2014 LAMBS

Wintertime Alanis with her twin ram lambs. 

Mustang Sally with one of her twin ram lambs(other twin is solid black).

Winter Sky Mandalay with her twin ewe lambs.

 

Blue Danube's twin ram lambs--spotted fawn katmoget is polled.  Dark grey katmoget ram is horned. 

Winter Sky Marrakech with her surviving twin ewe lamb.  Suspect she is modified.

LADIES IN WAITING--LAMBS START ARRIVING IN 21 DAYS

Ruby who is eight and the dam to many notable Shetlands including Wintertime Fudge.Danube who had a lovely single ram lamb last year...repeated the breeding for a ewe this year...PLEASE.

 Alanis--four-- who has twinned for three years in a row.  Think she will twin again for us.  She is the dam of our flock sire B.o.B.

 Cherish who is a very sweet yearling from another flock for some different lines.  Hoping for a lovely gullie girl from her and then she is for sale.  Her sire has correct horns as a mature ram.

 Madrid who is our character in the mature ewe flock.  A coming two year old this will be her first lambing.  She is a full sister to Winter Sky Mandalay--Reserve Supreme CH MSSBA Show 2013.  She may be for sale this summer.

 Morocco--Madrid's full sister--her musket fleece wowed the judges at the MSSBA show in September and won GCH overall Shetland fleece.  This will be her first lambing.  She is bred to B.o.B. whose fleece was GCH rooed Shetland fleece. 

 Mustang Sally who is turning five and still has a lovely fine fleece that roos completely(grey kat)and Mandalay(very fine true black ewe who is turning three).

HANDSPINNING OUR FINE SHETLAND

These are skeins of fawn katmoget lamb fleeces.  The upper two were plied with a lovely suri roving I found at Michigan Fiber Fest this August. 

 These are skeins of our blue-grey katmoget fleeces that are awaiting plying with some locally grown grey alpaca.  The luster is there despite it being a very fine wool. 

Some of my other handspun yarns from this winter.  The colored skeins are all hand-dyed using Kool-Aid and food grade dyes.  I have many yarns and even some lovely handpainted rovings for sale at winterskywoolcompany.blogspot.com

2014 MICRON TEST RESULTS ARE IN!

Winter Sky Mandalay(Three year old black ewe)--25.2 AFD/4.7 SD/18.6 CV/88.9 CF/24.0 SF

Winter Sky Marrakech(Ag five year old ewe with health issues)--20 AFD/4.4 SD/22.2 CV/98.5 CF/19.6 SF

Wintertime Morocco(Musket two year old ewe--GCH fleece 2013 Jefferson Show)--24.4 AFD/4.3 SD/17.5 CV/92.7 CF/23.1 SF

Wintertime Blurred Lines(Grey gul/kat two year old ewe)--22.9 AFD/4.9 SD/21.2 CV/93.3 CF/22.4 SF

Ramble N Cherish(Spotted moorit gulmoget yearling ewe)--24 AFD/5.3 SD/22.1 CV/ 88.1 CF/23.6 SF--FOR SALE after lambing. Typey, growthy, calm...sire has very correct type and great horns.

Ramble N Chiquita(Ag fawn yearling ewe)--20.7 AFD/3.8 SD/18.3 CV/99.4 CF/19.7 SF

Spinners End Barra(Spotted black scurred yearling ram)--19.5 AFD/3.7 SD/18.9 CV/99.4 CF/18.7 SF

Spinners End Mousa(Modified black gulmoget yearling ewe)--20.7 AFD/4.2 SD/20.1 CV/97.7 CF/20 SF

Sheltrgpines Blue Danube(Dark grey katmoget two year old ewe)--23.8 AFD/ 4.4 SD/ 18.6 CV/94.3 CF/22.7 SF

Sheltrgpines Lien(White yearlind ewe)--21 AFD/3.5 SD/16.9 CV/98.9 CF/19.8 SF

Sheltrgpines Mustang Sally(Dark grey katmoget five year old ewe)25.1 AFD/ 3.8 SD/ 15.1 CV/ 91.4 CF/ 23.3 SF

Wintertime Alanis(Black four year old ewe)26.1 AFD/ 4.7 SD/ 18.1 CV/ 81.2 CF/ 24.8 SF

Wintertime B.o.B.(Two year old black ram)22.1 AFD/ 4 SD/ 18 CV/98.2 CF/21 SF(Sire of all this spring's coming lambs & GCH rooed fleece Jefferson 2013)

Wintertime Camisole(Black yearling ewe)24.1 AFD/ 5 SD/ 20.7 CV/ 89.7 CF/23.4 SF

Wintertime Evie(Moorit yearling ewe)20.9 AFD/4.1 SD/19.9 CV/98.1 CF/20.1 SF

Wintertime Florence(Moorit smirslet yearling ewe)24.3 AFD/4.7 SD/ 19.2 CV/ 91.3 CF/23.3 SF--FOR SALE.  CAN BE BRED BEFORE LEAVING FARM.

Wintertime Kerry Hill(Grey Ilget? yearling ewe)21.6 AFD/4.2 SD/19.3 CV/97.6 CF/20.9 SF

Wintertime Licorice(Black yearling ewe)22.8 AFD/ 5.4 SD/ 23.6 CV/ 92.3 CF/22.7 SF

Wintertime Moose(Moorit yearling polled ram)19.6 AFD/3.3 SD/16.9 CV/99.7 CF/18.5 SF(Second ram lamb, second pair of rams and second Best Fleece On Hoof Jefferson 2013)

Wintertime Ruby(Eight year old light moorit ewe)24.8 AFD/5.6 SD/ 22.7 CV/ 83.1 CF/ 24.5 SF.  FOR SALE TO APPROVED HOME ONLY.

Wintertime Sicily(Moorit krunet yearling ewe)22.5 AFD/ 4.3 SD/ 19.1 CV/ 96.8 CF/ 21.5 SF

Wintertime Skylark(Black polled yearling ram)20.4 AFD/ 3.6 SD/ 17.6 CV/ 99.3 CF/ 19.3 SF

Wintertime Posh Spice(Spotted fawn kat yearling ewe) 21.4 AFD/ 4.4 SD/ 20.5 CV/ 97.9 CF/20.7 SF

Wintertime Cinnamon Sugar(Spotted fawn kat yearling ewe)19.6 AFD/ 3.6 SD/ 18.5 CV/ 99.6 CF/
18.7 SF

Wintertime Wren(Moorit yearling ewe)23.4 AFD/4.6 SD/ 19.6 CV/ 93.5 CF/ 22.6 SF

Wintertime Madrid(Ag two year old ewe)25.3 AFD/3.7 SD/14.5 CV/92.8 CF/23.4 SF


 Some of the animals above will be for sale, as we are hoping to cut down to less than 20 before next winter including lambs we retain.  If you see an animal that isn't listed for sale that appeals to you do let us know and we will let you know if it comes up on the sales list.  We send last rib samples and multiple photos to prospective buyers quickly and try to help with delivery as much as is humanly possible.  Farm visits are encouraged. 

OUR FAVORITE WINTER SCENES FOR YOU ALL AT CHRISTMAS

SNOWY DAYS AND ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR

A few photos of Wintertime B.o.B.'s breeding group as he is busy and doesn't want to be disturbed by a stalking camera person.  This is Alanis(black), Madrid(Ag grey)and Morocco(Musket).  Morocco and Madrid won 1st and 2nd and GCH and RGCH fleece at WI Sheep & Wool under Gillian Wakeling this fall.  B.o.B.'s fleece won the rooed class and GCH as well.  Hoping for some lovely lambs with outstanding fiber from these crosses. 

Winter Sky Mandalay(Reserve Supreme CH at WI Sheep & Wool under Maurice Wakeling this fall)on the left.  Mustang Sally in the middle and B.o.B. on the right.

River Oaks Maya(emsket gulmoget two year old)and Wintertime Kashmir(third place fleece at WI Sheep & Wool and aunt to B.o.B.).

The patriarch of our flock--Wintertime Ruby--six years old and still holding a beautifully soft fleece. 

WISCONSIN SHEEP AND WOOL 2013

 We sheared or rooed 23 sheep this spring.  I had to ship out a number of fleeces for my market yarns early on but kept back a few I hoped would be competitive.  We ended up showing five fleeces....four in the single-coated colored Shetland class(Morocco, Madrid, Vanity and Kashmir) and one in the rooed class(B.o.B.).  The judge, Gillian Wakeling, really liked our fleeces when they came up on the  table.  I don't have photos from the show as our camera ended up staying in the motel room, but they did look nice.  Took these after we got home.  Morocco was first, Madrid was second, Kashmir's second fleece was third.  Morocco and Madrid took GCH and RGCH overall.  Then B.o.B.'s fleece won the rooed category and GCH there as well.  Kelly Bartels had a lovely shaela fleece in the rooed category that won second and RGCH.  A lovely way to statt the day and much easier than showing actual sheep!  LOL.

This is Morocco's fleece at home after being messed with a bit taken with my less-then-perfect camera skills.  Meghan was in the audience whilst I helped unroll and roll fleeces for the judge and she said there were audible gasps about the color and crimp when it came up for judging.  And to think I almost didn't show it because I felt it might not be quite fine enough overall.

We then went on to the showring.  We had 23 lambs born this spring.  23 seems to be becoming a theme here.  We selected four to bring to the show...all moorits.  Two ram lambs sired by Boer Goat from very different dams--S.I. out of Vanity Fair and Moose out of Mandalay.  Two ewe lambs sired by full brothers B.o.B. and Blake out of Angry Bird and Milan.  We also brought a yearling Grasshopper daughter Painted Lady out of Maple Sugar.  And for mature ewes we brought Marrakech(who wasn't in the best shape due to fluke issues last fall)and her two year old daughter Mandalay.  We really wanted to bring them back for Dam and Daughter.

In a class of 19 ram lambs we placed second with Moose and fourth with S.I.  Second in pair of ram lambs. The judge said it was a close one to call with the first place pair owned by Theresa Gygi.  In ewe lambs we placed 2nd and 4th once again.  Wren took the second place and Sicily the fourth.  In pairs there were a close second behind Theresa's katmoget pair(one of which won the ewe lamb class).  In yearlings Meghan and Painted Lady got a fifth place.  In mature ewes Meghan managed to control Mandalay who is very spirited to a first place.  Marrakech was fifth.  Mandalay won GCH overall for ewes.  Mandalay and Marrakech were fourth for Dam and Daughter.  Moose was second for Best Fleece on Hoof.  And Mandalay won Reserve Supreme Champion of the show and then tried to remove the potted mums from the show table after a mad dash across the ring....somewhat reminiscent of her dam's leap two years ago after winning RGCH ewe.

We went with very low expectations and were absolutely thrilled to place in every class and win such high honors with Mandalay.  I applaud Marrakech(Wintertime Black Forrest X Winter Sky Calypso)for proving to be such a strong ewe line in our flock.  Mandalay is her daughter.  Moose is her grandson.  Siciliy is sher great-granddaughter.  Nuf said!