High Tech and Low Tech

We have 3 pregnant ewes that needed shearing, and we were able to take them to Dianne's farm at the same time her flock was being shorn.  We'll have our other 3 done when the alpaca shearers come on April 18th, but it helps to get the fleece off before lambing so the fleeces stay cleaner, and it's easier for the lambs to find their mama's udder.

This is my favorite ewe (top), and its pitiful but she still doesn't have a name!  Any suggestions?  She's a sister to Dianne's "Birdie" and she has the most gorgeous, lustrous white locks which I look forward to using in lots of felting projects. All three mature ewes are bred to an amazing Wensleydale ram, I can't wait for the lambs!

Shelby is our daughter's ewe, and she is soooo friendly since Mirian handled her a lot as a lamb.  She sheared 12.5 pounds of lovely grey wool! I'm thinking of making a felted rug for Mirian from her fleece. 

I love felting with raw locks, the natural, organic look is very unique so I decided to combine "low tech" with "high tech" to make an iPad cover from some of our own sheep's locks.  First I had to wash the fleece... a process I enjoy for a short time, but it takes patience since the wool has so much lanolin and requires lots of hot water (I use the utility sink at the barn).

 Here's the finished product! It's reversible, and has merino and tussah silk on the inside, with just the right thickness and cushion.

 And yes, I'm one of those drink-the-koolaid Apple "sheep" that went right out and bought a new iPad (I sold my 2). How do I like it?  I LOVE it! The enhanced camera allowed me to take all but this last photo, the retina screen is amazing, and I like having the availability of fast LTE with Verizon data access when I don't have wi-fi available.  It does seem to burn up battery just a little faster, but it still has remarkable battery life!  There's just something a little humorous to me about combining high tech and low tech like this!

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