Leicester Longwool Sheep

We had a meeting at church yesterday morning, after which I headed to town for a quick trip to the grocery store. A large herd of elk was grazing in the field off the highway; unfortunately, that meant there were a lot of people stopped to gawk in a spot that is notorious for vehicle accidents. A grizzly bear was in that same area last fall and caused a huge traffic jam. I maneuvered myself through the mess and continued on my way.

I try not to go to town on weekends but we needed a few things. The day was absolutely gorgeous, and as I headed for home, I decided to stop at Tera’s to see the sheep and get a tour of their new woolen mill. A few years ago, they bought a flock of Leicester Longwool sheep. They added five Shetland sheep a few weeks ago. (A woman in our community had to downsize and sell her flock.) Tera’s husband, Kurt, is a retired physician and has taken up spinning, weaving, and farming. The two of them have been talking about buying the equipment for a woolen mill for a couple of years now, but equipment in good working order is hard to come by. They were able to locate some and had it installed on their property last fall.

Right now, the flock consists of two rams, two wethers, and 13 ewes. (I think I have my math right.) One of the rams—whose name is Uncle Ricky—came trotting right over for some head scratches, although Kurt warned me that if I were on the other side of the fence, Uncle Ricky would happily butt me from one side of the pasture to the other.

I adore sheep. Sheep grow wool, wool makes yarn, and yarn makes knitted fabric. What is not to love?

A couple of the ewes are pregnant and due in a few weeks. Leicesters are typically white, although some carry genes for dark wool, as well, and one of the wethers is the most gorgeous gray color. I can’t wait to see his wool spun into yarn.

We went into the workshop where I got to see the machinery and was able to touch and feel the end product in the form of batting, roving, and yarn. It’s gorgeous. I am hoping to convince Kurt and Tera to be on the podcast in the future so we can hear all about this new venture, because it is absolutely fascinating. And I have no doubt that once the mill is fully operational, they will have more business than they know what to do with. Good woolen mills are few and far between. Kurt and Tera have a Facebook page at Blaine View Farm and you can follow their progress there.

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I spent another couple of hours in the greenhouse yesterday afternoon. I’m trying not to get too ambitious about planting everything just yet; the weather forecast for next Saturday is a high of 33F with snow. This nice weather is a head fake. Still, I got trays and pots organized and set out. The husband brought me eight bags of potting soil. That will get mixed 50/50 with aged chicken manure for seed starting.

The husband went and looked at the downed tree and says it needs five minutes with a chain saw.

We went to town for date night and to give the husband an opportunity to ride in the Jeep. It was 63F as we were driving into town. This is most definitely an El Nino spring, and it feels good after several years of cold La Nina springs that lasted well into May. We could use more moisture, though.

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This is a busy week, with two classes scheduled at the quilt store and a couple of appointments. Tuesday’s podcast episode will be my interview with Kate McIvor, owner of The Confident Stitch down in Missoula. I am very pleased with how that one turned out. That was the first one I did in a mobile situation. The audio isn’t quite as nice as it is when I record here, but it’s acceptable.