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
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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1/25/2010

The Hamps Are Here!!!

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch


Well, we're off and running with baby lambs as of yesterday!!! Our Hampshire sheep begin to lamb in January and will continue through February. We also have some Merino sheep that we've crossed with Ilex (Icelandic ram) that will be due in January/February timeframe. The last to lamb are always my Icelandics-----Easter time is when they 'pop' :-)


'Sister' had her twin boys yesterday morning. They weighed in at 11lbs & 12lbs and have really GREAT butts on them!! Last year, we bred our Hampshires to a ram that had a bony butt, and hence, most of the babies came out with scrawny butts and skinny legs. This year, we bred the girls to my friends ram up the road. I think all but one took. Hopefully, everyone twins and Lyndsay will be able to have a choice on who to show in 4H :-)



I'm going to take a few of the Hampshire fleeces to the processor this month and have them made up into quilt batts. Hampshire sheep are a mutton breed..... not wool, however, their wool may be a cheaper alternative for quilting batts.

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12/09/2009

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch

Well.... so much for my knitting/spinning projects. The boyz came in from trapping the other morning and had frozen tears stuck on their cheeks. "I'M COLD..... MY FACE IS GOING TO CRACK OFF". Now, you have to understand that the 2 boyz in question are 6 and 8 years old and are *avid* trappers-----out by 6am in the morning, regardless of the weather, to check their traps.

I'd been thinking about facemasks for quite awhile but REALLY wanted to focus my efforts on the 'correct' technique for Fair Isle knitting (yep, steeks and all). To make a long story short, I put all other projects down, and began the facemask scarf project. I'll post the pattern below. Now, you have to understand, I'm not a pattern kinda gal..... I knit to dimension, not to a pattern (which is why fair isle is gonna kill me and I don't do cross stitch). The reason I call it the "Scarf Facemask" is b/c the ribbed portion of the mask is quite long and serves as a scarf.

I knit the first mask without any 'doo-dads' just to get a base pattern. Then I began knitting some fair isle on the masks so I could practice the technique. I've done a few fair isle projects in the past..... but broke all the rules :-) The mask is SO incredibly easy to make, albeit, it looks like that creature off 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' haha.










PATTERN: Scarf Facemask
size - small (21" head)


Size 10 - 6" Circular needles (or size needed for guage)
1 set size 10 double points
Guage: 3.5 stitches per inch
Yarn: Well, I had to chew up some of gramma's acrylic stash (a.k.a. GAS) but my kids avoid acrylic like the plague (not warm enuff), so I used a strand of handspun wool and a strand of acrylic.

Cast on 60 stitches (increase co by 4 stitch increments to get larger sizes). K2 P2 ribbing for about 5 inches (this is the scarf portion of the facemask). K in round for 3 inches. Cast off 18 stitches (for the hole), knit to end. Cast on 18 stitches and rejoin. K in round for 4 inches. Switch to double points when it gets too tight. (K2 together every 4 stitches. K one row) 3 times. (K2 together every 3 stitches. K one row) 3 times. Close top of hat.

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12/04/2009

The Vest (cont.)

Posted by Stone Hill Ranch


ok.... now I'm thinking a cross between the A&F sweater vest and the American Eagle sweater vest (right), only not so long. I like the collar on the AE vest (not so floppy)...... but I absolutely HATE the whole zipper thing. I think it's kool the way the Fitch sweater closes but I'm really not into the leather belt over a bulk weight vest-----can you say 'FAT'? I'm thinking about a closure that looks similar to a small oriental hairpic..... I think I saw one in Filati. At any rate the pick would make use of the knit, but I can already envision losing it.











Remember that nasty Shetland? Welp, it looks awesome, but it lost some of the 'unspun' look when I set the twist. I decided to knit a swatch using one strand of the Shetland and a 2-ply strand of Petey (one of my Angora goats). So...... it'll be a wool/mohair blend vest. The mohair really softened up the Shetland and added quite a bit of shine.


'Petey'

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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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