To the Heritage Syrup Festival and beyond!

Spinning at the Heritage Syrup Festival  in Henderson, TX, on November 8th.

Bright and early on the morning of November 8, 2014, four happy spinners sat down at their wheels at the Heritage Syrup Festival that was taking place in the East Texas town of Henderson.  It started off a bit chilly, and never really warmed up, the sun preferring to hide behind the clouds most of the day. Nevertheless, there were probably close to 10,000 visitors at the Festival, and we enjoyed demonstrating our craft and answering some really great questions from the crowds. I have demonstrated at quite a few venues over the years, and I must say that the folks at this one asked probably the best questions ever!  I was very impressed.

And, of course, several times we were asked if we could spin straw into gold.  What would a demonstration of spinning in public be without being asked that question at least once?!

Tammy spun some bamboo and llama fibers.  Jo spun some lovely variegated purple Merino wool roving, while Donna spun some of her homegrown white cotton, and I spun up some Black Welsh Mountain/Shetland wool roving.  The crowd was fascinated with the various fibers we were working with as well as the variety of  our spinning wheels.  

Tammy, Jo and Donna spinning and fielding questions from interested Heritage Syrup Festival attendees.

In the early afternoon, a young lady of about 11 or 12, along with her mother and two younger sisters, made her way up to us from the crowd.  As it turns out, she was already a knitter and loved and appreciated yarn!  She and her sisters were all drawn into the motion of the wheels, the treadling, and the magical transformation of the yarn being made from the carded fibers.  She told us that she wanted to learn to make her own yarn, and being home-schooled, she thought she could incorporate that into social studies or history with no problem.  Wow!  That made our hearts really nice and warm!

To be able to pass on our love of fibers, spinning and weaving to the younger generations is always a thrill for us, and we were especially pleased to watch it happen right in front of our eyes!  The two younger girls seemed very interested, also.  Who knows?  Maybe, just maybe, right there on that spot, three future fiber sisters were created to join our ranks!

Donna is the one who invited me to join them at the Festival this year.
Her shawl is hand-knit from hand-spun mohair yarn!  Awesome!

It was mid-afternoon when a young couple with a pit bull on a leash came up to inquire about the spinning process, and, just before they turned away, I asked if I could pet their dog.  I told them I had recently been attacked and bitten by a neighbor's pit bulls, and that I wanted a chance to erase the negative energy that had covered me ever since.  Folks, I want you to know that this was a very beautiful, well-behaved, calm pit bull named Max.  He was a lovely shade of blue gray with white, and his breeding was impeccable!  He looked into my eyes and I into his, and I found reassurance that not all pit bulls were as vicious as those inbred, abused dogs that my neighbor owns.  I feel cleansed of my traumatic experience.

We were each awarded a quart of fresh (HOT!) cane syrup as thanks for
demonstrating our fiber craft with the crowds.  Yummy!   

Across from where we were seated all day, a mule turned a cane-breaking machine and the pulp was boiled nearby in huge iron pots to make the cane syrup.  I should have gotten a photo of that, but next year that will be first thing on my list.  And second will be getting a bag of kettle corn before the line gets to be too long!  I can see myself attending this Festival and spinning with my friends for years to come.

Spinning at the Heritage Syrup Festival got me back into playing with my fibers, finally.  I had been in one of those funky moods lately, where I just couldn't get going on my spinning projects, or knitting for that matter.  I was having a hard time making the transition from gardening and reading to spinning, knitting and reading.  Sitting and spinning with three fiber sisters, however, got me back in the proper groove.

Black Welsh Mountain roving (left), a blend of Black Welsh Mountain and white Shetland (right).

The fibers in the photo above are what I worked on while at the Festival.  I have been collecting Black Welsh Mountain roving, 8 oz. at a time, from Suzanne at Fire Ant Ranch (nka Fiber Arts Republic) over the last several years.  I was not sure what I wanted to make with it, but I knew that I wanted enough yarn to make a statement of some kind.  You see, I am of Welsh extraction on both sides of my family tree, and felt a connection to Wales and King Arthur long before I discovered my actual heritage.  And besides, I am the black sheep of my family!

Black Welsh Mountain ewe and lambs from Desert Weyr Farm, Paonia, CO.

Shetland sheep produce a longer, softer wool that comes in a variety of colors.

I have just recently decided on what I want to make from all Black Welsh Mountain yarn I have spun. Since the Black Welsh Mountain fleece is not for "next to the skin" projects, I had long ago decided I wanted to make a cape, ruana or coat, but which ?!, and what pattern ?!  Yep, decisions, decisions .... arghhh! Well, while I spin, I do a lot of thinking, of course, and I have finally decided to make a winter coat in a very simple style that I knitted for someone many years ago.

Skeins of my Black Welsh Mountain yarn collection so far.  The various colors are achieved by the
fact that some have Shetland or Gulf Coast Native wool or some dyed mohair locks added to the
roving for a bit of variety.  

It will be made up of knitted squares, joined for body and sleeves, with a ribbing all around the edges which will incorporate a collar of some kind.  And, of course, there will be pockets!  The piecing of the squares will make use of the fact that some yarns have a bit of added color in them.  There may or may not be a pattern in the center of the back, but I think that there probably will be.  I also have not decided if I will knit all of the squares and then join, or join as I go.  More decisions!  Meanwhile, I am back to spinning, and my heart is singing!

Part of the reason for my stalling on the spinning is because I have been in a dither about cleaning before my older son, Matt, gets here for Thanksgiving week.  But, I have finally reasoned, he is coming to visit me, not my house.  And, as long as he brings his allergy medicine, he should be alright among the dust and cat hair.  I hope.  Still, I do need to make some sort of effort on my weekends, but so many other things keep calling my name!!!

After the frigid temps of the past week that may continue into Thanksgiving Week, Matt also needs to bring some warm clothes with him from California!

Spinning happily along these days here at HeartSong Farm!

Shear joy!

At its height, HeartSong Farm had 33 llamas, old and young, in its pastures. One of my greatest pleasures was to sit in my back porch swing with a glass of something cool to drink, and spend time just watching and listening to the female herd and their crias grazing, chewing their cuds, sunbathing, rolling in their dust bowls, and interacting within the hierarchy of their llama society. The crunching sounds of grass being cropped, the ear flicks and tail swishes at the interference of pesky insects, the clouds of red dust, the stand-offs and neck arches, and, yes, an occasional spit!   I whiled away many a fine hour in such a fashion.  It was a form of meditation for me, and it helped greatly in my need to relieve much of the stress of my daily living at the time.

That was in the back pasture.  Out front, in their very own individual pens, were the male llamas who needed to be separated not only from the females, but from each other.  A fight between two male llamas is not a pretty sight, not to mention they could and would kill each other if they got a chance....over breeding rights! Males! These guys usually weigh in at 400 to 450 pounds each, and are generally so sweet and amenable, but when those hormones start coming into play, their strength and determination can seemingly double their weight instantaneously.  You need to be very careful when separating them.  Believe me, I speak from experience!

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO MY HERD SIRES:

GL Ramsey

Catfish

HSF High Noon Sir Prize

Smokin' Jaguar

Ramsey and Smokin' have passed on and Catfish went to live on a farm nearby several years ago.  Smokin' and Prize have been my main studs through the years, and Jagger is Smokin's last cria and the only male he put his spots on.

I am now letting the remaining five llamas "age out" here in peaceful pastures. Sir Prize is the oldest at sixteen, then Texanna (the only female left) at fifteen, and the geldings: Armando (14) and Moonshadow (13).  The youngest is Jagger (aka HSF Jaguar Moon) who, at age two, should be around for a long time. Llamas can live to be 20 to 25 just like a horse, although none of mine have made it past 19.  Sir Prize was my first cria, and Jagger is my last.  (sigh!) 

The two geldings escaped into the back pasture with Texanna about a month ago by finding a weakness in the fence that separated them.  They could care less about her.  They saw how green and abundant the grass and weeds were in the pasture on her side of the fence!  However, this did cause some concern on the part of Sir Prize as he does not understand the difference in the meanings of the words stud and gelding.  As far as he is concerned, they are MALES!  Therefore, his fences have been reinforced and are checked periodically.

Just a few weeks ago, I moved Jagger out to the front pasture that his papa, Smokin' Jaguar, used to occupy, right across from Sir Prize.  There is a 10 foot passageway separating the two so that there are no "close encounters of the fighting kind."  There is a lot of glaring and pacing going on, however, on Sir Prize's part.  I don't think Jagger understands, really!  

After all these many years, I just can't imagine life in the foreseeable future without being able to see at least one llama in my pastures. Once Jagger becomes the Last of the HeartSong Farm Llamas, I will get a few goats to keep him company and to help him keep the weeds and brush down.  And that should be fairly entertaining, too!

I got my shears out this past week and cleaned and sharpened them up, then headed to the barn with them and both pairs of toe nail trimmers, a red llama halter, and a bucket of llama treats.  I hadn't been out to the barn since last fall and, oh my, it was filthy.  Winter winds and rains had worked havoc in there, tossing all sorts of stuff here and there.  After picking up a bunch of trash and putting some things back on their shelf, I set my shears and trimmers down, and set off with the halter and bucket of treats toward Jagger's pasture.  He was first on my list for a haircut, but he didn't know it yet!

My tools:  Nail trimmers (2) on left, and my Fiskars shears on right.

I bought some electric shears years ago when I had 28 to shear one 

spring, but I didn't really care for them even though they were faster.

I prefer these hand shears because they produce fewer second cuts.

They are also cheaper! When they get dull, I just go to Hobby Lobby 

and get a new pair.

Jagger, pre-haircut, ignoring me and the halter.

Llamas can be rather contentious about getting a haircut.  First of all, they are suspicious about anytime they see you approaching with a halter!  Then, when they see you have a bucket of treats with the halter, they know you are up to something, yet they are conflicted.... there will be treats! .....  but there is a halter.... how to act, what to do?!  Stay just out of reach, but close to the bucket.... try to grab a mouthful, then step back out of reach again.....see how long you can keep this up before you have to give in to the halter....maybe she will give up.... and leave the bucket anyway ..... just this once!

Once they are caught and have a halter on, they are the most docile of creatures (usually!) that you can imagine. This is because they are innately curious and now they are curious about what kind of adventure is ahead with the halter on their heads.  

HERE IS THEIR THOUGHT PATTERN:

Maybe a date with one of the females (Yes!) or maybe a walk near the rose bushes by the farmhouse..... a mouthful or two of the red or white roses would be quite nice! And there are some blackberry vines over by the driveway... oh, yummy!  But wait, didn't I notice one of my kind with a haircut the other day?!  Oh, no! Is that what this is all about?!  I mean.... it IS a lot cooler with a haircut, but what if it doesn't turn out right? What if the others don't approve of my new look?!  What if they refuse to be seen with me?!!  What if it ends up longer on one side, or is cut too close on the legs?  And, heaven forbid, what if she shaves my neck again....all the way up to my jaw....like a few years ago when it was so hot and humid already before summer had really begun?  We all looked like creatures from outer space!  No! No! NO!  I am afraid!  Haircut, NO!!!!  Time to dig in with back legs and pretend to be a donkey....put ears back against my head and look like spit is about to happen! Wait, no, doesn't work with her....she is calm and patient and encourages me to take just one step towards her and waits until I do....and spit doesn't bother her for some reason....DANG!  Looks like I am in for a haircut after all....  When will I ever learn?  Well, it WILL be a lot cooler, and so what if they don't like my haircut...it'll grow out soon.  Okay, let's get this over with, and no tickling my tummy and those shears better be nice and sharp!!!!

Jagger in the chute inside the barn.  He will also get his toenails trimmed.

It all starts with a cut through the fiber down the back line!

One side sheared.  Look at the spots and the fiber!  This is a barrel cut.

Looking good and feeling cooler.  Still not happy!

Dang! This new hairstyle itches!!!! 

The fiber treasure bag!  I use a pop-up laundry hamper
to collect what is shorn off.

You can just see how wonderfully soft his fiber is!

This is Jagger's  fleece on my breakfast table.  Ahh, luxury!

Well, two more llamas still to shear, but Jagger and Prize are a lot cooler these days, even if they did have to be patient with me as I slowly worked my magic shears.  I tickled no tummies and was very careful with the toenail clippers.  It rained all week here in East Texas, so I couldn't get around to shearing Moonshadow and Armando. The good thing is the temperatures have not been too bad, either, and the wet ground will make toenail trimming much easier because their nails will be nice and soft.  It will be like trimming through butter!

I have yet to turn on the air conditioner, so we are trying to stay cool and out of the rain here on HeartSong Farm!