What do you do?

What do you do when your one year old Lavender Orphington rooster decides he's going to start being a jerk and make a run for you say? You pick him up, carry him around and give him kisses! This can usually break them of that male driven protectiveness. You have to change their mind into self protection, not protecting the girls. If they associate you with contact they don't want, this can usually change the way they see you.

One thing that saddens me is when I see people who don't understand this behavior or how to break it and the young rooster will be destined for the soup pot or rehomed. This can take a one time solution or a few but eventually he will get it!

Trouble in the Barnyard

Look at this face, warm, sweet, beautiful...nope he's a trouble maker! Lately the once sweet Norman has taken to being quite the leader of trouble in the barnyard! He is currently 10 years old and we are quite baffled at what is prompting it. Has he realized that being a nice guy gets him no where? Has he decided that he is getting older and needs to start sowing some wild oats? Is he going through a mid age crisis? Is he bored with the way of life around here? Who knows? But it better stop! 

Lately he picks someone to pick on and it's on, but he has decided to form a gang! Cyrus on the left, with Norman center and Awan on the right! Yeah this isn't happening guys! No violence on the farm! 

So, currently Winchester (left) and Teddy (right) are separated from the marauding gang of 2 and their leader! These 2 are the most gentle souls we have here. Garth who is not pictured has decided to stay away from it all and I find him on the hill holding sentry duty as he should, not getting involved. If this continues we may need to get the Vet out here to take away one trouble makers trouble making things that may or may not be causing this!

Blending fibery goodness~!

In the time I have had while out of work, I've been putting this time in to get through my fiber stash. I had a beautiful black Icelandic fleece that I picked up last November at the New England Fiber Festival. It was soft but a bit coarse all at the same time. So it needed a blend that would keep the beautiful colors in but compliment it all at the same time. I chose a black angora rabbit fleece and combined it with some white alpaca to give it a nice soft texture and add some color differences. It has true black, grays of different shades and white.

These two photos don't really give the Icelandic fleece justice in it's beauty!

After the blend! It is so beautiful! This was pulling the first blend off of the drum carder, it beat my expectations!

I wish pictures gave a see and touch mode, it is so soft and so pretty! 

Trying to get it in the light, honestly I am so pleased!

So now to decide what to do with it, spin it up or bag it for sale as a spinning fleece or make punis out of it, hmmmm decisions, decisions! One thing I do know, as of right now the New England Fiber Festival is planning to go on as scheduled in November (see our schedule on the sidebar), it will be there for purchase, possibly in many forms!

Twisted together...

My favorite boy "Teddy" and...

the always mighty "Awan"...

and their amazing fiber...

each twisted into it's own yarn...

have come together to make one of my favorite yarns!

Plyed onto a spool...

to make this incredibly soft and natural colored yarn. 

Sadly the camera does not do the colors justice here. During this down time I have been spinning between all the other Spring tasks while still working from home. We are still holding out hope that the New England Fiber Festival in Massachusetts will still go on as schedule. Yesterday the NY Sheep and Wool Festival announced they are cancelling their October show, fingers crossed for the November show to go on as scheduled. We have taken a huge hit with Covid19 as many other farms have.