers Farm today.  Well, nothing much new about that.  Still, there were some new faces (that’s always fun), and the work was spread amongst many hands (which makes it all possible).

Ge’mar was with us this weekend.  Bless his heart, he works like a dog every time he’s here!  He takes a little ribbing at school from his friends who call him “Farm Boy,” but he’s a super kid to have around.  Mr. Berry worked today, so Ge’mar did the mowing, made three trips to the feed store, and cleaned 8 rabbit cages.  He also got a start on cleaning the straw out of the loafing shed, but since that particular shelter faces the west, that chore is going to have to wait until tomorrow morning.  Like I said, he’s a good kid, and I’m trying not to bite my nails while he’s at Wal-Mart…. in Greenville … by himself … driving my Suburban!

Greg joined us again today to finish the cleanout of the barn on which he did a GREAT job.  He brought his son, Colton, who turned out to be a fantastic helper.  They took the barn back down to the dirt, including the chicken coops!  I covered the floor with lime and DE. Then Greg and his pickup picked up the straw we had previously paid for at the feed store (yes, I suffer from pick-up truck envy). Ken and I spread some of it out on the barn floor.  I wanted to leave the floor bare dirt but I lost that argument.  Straw it is, at least a thin layer.  Seems the goats (and Ken) prefer it that way.

Daniel was also with us for a short time today reworking the section of the barn where I keep the tools and the feed barrels so that the goats can’t get in there while I’m trying to dish out the feed.  Goats, especially our two bucks, are a force of nature, a real handful to deal with anytime there’s grain to be had.  Ken, at over 6 feet tall, doesn’t have any problem showing them who’s boss. I’m still figuring out how to keep 5 heads out of the feed barrel while I’m getting the food out.  To help make things easier on me, Daniel will be back on Monday to put up a cattle panel and wire which will make that space totally goat proof!

The real TREAT today, though, was our farm visitors Linda and Maggie.  Linda is a local friend (well, Dallas area anyway), and Maggie is visiting from Colorado.  We walked and talked fiber, toured the farm, ooh’d and aah’d over our sweet baby goat Han Solo, and just generally had a nice visit.  Linda PROMISED that she was going to come back for a dye day one day. Maggie has Nigoras and Llamas, so we swapped animal stories and husbandry tips.  I sent them away with fresh eggs and some fiber products.  It is so much FUN to have visitors who share my fiber obsession!

We passed one more BIG milestone today, but I’m not going to write about it until tomorrow.  Get some rest, and check back for more news tomorrow!

On Saturday, May 8th, Ken drove to the far corners of Oklahoma, to visit Bountiful Farm, the home of Dan & Paula Lane, and to pick up a Great Pyrenees rescue dog to be a companion to one of our resident Great Pyrs, Bear.  Dan and Paula not only raise purebred Great Pyrenees dogs, they are a foster home for the Great Pyrenees Rescue of Oklahoma.  On behalf of the rescue organization, they take in Pyrs that have been abandoned, provide them with medical care, evaluate them to determine their suitability as working dogs or pets, and provide them with a home and care until a suitable forever home can be found for each animal.

In the weeks prior, I had conversed with Dan via email, filling out applications, going back and forth about the Pyrs he had available and our needs, and basically directing him through a virtual “site visit” of our farm via Flickr and our Farm Blog.  All that having been said, and having passed his requirements for adoption, we tentatively decided on a dog and a date.  May 8th was that date, and Princess was that dog.

Ken made the drive alone to leave me to my fiber processing.  With a little help from Google, he found the farm, met up with Dan, then went to meet Princess.  It was love at first sight, as it is most of the time when Ken meets a new animal. There’s just something about him that makes animals love him! Princess was no exception, and she quickly won his heart as well.

After finalizing arrangements and discussions with Dan, he put her in the car and drove home.  Once she arrived, we introduced her to Bear and the livestock, and walked them both all around their property line to reinforce her boundaries.  She was totally at ease.  The other animals were very curious about her and followed us (all bunched up together in a little knot) from a respectful distance.

A week later, we are happy to report that she has totally integrated herself into life at Fancy Fibers Farm.  She works in tandem with Bear to guard at night, and finds a cozy cool place to nap inbetween making lazy rounds of the pasture during the day.  She is one of the sweetest dogs we’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.

Dan’s comment when he checked in to see how Princess was fitting in was that Princess had been with him as an adoptable rescue Pyr longer than she should have been.  We decided that she had just been waiting for us.