Aandsvarr Needs a Woman



Meet Andsvaar.... he's one strappin' Icelandic breeding ram!! Check out our website below for details on how YOU can have Andsvaar on YOUR farm.

Stone Hill Ranch Website
4/12/2010

and it begins.....

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch


Welp, springtime is definitely here! There's new life all over the farm and we're all just lovin' it :-) We herded all of the Icelandics into the lambing pens and all of the Icelandics managed to get out the very next day haha! We went down to fix the situation and one of our Merino/Icelandic crossbreeds decided to lamb on pasture (oops). The babies are adorable and the wool feels TREMENDOUS! I'm anxious to spin them :-)







We lambed some Merino/Icelandics back in January and the results are varied so far. We were able to produce a single coated fleece from the black male, but the female retained the dual coat.... both are *incredibly silky*! Strange thing: The black fleece is thel, the white is tog on both animals?? Go figure. The conformation on the male seems to be representative of Merinos (low, barrel bellied), but the female is a spitting image of an Icelandic....hmmm.




Lyndsay's Hampshire babies are doing well (born Jan./Feb.) and she's already at me to take a trip to Missouri for next years breeding ram.... go figure :-) Damn, we need a new barn!!!!!!

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2/28/2010

Sean's Sweater

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch

Oh for the history of this sweater....... I *absolutely* HAD to finish this sweater that I started a LONG time ago. Too many times I almost frogged it and then I remembered where the fiber came from :-) The black yarn is a blend of my girlfriends Llama and one of our original Icelandic breeding ewes (since deceased). The memories I have of those animals still make me smile :-) The ladder pattern is made of angora----again from one of the Angora rabbits the kids used to play with. It's funny how memories can keep you going!!


I'm not all that happy with the sweater (one of my first). I lost the pattern and had to improvise---and spin more yarn. I really did a POOPY job with construction.... ah well, live and learn. Sean is happy with it tho'!! Now he has an ice skating sweater like the other kids :-) Since it took me so long to finish his sweater, he's first on the list for next years sweaters!!

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2/24/2010

Swatching the Cortina

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch



It's finally swatched!! I went back and forth over what colorway to use.... I'd originally planned to use my Icelandic, then I didn't think the colors looked right, now I'm back to using my handspun yarn :-) It's funny how different a project looks once you swatch the pattern. I hafta say, there's not alot of contrast, but I like it.

I'm using the Dale of Norway Cortina pattern but I'm sure I'll have to make some pretty major adjustments due to the yarn guage difference and my aversion to steeking. I'm not overly worried, re-engineering is my specialty. The variegated green is from some Merino roving I purchased and the brown is Birla (one of my AWESOME Icelandic breeder ewes :-)

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2/22/2010

Fair Isle Mitts & Hoodie

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch


They're done!! I completed my fair isle gauntlet mitts in 4 days flat..... which is a HUGE accomplishment for me haha :-) It was such a simple pattern, I think I'll make some for my 'lil sister. I used the following fibers: Gray mohair, white mohair, French Angora rabbit, black Icelandic ewe. They're WICKED warm and too comfortable. I may shorten up the gauntlet if I make a pair for someone else, but I like the long ribbed gauntlet-----I typically wear a wool sweater outside, so the big mitts really keep my arms/hands warm.



Sean's hoodie is pissing me off again...... it's working its way back to the bottom of my knitting basket. The entire sweater is complete, however, I purchased the wrong zipper for the front so now it's just sitting up in the loft on my sewing machine. We're snowed in right now, so FAT CHANCE of me making it to the store for a new zipper anytime soon...... that's what happens when you take 4 kids to the sewing shop (I couldn't concentrate for ANYTHING). I started this sweater a heckuva long time ago (and have since lost the pattern) so I'm kinda makin' it up as I go. I'm not overly pleased with the ribbing around the hood, but it'll work. The darn thing is curling so bad at the front opening, I'm not sure if the zipper is going to look right..... RIBBIT, RIBBIT.... I hear a frog.

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2/09/2010

More Babies !!

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch

I got my cross breeds!! We crossed a moorit Merino female with a white Icelandic ram and boy did we get cute little babies :-) The black one is a male and the white one is a female. They seem to have wool like an Icelandic, but time will tell. I'm anxious to see if they maintain the dual coat. Last year, we crossed a Hampshire female with an Icelandic male and the tog went bye-bye, however, the wool was like a brillo pad (haha).

Both of the babies jumped right up after they were born and acted like they were already a week old!! The kids won't leave their hands off them :-)----They have these fat little faces!!

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11/04/2009

Spinning Birla

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch



Birla's wool is OUTSTANDING !! I pulled the tog prior to processing and it's as soft as silk. Her wool is actually a much brighter red, but pulling the tog makes it look a milk chocolate color. I forgot how satisfying it is to spin her :-) It's about time to knit hubby a sweater.... not sure what kind, but Birla will *definitely* be a part of it.


BIRLA

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