2021 Breeding Groups

We wrote down our goals for 2022 lambing months before we set up the breeding groups.  Then as we set up the groups in November we used the goals to guide our decisions, and double checked to make sure all the ewes were in with the rams that would get us closer to those goals.

2022 goals were:

• Higher concentration of white/black/grey wool

• Straight legs

• <23 sf at 3 years of age

• Longer fleece length

Harry's breeding group

This was the second year we used Harry. Harry is white, has a very fine, dense fleece, is polled and is very well built. We were able to give him a big group of ewes this year as he proved himself in his first year and produced some very nice lambs for us.

Tovia

Brienne of Tarth

Adelina

Gilly

Arya

Sif

Tovia

Elara

Sebastian's Breeding Group

Sebastian is Itasca's grandson, is built very nicely and is black based.  He is scurred, but because we are breeding him to so many polled ewes, the scurring won't have a big impact on our goal to produce a flock of primarily polled sheep.

Lokola

Eir

Lucretia

Belva

Jon Snow's Breeding Group

Jon Snow is a grey katmoget, with a very fine, dense and long fleece.  We have used him as a breeding ram for a few years, so he has a good amount of influence in the flock and has made a great contribution towards longer staple length while retaining fineness.  He has a very low spinning fineness even at 5 years of age, which is a trait we are selecting for.

Jon Snow

Lakshmi

Ofeibea

Sarin

Duncan

Duncan is out of Yuki and Knightley - Yuki continues to impress us as she matures with a lovely fleece and beautiful appearance - she is a solid ewe.  One of the few ewes that we wish maybe was a ram as she exhibits all the traits we are after at a very high level.  Her lamb Duncan could be that ram, and so we decided to use him to get the body we like and want to get lambs that look more like him and his mother.  Duncan is a spotted fawn katmoget.

Matilda

elinor

Baxter

Fanny

Mabel

Carrie

Sojourner

Susan B

Neda

Loki 

Loki is a solid black ram with a very good fleece and just all around high quality.  He produced well for us last year, so he got another chance to help us build up our numbers of black based sheep to even out the color proportions of our flock.

Loki

Alice Paul

Audie

Yuki

Mrs Hughes

Tye

Elizabeth

Dina

We have been at this for so very long.  Every ewe and ram on the farm is an example of what we love about this breed based on the Traditional 1927 standard.  It is a pleasure to have the luxury to be making small tweaks to achieve the lovely fleeces that our handspinners and knitters have grown to treasure and enjoy.

Where I'm Gonna be in April

 Another busy and exciting month ahead!  In addition to the events I am attending in April, we are going to be shearing on the 17th and should start having lambs on the 23rd!

If you want me to bring anything to try (wheels, fiber, whatever) or want to just meet up while I am out and about, let me know and we can set up a meet.

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April 7 2022 is the Knitting Guild of Buffalo meeting I normally attend, but won't be going this month due to a scheduling conflict.  Its a fun meeting though, if you are a knitter in Buffalo area, you might want to check it out!

St. Leo the Great RC Church
885 Sweet Home Road
Amherst, NY  14226

Doors open at 6:30 PM
Masks optional

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Common Threads Buffalo Spinning Guild meeting - 4/10/2022 from 1 to 4. Common Threads meets the second Sunday of each month, 1:00 - 4pm. Join us at West Seneca Senior Center, 4620 Seneca St, West Seneca, NY.

This month the meeting is all about the Jillian Moreno workshop - recap, rehash and just bask in the fond memory.

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Genesee Valley Handspinners Guild Meeting - 4/16/2022 from 10 to 2. First Presbyterian Church, 70 East Main St, in Victor, NY

This month the guild is having its auction

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4/30/2022

Fiber Flurry
5 North Academy Street
Wyoming, NY
10-4
 I'll be vending at this event this year for the first time!  I'll have all the wheels and fiber prep out for you to try.  Hope to see you there!

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I do a live feed from the barn every Friday at noon est on my YouTube Channel.  Usually runs 45 minutes or until my battery on my phone runs out. If you miss the live feed, the video of the event gets posted on my page for your viewing pleasure. 

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Hope to see you in April!  BTW, I comply with all Covid guidelines, and in the case of a surge, I will likely not attend the scheduled meetings.