I know, many fiber artists have already been to many fiber shows this year, but around here, our show season starts in July.
This year will be the first time Diamond B Sheep Farm has attended Fiber U. The show is July 13-14 at the Cowan Civic Center in Lebanon, Missouri. I will even be teaching a class called "Exploring Fiber Tools" at this show! Visit www.mopaca.org for more information and registration forms for Fiber U.
We will also be returning for the fourth time to Fiber Christmas in Kellyville, Oklahoma on July 26 & 27. I love this show! We have the best time every year, and get to see all of our fiber friends and catch up on what is on their spinning wheel and what fibery critters now reside in their pastures. Kate has all the classes listed at www.fiberchristmas.com
Next, we will be a Fiber Daze in Mt. Vernon, Missouri. The show is September 20-21, and this will be our third year to attend. The class list for this show is simply amazing. To see it, please visit http://www.fiberfolksofswmo.com/fiber-daze-2013.html
Finally, and most exciting for us, we are hosting the first annual Diamond State Fiber Festival here in Greenwood, Arkansas. The festival is October 4-5 at the Sebastian County Fairgrounds, and we will have both vendors and classes. Information can be found at www.diamondbsheepfarm.com It is a little scary, but we have lots of support, so come out and join the fun!
So, if you come see me at a show, what can you expect to find in the booth? I have lots of colorful rovings, some gorgeous batts, natural fibers from our herd, and plenty of handspun yarns ready to go. This year we have added a couple of new items! First, I received a blending board from my dear friend, Linette, for Christmas. I have been having a blast making rolags, which are a ton of fun to make, and even more fun to spin - lots of rolags in our booth! I have also added fiber kits. These kits are made up of coordinated dyed and natural locks, rovings, and lots of add ins. They are perfect for those of you with blending boards, drum or hand carders, combs, or if you just need some variety in your stash! We should have a colorful booth!
And remember, I can talk sheep and fiber all day - you don't have to come to shop, just come to visit!
~Lori
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Where Does The Time Go???
Wow. It has been a while. Again. What can I say? I get easily distracted.
Let's catch up. We have had a tough year with the sheep. Seems like every time we turned around we lost somebody. And it was always the sheep who held a special place in my heart. Lots of tears have been shed in the last few months.
We bred nearly all of the ewes this past winter, and ended up with 30 lambs. Four lambs became bottle babies, and became very special to me. Two of those lambs developed mechanical pneumonia due to being bottle fed, and did not survive.
We have "rented" a pasture adjacent to ours in exchange for the upkeep for several years now. Since becoming shepherds, we have used that pasture as the main pasture for out cattle. In May, the owners decided they wanted to sell, and the price was too steep for us to consider for nothing more than a cow pasture. It was too steep period. Anyway, it was bought, and we lost that pasture. Now some tough decisions had to be made. We chose to reduce the sheep herd by half, and sell most of the Boer goats. I now have a herd of sheep made up of my very favorites with marvelous fleeces. It was hard to let the others go, but we were significantly overpopulated, and feed and hay have become very expensive.
We have also decided to host the First Annual Diamond State Fiber Festival here in Greenwood in October. This part of Arkansas does not have a big fiber festival, so we chose to put one on ourselves. Crazy? Quite possibly! You can visit the Diamond B Sheep Farm website for more information.
I have also decided to fairly well close the Etsy shop. I have come to the realization that nearly everything I make is for sale. For years I have been crafting - quilting, sewing, knitting, etc. But when I look around my home, I don't have much to show for it. I am not leaving a legacy for my children. I want them to have keepsakes in their homes that Mama made, things they can pass on to my grandchildren. It takes a lot of time to run a successful Etsy shop, always making new items to add, photographing and uploading pictures, cataloging items, time that could be spent on other pursuits. Now I will be focusing on the four fiber shows I attend each year, I will sell fleeces from the website in the spring, and spend my free time working on lovelies for my family, friends, and home. I may even dig the sewing machine out from under the bags of fleeces! And who knows, I might possibly find time to update this blog more than once every 6 months!
~Lori
Let's catch up. We have had a tough year with the sheep. Seems like every time we turned around we lost somebody. And it was always the sheep who held a special place in my heart. Lots of tears have been shed in the last few months.
We bred nearly all of the ewes this past winter, and ended up with 30 lambs. Four lambs became bottle babies, and became very special to me. Two of those lambs developed mechanical pneumonia due to being bottle fed, and did not survive.
We have "rented" a pasture adjacent to ours in exchange for the upkeep for several years now. Since becoming shepherds, we have used that pasture as the main pasture for out cattle. In May, the owners decided they wanted to sell, and the price was too steep for us to consider for nothing more than a cow pasture. It was too steep period. Anyway, it was bought, and we lost that pasture. Now some tough decisions had to be made. We chose to reduce the sheep herd by half, and sell most of the Boer goats. I now have a herd of sheep made up of my very favorites with marvelous fleeces. It was hard to let the others go, but we were significantly overpopulated, and feed and hay have become very expensive.
We have also decided to host the First Annual Diamond State Fiber Festival here in Greenwood in October. This part of Arkansas does not have a big fiber festival, so we chose to put one on ourselves. Crazy? Quite possibly! You can visit the Diamond B Sheep Farm website for more information.
I have also decided to fairly well close the Etsy shop. I have come to the realization that nearly everything I make is for sale. For years I have been crafting - quilting, sewing, knitting, etc. But when I look around my home, I don't have much to show for it. I am not leaving a legacy for my children. I want them to have keepsakes in their homes that Mama made, things they can pass on to my grandchildren. It takes a lot of time to run a successful Etsy shop, always making new items to add, photographing and uploading pictures, cataloging items, time that could be spent on other pursuits. Now I will be focusing on the four fiber shows I attend each year, I will sell fleeces from the website in the spring, and spend my free time working on lovelies for my family, friends, and home. I may even dig the sewing machine out from under the bags of fleeces! And who knows, I might possibly find time to update this blog more than once every 6 months!
~Lori
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