The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: semillion on October 16, 2014, 01:25:37 pm

Title: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: semillion on October 16, 2014, 01:25:37 pm
Hi I've just joined accidental smallholder.  We have a small farm at Kielder with a flock of whitefaced woodland sheep. They are a rare-ish breed of large hill sheep, well suited to the weather we have here. It's our third year with the sheep and we've discovered the more we learn the less we know. I also spin weave and knit, the Woodie fleece is a medium fine fleece good for handspinning.
Title: Re: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: Rosemary on October 16, 2014, 04:02:37 pm
Hello and welcome from  :raining: Carnoustie  :wave:
Title: Re: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: Bionic on October 16, 2014, 05:02:27 pm
Hello and welcome to the forum from a very wet Carmarthenshire  :wave:
You will find lots of like minded people on here and some of us spin/weave/knit/crochet too  :spin:
Title: Re: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: bloomer on October 16, 2014, 05:18:15 pm
i have L plates as well...
Title: Re: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: devonlady on October 16, 2014, 07:35:10 pm
Hello :wave: We have Jacobs, also good fleeces for spinners.
Title: Re: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: Treud na Mara on October 16, 2014, 09:56:33 pm
Welcome from Caithness. Good way of putting it - the more you learn the less you know !  Familiar feeling  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: Lesley Silvester on October 16, 2014, 11:56:52 pm
 :wave: and welcome from Shropshire. I'm a  :spin: ,  :knit: and weaver as well and I also do needle felting.
Title: Re: Small sheep farm - with L plates!
Post by: SallyintNorth on October 17, 2014, 09:47:28 am
Hi there nearly neighbour!  We're on the Cumbria/Northumberland border, just north of Hadrian's Wall.  We're a commercial but very traditional and low input beef and sheep farm.  I spin :spin: knit :knit: and looks like I am about to start weaving too. 

Our commercial sheep (which are Texelish with their roots in North of England Mules) we call 'Soft Fell', and that's a really nice fibre to spin.  I did too good a job of publicising that this year and now I have none left for myself!  lol. 

Never mind, I also have my own wee 'fleece flock' of interesting sheep with interesting fleeces - Shetlands and assorted Shetland crosses, a couple of Manxes, a couple of Castlemilk Moorits, a couple of Black Wensleydales.  They give me a lot of pleasure :D :hugsheep:

I've been spinning Whitefaced Woodland recently, from batts and tops.  I like it :).  We did a workshop here in August with Deb Robson (co-author of the Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook), and studied nearly all the northern black-faced hill breeds, amongst others.  It's given me an appreciation of 'fibres with character' ;)

We have a fibre group here in Gilsland on the second Friday of every month, 1-5pm, if you felt like coming over.  It's very informal and relaxed.  There's also Travelling Spinners, who move around venues in Northumberland and over its edges.  They meet on the first Saturday of the month, the November meeting is in Ebchester.  You may also know the folks who spin in Tarsett?  Three of them came to the Deb Robson workshop.

Welcome to TAS :wave: