There was hardly any knitting gifted from me this holiday season. In fact, this was the single piece. A hat for my love, knit from the fiber of the very sheep he feeds, grooms, shears and loves each day. It's a simple hat, with some ribbed edging, just right for the way he likes to wear it over his ears (he doesn't get cold easily, this fellow of mine). It's from the fleece of Cinnamon - two different shearings of hers, which is so interesting to me. THe color, as you can see, changed a bit from year to year. Steve seems pleased with it - it's rustic and warm, but not too warm. And just what's need to cover that bald head of his in the coldest of wintry days around here. Which don't make him very cold at all. But that's a true-blue Northern Maine bred and raised boy for you.
So it seems, I don't think I've updated you, that we have become fiber-only sheep farmers. For now, anyway. The plan all along was that this year's lambs would be divided - that all of the ewes would be kept for fiber and that all of the rams would be sent to slaughter to fill the freezer - to round out the pork and chicken and turkey that we raise and eat. Truth be told, I was rather looking forward to adding lamb into our diet. But then the lambs were born - six of them, with just one ram in the mix. One ram, Clove, who was instantly everyone's favorite. One ram who has the most beautiful coloring of the bunch, and not only could provide an amazing color fleece for us each year, but who could certainly add a lovely genetic mix to our sheep or another farm. We kept our date for slaughter all year, considering which ewe made the most sense to accompany him, but when that day in mid December arrived, it was clear that we weren't getting any sheep in that truck. The kids had joined together and come to us with point after point of why it shouldn't happen, vowing that not a one of them would eat lamb chops. Using their voices, that we always encourage them to use, loud and clear. We heard them, and honor that, feeling grateful that we are in a position here where we can rethink our plan for the sheep, and adjust our intended path.
And so we find ourselves with a backyard full of sheep (who are, as you might guess, loved and adored by all)! Not to mention two likely pregnant ewes who were put with Clove in a separate pasture for a while before the final decision was made. Which means that come springtime, we'll have anywhere from ten to fourteen sheep. I've made great progress on spinning and knitting with the wool we've already sheared, but even so, it appears quite clear that no one we know shall ever be without a hat. So long as I keep knitting...
