April 16, 2017
The beginning of Spring and the start of warmer weather signifies the opening of a very busy season. All of those outdoor projects that didn’t get completed before winter have now moved to the top of the to do list. Planting and gardening season is approaching quickly, mowing season has officially commenced and more project ideas keep adding up. It is also lambing season, but there will be no lambs here this year as we chose not to breed our ewes last fall.
We moved to our small farm last June, and have been working to adapt the place to our needs. We started many projects last fall and hope to work to complete those and many more over the next several months. We installed some pasture fence last fall, and now that the soybean crop has been removed, we are planning to install more fence in the coming months. We also rushed to complete some barn repairs so that the critters would have a nice place to stay out of the winter weather. We just picked up some posts to use for the new pasture fence yesterday.
There was no power or water in the barn when we bought the place, so we had to run 300 or so feet of trench to install water hydrants and run electric wire to the barn. Winter weather created many hurdles and a lot of waiting time to this project, but the water is now running. We expect the power to be hooked up next week. We also plan to have a driveway to the barn added this year that will allow us to get the truck and stock trailer out to the barn without getting stuck in the mud. So we are expecting to have plenty of mud this spring, but the future payoff should be well worth the short-term mess.
I am expecting to get some new alpacas and sheep this year, and I am looking forward to alpaca shearing in May. In the meantime, I found a local alpaca breeder who has graciously offered to help teach me more about maintaining my herd health and also had some fleece for sale. While I wait for my alpacas to be sheared, I now have 25 pounds of raw alpaca fleeces to play with. I also have a borrowed set of hand combs, and a home-made hackle that, along with a diz are used to create combed top.
I have been adding to my collection of fiber tools and now have a used Pat Greene Picker, and a used wide Ashford Drum Carder. These will allow me to process fiber more quickly and easily. A wool picker is used to open up the fibers and locks to make them easier to card, and the drum carder can be used to make fiber batts or roving.
I have been playing around with carding, combing and dyeing, and plan to open an etsy shop soon to begin offering hand dyed batts and braids for sale. I will also have the fleece that was sent to be processed into top available for sale after I receive it back from the fiber mill at the end of next month.
