THE MATURE EWE FLOCK AND THEIR FLEECES

 Wintertime Blurred Lines(3)--28.2/4.6/16.2/8.1/70.9/26.4 CF.  Bred to BoB for April.  Black gulmoget/katmoget with exceptionally nice type overall.  Fleece is consistent and has nice lock structure, crimp, luster and length.  She will be retained in the flock despite being over our limit for AFD.

 Sheltrgpines Lien(2)22.3/3.7/16.4/6.4/98.2/20.9 CF.  Bred to BoB for later April lambs.  Lovely white ewe I purchased from my friend Stephen at Sheltering Pines.  He retained her twin sister Gavotte.  Her fleece easily won GCH fleece at the 2014 MSSBA show under judge Mary Gibbings despite being very grey on the lock end(it never rained prior to shearing to give her a good bathing).  This ewe exhibits good type and a fairly easygoing demeanor.  She will be retained.

 Ramble N Chiquita(2)23.4/4.5/19.0/8.4/93.3/22.4 CF.  Fawn.  Bred to BoB for mid-April lambs.  Another really typey ewe who is sired by BoB's full brother Blake.  Unrelated lines to our flock on her dam's side make her one of the ewe's we plan to retain.  She hates people and was just barely under control for her photo shoot.  She has the longest fleece in the flock but is very consistent from front to back.

 Wintertime Morocco(3)27.2/5.9/21.8/10.4/71.6/26.7 CF. Spotted musket. Bred to Moose for late April lambs.  GCH Fleece MSSBA 2013 under judge Gillian Wakeling and GCH Shetland Fleece at MFF with her second fleece under judge Letty Klein.  Morocco needs a nicer head on her so she is bred to Moose who is just "pretty".  Morocco's fleece has a higher AFD and SD but has a very silky hand to it that makes you just want to keep sinking your fingers into it.  She has a perfect little Shetland tail and is spotted.   She may be for sale this summer as we have two half-sisters and many other related sheep in the flock.

 Sheltrgpines Blue Danube(3)25.5/4.7/18.6/8.0/86.7/24.3 CF.  Bred to Skylark for mid-April lambs.  Danube is a complete flake and can never decide if she wants to be around people or absolutely fears us all.  Her fleece is that deep blue color that doesn't translate in photos well.  Nice handle to it and lock structure.  She is a little weak in the back end, so we crossed her with Skylark who is a solid modified black polled ram in the hopes of some lovely emsket lambs.  She is spoke for if we decide to sell her.

 Sheltrgpines Mustang Sally(6)24.2/4.6/19.1/7.4/93.0/23.2 CF.  Bred to BoB for early April lambs.  Another deep blue-grey katmoget ewe with a very typey look about her and an attitude to match.  I know she would survive anything the Islands threw at her if she could take a plane trip over there.  Sally can be rooed completely every spring.  Her fleece is dense with a more cottony handle to it.  She has produced some really nice ram lambs crossed with BoB.  I am hoping for a ewe lamb this season.  She will probably be retained.

 Wintertime Cinnamon Sugar(2)22.6/4.0/17.8/6.8/97.9/21.5 CF. Fawn katmoget with spotting on her head. Bred to Moose for early May.  The only resident in our flock from the Maple Sugar line Cinnamon has it all in my opinion.  Very strong, solid, large ewe with a nice tail and very typey head.  This will be her first lambing.  She is being retained.

 Winter Sky Mandalay(4)25.4/5.0/19.7/9.0/86.2/24.4 CF.  Black with some grey fibers coming in now.  Bred to BoB for April lambs.  Out of my favorite ewe Marrakech(photos next photo shoot)this ewe won Best Fleece on Hoof and Best Dam and Daughter with her dam as a ewe lamb at the first MSSBA Show judged by UK judges.  We skipped a year and brought her back in 2013 when she won GCH Ewe and Reserve Supreme CH despite being completely wild and almost getting away from Meg a couple times(She was on fire.).  This past fall her son won Best Fleece on Hoof as a yearling ram.  The cross with BoB produced two beautiful ewe lambs for us last spring.  We hope for the same again this spring.  Mandalay may be for sale depending on how many lambs and yearlings we retain.

 Wintertime Alanis(5)27.1/4.7/17.5/8.3/78.1/25.6 CF.  Black.  Bred to Moose for mid-April lambs.  GCH Ewe and Reserve Supreme CH 2014 MSSBA Show(the only time she was shown).  We would love an entire flock of ewes like Alanis.  She has twinned for four years in a row and holds condition well while producing nice healthy, growthy lambs.  She is BoB's dam.  She is probably going to be retained but we won't know for sure until we have lambed everyone out and made some tough decisions.

 Undertheson Moire(4)26.4/4.8/18.1/8.3/81.1/25.1 CF.  Bred to BoB for early April lambs.  An attempt to bring in some outside lines this ewe has a very solid build on her, good tail, lovely head.  She has put on quite a bit of body capacity since joining our flock in August.  She does love her hay!  Not keen on her mixed fibered fleece although the handle is nice and silky and it should produce a nice tweedy yarn.  Bred to BoB who has shown the ability to produce quality fleeced lambs from a wide range of ewes.  She is for sale after lambs are weaned.

 Wintertime Ruby(9)25.1/5.7/22.6/10.6/83.3/24.8 CF.  Bred to Moose for later April lambs.  Moose has produced some really good breeding stock that has gone on to make a difference in the Shetlands being produced in N.A.  She has earned a nice retirement and this will be her last lambing.  She will be spending the rest of her winters with the ewe lambs that don't get bred.

 Wintertime Kerry Hill(2)24.0/4.4/18.5/8.2/92.4/22.9 CF.  Bred to Moose for April lambs.  A rare grey ilget patterned ewe sired by BoB.  Her fleece exhibits a lot of the qualities BoB puts on his offspring.  She is a smaller ewe with nice solid build.  Tail needs improving as it is short but more triangular.  She is for sale after lambs are weaned.

 Winter Sky Marrakech(6)25.1/6.1/24.4/11.1/80.2/25.2.  This ewe had a rough start in life and some setbacks but this year she is in excellent shape and bred to BoB for mid-April lambs.  She is our best producer for very fine/soft/lustrous fleeces.  She is being retained and kept on a diet of some fresh kale once a day.

 Spinnersend Mousa(2)24.6/4.5/18.3/8.2/90.9/23.4.  Bred to Wintertime Skylark for later April lambs.  This ewe is smaller like most BoB's offspring with an extremely nice, consistent fleece and lovely type.  She is being retained as she is a rare shaela gulmoget.

2015 MICRON TEST RESULTS FOR MATURE SHETLAND FLOCK

Flock had a good year of great hay and good pasture.  All condition score in the 4 range except for one ewe I would say is a three.  Many of these sheep will be for sale this summer, as I have four yearlings to work with and lambs to consider.  If you are interested in any of the above, please let me know and I will let you know if they are available after lambing has finished up the beginning of May.  Can send photos and fleece samples out of any of the sheep in our flock upon request.

MATURE SHETLAND SAMPLES HEADING OUT FOR TESTING

 The katmoget group.  Cinnamon is bred to Moose(moorit).  Danube is bred to Skylark(black).  Sally and Lines are both bred to BoB.  Sally may be for sale to the right farm come summer.

 The blacks.  Moire and Mandalay are both bred to BoB.  Alanis is bred to Moose.  Moire will be for sale this summer.

 The Ag group.  One of our finest groups.  Morocco and Kerry are both bred to Moose.  Marrakech and Chiquita are both bred to Moose.  Kerry will probably be for sale this summer.

 A shaela gulmoget BoB daughter.  She is bred to Skylark(a BoB son)and will not be for sale.

 A lovely white ewe bred to BoB.  Her fleece was GCH over 40 fleeces at the WI Sheep & Wool Festival Shetland Fleece Show.  Mary Gibbings said she was the obvious GCH despite looking as though she had lived in a coal mine.  Our winters are long and the dust in the barns settles on these girls...What can I say?

Our two mature moorits.  Ruby is a flock matriarch and has produced some amazingly nice Shetlands.  Moose won Best Fleece on Hoof at the MSSBA Show in 2014 and won Mary Gibbings praise for his lovely head.  He was bred to Ruby.

2014 LAMB MICRON TEST RESULTS(LAST RIB SAMPLES)

 The R lambs came from my friend Sherry Ecker's Ramble N flock and are inbred on Sheltrgpines Shagbark.  The E lamb came from Erica Solis at Emancipation Acres.  Damselfly and Milano(bred at Stephen Rouse's farm)are bred....Damselfly to BVD and Milano to BoB.  Some of these lambs will be for sale this summer.  Let us know if you are interested in any particular one.  Dixie is for sale(carries spots and modified with a very good horn background).  Kathmandu is spoken for if we decide to sell her.

REMEMBERING SPINNERS END BARRA

Sometimes bad things just happen for no apparent reason....Barra went south to a friend's farm to spend the fall in a small breeding group with some ewes I owned that were heading out to other handspinners' farms.  All went well and after those ewes left Barra went in with the Sheltering Pines flock to breed all those ewes as well.  He was doing well, looking good, and acting even better but mysteriously was found dead one evening in January.

His legacy will live on in the lambs that will be born this spring.  Barra was a true spotted shaela ram with a very fine 19 micron fleece at last rib on his first test.  He will be missed.

 Barra surrounded by Sheltrgpines Opal(Blues X Amethyst), Wintertime Madrid and Wintertime Camisole.  Wintertime Evie and Wintertime Licorice are below.  Some Barra lambs will be for sale this summer.

BREEDING GROUPS FOR 2015 LAMBING

Wintertime BoB--Two year old scurred true black sired by Winter Sky Khan and out of Wintertime Alanis
                            22.1/4.0/18.0/6.8/98.2

     Winter Sky Mandalay(True black three year old)--Show wins for fleece and conformation.
                 25.2/4.7/18.6/7.7/88.9

     Winter Sky Marrakech(Ag five year old)--RGCH Show win as a mature ewe.
                 20.0/4.4/22.2/8.0/98.5

     Sheltrgpines Lien(White yearling)--GCH fleece MSSBA 2014.
                  21.0/3.5/16.9/6.5/98.9

      Wintertime Blurred Lines(Grey gul/kat two year old)--Very nice type and fiber.
                   22.9/4.9/21.2/8.8/93.3

       Sheltrgpines Mustang Sally(Grey kat five year old)--Typey with fleece that roos.
                   25.1/3.8/15.1/6.7/91.4

       Whistlestop 0427(Black ten year old Drum Ram daughter)--Typey and small.  Not recently
                    tested.

       Ramble N Chiquita(Fawn Wintertime Blake daughter)--Lovely yearling.  Blake is BoB's full
                    brother.  20.7/3.8/18.3/7.0/99.1

       Wintertime Milano(Moorit flecket ewe lamb)--Large enough to breed.  Lovely build.  Fourth
                   in large MSSBA class.  Not tested yet.

        Rose(Bond X Cormo)light moorit two year old--20.7/4.4/21.4/97.6

        Maire(Dohne bred spotted Merino yearling--21.7/3.3/15.2/98.6

        Lourre(Cormo X Shetland black spotted yearling)--21.9/3.9/17.3/7.0/98.5

        China(Cormo six year old)Not recently tested.

     
Wintertime Moose--Best Fleece on Hoof MSSBA 2014 as a yearling--moorit with no mixed fibers.
         19.6/3.3/16.9/5.9/99.9

       Wintertime Alanis--True black four year old GCH MSSBA 2014.
                   26.1/4.7/18.1/7.9/81.2

        Wintertime Cinnamon Sugar--Fawn katmoget yearling with very fine fiber.
                    19.6/3.6/18.5/6.4/99.6

         Wintertime Kerry Hill--Grey ilget yearling BoB daughter with very soft, dense fiber.
                     21.6/4.3/19.3/7.6/97.7

         Wintertime Ruby--Eight year old matriarch with some exceptional offspring in various flocks.
                      24.5 last rib AFD.

       
Wintertime Skylark--Modified black yearling third place MSSBA 2014.  He will be covering some ewes at other farms this winter as well.  20.4/3.6/17.6/6.4/99.3

          Spinners End Mousa--Emsket spotted gulmoget yearling BoB daughter.
                      20.7/4.2/20.1/7.7/97.7

          Sheltrgpines Blue Danube--Dark grey katmoget two year old ewe with good wool coverage.
                       23.8/4.4/18.6/7.6/91.8






       

GROWING YOUR OWN FIBER

Wintertime Samarkand(emsket ewe lamb--behind hip)

At the Farmer's Market I am often asked if my yarns are alpaca....I think because they come in a wide range of natural colors and are soft which most people do not associate with wool.  I then have the opportunity to educate my customers as to what makes wool "itchy" and how one can breed away from those traits to create very beautiful, soft-wooled sheep.  I couldn't find the quality of fiber I use in my products, if I were not breeding it myself.  Below are some examples of this year's fiber crop:

Wintertime Skylark(Yearling polled ram)

Wintertime Moose--Best Fleece on Hoof 2014 MSSBA Show(Yearling scurred
 ram--britch wool)

Wintertime BVD(Spotted fawn katmoget scurred ram lamb)