BrambleStitches

Okay, I still can’t quite believe that something this cool could happen, but it seems that an entire starter flock of Babydoll Southdown sheep has been GIVEN to my mom’s friend Maren, and will live at my mom’s house. As in free. We’re talking about real, living, breathing, baa-ing, wooly, miniature sheep. We’re talking about FIVE of them: a ram, three unrelated ewes, and the yearling daughter of one of the ewes. All this is to say that they’re practically mine, because I get to have all of that wonderful wool for spinning, dyeing, and knitting. Yeah!

Apparently these beautiful beasts were someone’s 4-H project. The child got tired of them, and the mom gave them away. We’re working on getting them registered (they’re pure bred) and then
we’ll add the ram to the breeders registry. Isn’t he handsome? He’s the
fellow in the second photo foreground.

We are told that two of the ewes are pregnant, and due in about 6 weeks. We’re really sure which two, but my mom says two of them look a little heavier. The babies are apparently supposed to weigh between 3 and 7 pounds when born. Amazing.

My mom was telling Miss O about the sheep on the phone the other day, and three-year-old Olga has already determined that they are hers. "Baba, you got my sheep? Yeah! I like my sheep!"

A quick excerpt from the Babydoll Southdown Sheep registry:

The South Down breed of sheep originated in the South Down
(hills) of Sussex County, England. The English farms kept these sheep for their
flavorful meat and fine fleece. In the early 1800s the South Downs were imported
to the United States. With the arrival of refrigeration larger meat carcasses
were desired and the smaller sheep were crossed with bigger sheep to produce a
larger animal. They are the South Downs of modern day. Around 1990 small flocks
of the original smaller South Downs were rediscovered and labeled Olde English
Babydoll Miniature Sheep to differentiate them from the larger modern breed.

Currently people raise these docile sheep for their wool, as
pets, and grass trimmers perfect for today’s smaller acreage farms. They are one
of the oldest known down sheep. Today’s breeders believe breed preservation is
of utmost importance and strive to keep this wonderful breed of sheep from
forever being lost.

Critters

Pioneertown, California recently celebrated it’s 60th anniversary, and we went to enjoy the parade and see all the cowboys horses. There was a parade down "Mane Street" and a few craft vendors set up. Gavin slept in the Mei Tai most of the time, and Olga rode on Daddy’s shoulders.

And then Olga rode a pony. And the world wasn’t the same after that. Olga fell in love. She was so natural sitting up there. You can see she was dressed for the occasion. Here’s Olga riding Gypsy. Olga was particularly pleased that her purple sandals matched Gypsy’s halter and saddle blanket. The girl has a future in rodeo fashions, I think. Gypsy was the littlest pony, a Shetland cross.

And this is the biggest pony. We didn’t catch her name, but she is a Pony of the Americas.

This was the very best $6.00 we ever spent.

Critters, This dream of mine

Igor (center) and Gregor (right) have come to live with Maggie (left). Igor and Gregor are Icelandic cross sheep, Maggie is an Angora/Nubian goat. The three of them were recently shorn, so as soon as I get my act together, I’ll have pictures of their fleeces and yarn.

Critters