Black Sheep Gathering 2010

We're back - a long rainy trip home from Eugene Oregon - 400 & some miles - The Shepherd does all the driving (I do offer, but he'd rather drive - so part of the time I crochet, part of the time, I sleep) -

Anyone who attended will tell you that this picture (from 2006) was NOT taken at this year's BSG - it was cloudy and cool this year and, on Saturday, rainy. I forgot to take my camera with me when I went through the vendors - heavenly fiber heaven - three barns full plus over-runs to the outside -
I got some wool/bison/angora blend that a friend is brave enough to have me spin up for her, some beautiful targhee dyed in pretty ocean colors with a four ounce bag of locks, silk and firestar dyed in the same colors - (I'll figure out some way to combine them - maybe something three ply) - but, I really couldn't justify buying too much because I still haven't spun up the stuff that I got LAST year! And since I was holding the line on The Shepherd not bringing anything "four footed" in the back of the car, the least I could do was cut back on my own spending.

This little lady came perilously close to having a new home with us - isn't she just the cutest little thing? But someone else beat The Shepherd to her.










The Sheep Judging was Friday morning - there were sheep, shepherds & shepherdesses of all ages and sizes.










The judge seemed (to me) to be fair and balanced. This year BSG was the home of the was the North American Shetland Sheep Association's Annual General Meeting - so there were a few more participants and entrants than usual - in fact the lamb class was huge - almost 40 entries - I don't know how he could choose...
(if you click on the picture to biggafy it, you'll get an idea of some of the sheep he had to choose from.)



Saturday morning was the wool/fleece judging. Judith MacKenzie was the wool judge this year. It was also the biggest Shetland wool class they had ever had - there were over 30 fleeces up for the best adult fleece. The Shepherd took Violet's fleece from this year - when it was placed on the table, it was second to the last - so she had 28 fleeces to go through before she got to ours. Luck of the draw, I guess. She really liked the fleece and it only placed 10th (just 6 fleeces get ribbons) But he was very excited to get that high - there were only 4 other breeders ahead of us - (several of the breeders had multiple fleeces in the class)

There was a huge crowd to watch the fleece judging.










If you want to learn a lot about wool and fleece, just spend a bit of time watching and listening to Judith judge fleeces.









You will definitely never look at another fleece the same way again.

I have a few more pictures of our adventures to post - but they will have to wait - I need to get around and get busy - I have today and tomorrow off from work - can't spend them all on the computer!

For some more great pictures of Black Sheep, visit Donna's blog or Sharon's blog In Stitches!

I guess I've slipped a cog...I forgot to tell you about Black Sheep!

Well, you've probably read everyone else's stories about their experiences at this year's Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene Oregon, but humor me as I share my favorite things about the event.

#1 Favorite thing - seeing blogger friends -

MIchelle from Boulderneigh and Denise from "In Sheep's Clothing" (who, by the way, both have several splendid posts about their experiences at BSG) Denise kindly helped Michelle show her lambs.



And then there was Yvonne from Lavender Sheep's Fiber Garden. I have been reading her blog for a couple of years and it was nice to finally meet her - she was very busy in her vendor booth. She is one talented lady!









Isn't she pretty? Luckily, she was already sold or she would have had an all expense paid trip back to Bellingham with us!









I loved the markings on this little Jacob's sheep.












These Teesdale sheep have INCREDIBLY long fleeces - sometimes 12 - 15 inches - I don't know how you would even process that? But they seemed to be sweet sheep. (one would hope, 'cause they are ginormous!)








I didn't have a very good view of the ring, as I was sitting on the bottom rung of the bleachers. Going up in bleachers makes me dizzy and since I am not very steady on my feet anyhow, I just stay on the bottom rung - so you see a lot of sheep butts....









If you get tired of looking at sheep behinds, there is always shopping...











and visiting with more friends, like our fellow Shetland breeder, Donna from Schoonover Farmsin Skagit County.

















and watching the crowds of people flowing by - these folks were meeting some Shetland lambs.













We went out and had some lunch - sharing a visit with fellow "Bellinghamster" Yvonne











who raises CVM sheep - (that stands for California Variegated Mutant - don't ask me...) but her sheep are very handsome and had just finished winning all kinds of awards at Estes Park. Both she and her sheep were ready to go home -










and there's ALWAYS more shopping..........














And yet more friends from Bellingham - Doug and Roberta from Breezy Meadows Cashmere Farm.









Last but not least, was the Wool Judging on Saturday. We really liked the judge - he was very knowledgeable about fleece - although he needed a little bit of education about the fact that Shetland fleeces are very likely to change colors as the lamb gets older.






We convinced him that this black & white fleece was not the result of dietary deficiency or stress that it was "just Shetland for -


And here is Mary Beth, the proud owner of that blue ribbon lamb fleece. Just wait til next year, MB, we'll be back!

Word on the street is that the North American Shetland Sheep Association Annual General Meeting (that would be the NASSA AGM) will be at next year's BSG.

Yippee - there will be friends from ALL over for that one!

I'm Baaaack....

Well, the sweater got almost finished while we were on vacation at Black Sheep Gathering - I didn't think that the hood was big enough and I still don't have buttons for it - but Sophia and her mamma Erin came over on Tuesday to try it on before they want home to England and it is going to be splendid, and I was right - the hood was too small - you can't see how much she is swimming in the sweater, but you can see that the hood is just right size now - so I ripped it out and made it bigger - It will go with Sophia's grandma & grandpa when they go to see her in August.

I don't have my pics from Black Sheep organized quite yet, so I thought I'd share this new recipe that I made for dinner on Thursday. It is from one of those little plastic ring bound "community cookbooks" called "Kernel's Delights" a fund raiser by the Dollar's for Scholars group at Mansfield High School where I grew up. I thought it would be fun to see what recipes people had come up with - not really thinking that over the 40 years that I have been gone, there are lots of new people in town - didn't recognize but a few names - but this recipe caught my eye the other day when I was looking for something to make for dinner. I used both a sweet potato (the yellow ones) and a yam (the bright orange ones) because The Shepherd likes yams better, but the next time I make this (and I will make it again, it is YUMMY) I will only use sweet potatoes - they just had a better flavor and texture for the dish. Sorry I didn't get a picture - we were hungry and I didn't think about it until the dish was consummed and pronounced delicious.

PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET POTATOES & MANDARIN ORANGES (by Rochelle Crollard)
(I have made a few changes in her original recipe - I'll list them)

2 tsp olive oil (I used 2 Tbsp canola oil)
4 (4 oz) boneless loin pork chops - I used two thick six ounce loin chops and sliced them im 1/2 inch slices
1/4 tsp salt for seasoning the chops - I also used some garlic pepper and some Pampered chef Asian style seasoning that I have in my spice cabinet -
3-4 green onions including about 3-4 inches of the green tops - cut into 1/2 inch lengths.
1 (10 oz) can Mandarin Oranges including the juice
2 Tbsp. Soy sauce (I think I might have use 3 or 4 Tbsp)
1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes - I used two potatoes

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and sprinkle both sides with seasonings. Cook the chops, turning occasionally until nicely browned on both sides, abaout 7 minutes. Add the green onions and continue cooking until they are limp, about 2 minutes. Add the juice from the oranges to the skillet, reserving the orange segments for later. Stir in the soy sauce, sweet potato cubes and any other seasonings you might want to add. Adjust the head so the liquid simmers gently and cook 8-10 minutes longer or until the sweet potato is just tender when tested with a fork. The liquid will have cooked down to only a tablespoon or so. If the pan begins to boil dry, add a few teaspoons of water. Add the orange segments into the skillet - don't stir too much - they will disintegrate, put the lid on the skillet and continue cooking just a minute or two longer until the orange segments heat through.

I served this with a green salad and green peas - both of us really liked this dish - I will make it again for sure.

I have a beautiful Icelandic fleece from Lila that our friend Nancy gave me that I need to get to skirting and we have a Summer Solstice (one week delayed) party to go to tonight but I'll get our BSG pics organized and posted in the next day or so - It was, as always fun - and wait til you see all the fiber I bought!!! (I almost bought a spinning wheel - but decided to hold off...) Later..........

Vendor Fair & Fiber Arts & Firends

Warning to those of you on dial up - this post is really "picture heavy" - lots to show you!

Sit back for a moment - close your eyes - imagine it is 80 degrees - there are sheep baaaaing and people laughing and talking - there you have it - the sights and sounds of BSG.

It was "only" in the 80's Friday and Saturday of last week - today it was 95 degrees - We lucked out!


Here is the "spinner/fiber" contingent from B'ham - It's only the first day and these ladies are having serious fun. The one on the left in the sunglasses is Deb - you'll see some of her fabulous felted items in a few minutes. Our friend Nancy G. is on the far right - She didn't buy any yarn but she bought TWO Bluefaced Leicester Sheep!





When you walk in the front door of the barn where the vendor fair is, be ready for an explosion of color. Every color of the rainbow!

There are more than just fiber vendors - this vendor sold pelts.

Remember my beautiful basket?(you have to scroll down three or four pictures to see it) That vendor also sold African drums and all kinds of beads, hats, musical instruments, she had it all.




Roving in every color you can imagine (and some you can't) -







and if you didn't want to spin, there were lots of vendors with yarn ready for your project.






This roving color pattern is called "Figgy Pudding" I think it will look splendid plyed with Gwennies fleece from last year. I think I got enough for a light sweater - that will be my HUGE project for the year.








A couple of months ago I took an "Art Felt" class at my local yarn store (also known as a LYS) - the reason you haven't seen a report on it yet is because (she says, hanging her head) I haven't finished it yet!

My tea cozy waits, on a piece of plastic, patiently. It used to shout "finish me" from the kitchen table - but now it's hidden away in the spare bedroom...Pandora's Box, if you know what I mean.

Oops, I digress - back to the BSG report - I took that class from Deb and as you can see from these two pictures, Deb is a very talented felter.

Did you go back & look at that pile of baskets? - well, the picture of the felted "boa" right above the picture of the baskets - Deb made that too.

This lovely item is a Dog Coat. Deb entered the Spinner's Lead on Saturday night with her other one. We found a tiny little lamb in the Thistledown Farm pen and that lamb looked cute as a button in it. Don't you think?



Coated sheep - why not?







Normally we go to Eugene on Thursday and leave to some home on Saturday morning. Every once in a while we'll stay thru Saturday night for the potluck & BBQ (if you like lambit is great - I had salads)

The really best part about staying the extra day is more time to visit with your friends, new and old. Here are Joyce from Thistledown Farm near Spokane, and our "neighbor" in Skagit county, Donna , having a good time.



And since most of us were there, we also had a "board meeting" of Washington Wool dot Net.




Well, I couldn't get a very good picture of it, but here it is - Our Blue Ribbon - Well, I guess it is actually The Shepherd's Blue Ribbon (although my sister is quick to point out to me that this is a community property state)

All in all - a very fun weekend - and, of course, plans are already being made to go back next year. Defend our Blue and maybe even come up with another?

Hope you enjoyed your "visit" to the BSG. It is, really, a very fun event.

The Wool Show -

Quite frankly, in the number of times that I've been to Black Sheep, I've never really paid any mind to the wool show. I wasn't spinning then, we didn't have any fleeces entered, and it really didn't interest me much.

That all changed this year.







The judge this year was Lettie Kline from Kalamazoo, MI. Lettie has over 25 years experience raising Karakul sheep and has co-authored a book about making braided wool rugs called "The Shepherd's Rug" that is available on her web site. She also writes wonderful stories for the Black Sheep Newsletter. She pretty much knows her stuff when it comes to wool - and she is, admittedly, fond of Shetlands.


The Pavillion where the Wool Show was held is about twice the size of this picture - there were 31 divisions and about 15 fleeces (three of them ours) entered in the "Shetland Yearling and Younger" fleece division.









The judging had started on Friday morning. We had heard that the Shetland fleeces were to be judged Friday afternoon. We stopped in to check on it but the "fleece crew" decided to start again on Saturday morning, with the Shetland young fleeces being first. All the fleeces in our class were out on the front table waiting for the next a.m. event. You can bet that we checked them all out before we went to dinner.





Lettie was wearing a microphone and evaluates each fleece as she goes along, so you know what her thinking is. First off, she went through all the fleeces, looking and touching, moving some around. When she picked up Luna's fleece and took it to the "head" of the table, we (The Shepherd and myself and our friend Donna)
held our collective breaths.

Lettie explained that one thing she looks for in Shetland fleeces is denseness in the locks, and Luna's fleece is indeed dense. It is also very soft and passed the "rub" test when she rubbed the locks on the side of her arm and along her neck. The fleece has good staple length and is very "strong" when you pull on it.

Several times she went back & forth between first and second place fleeces - The Shepherd is chanting (in his mind, of course) "Pick mine, pick mine, pick mine" And she did!

Luna's fleece got The Blue Ribbon for Shetland "Yearling and Younger" fleeces. Moni's fleece was 7th and, for reasons we now understand, because of her descriptions of fleece qualities, Jewell's fleece was at the very bottom of the batch. It's not a bad fleece, it just didn't have the denseness that she was looking for.

Clicking on Lettie's name in the second paragraph will take you to her web site. I highly recommend her articles on fleeces and wool judging - you will learn a lot from them.




The Shepherd's Pride and Joy. Already slated for a couple of additional fairs - hope she does as well there.










Someone asked me if we won any money.

Nope, just braging rights.

And hopefully this will help to sell this handsome little dude - her half "brother" from this year. He's well on his way to having just as nice, if not nicer, fleece! Any takers?

What you Really came to see -

Eugene, Oregon is a lovely town. It's streets are lined with lots of large trees and there are "rivers running through it" (the McKenzie and the Willamettte) creating beautiful green belts. Founden in 1846, Eugene is now the second largest city in Oregon. With neighboring Springfield, the metro area has a population of over 200,000.


Eugene is also home to the University of Oregon. This week, they are holding Olympic trials there - and there supposedly won't be a cubby to be found. Glad BSG was last weekend. It was predicted to be "crazy" this week. The Lane County Fairgrounds, where BSG is held, is right smack dab in the middle of the city.


Sorry these are so dark - guess I was trying to take too big an area with this picture.

The sights and sounds are just incredibly fun - like the Asian mom who was terrified that her children would "walk in it" and kept moving them from one side of the aisle to the other - what she didn't know was the "it" she was trying to keep her children out of was dried paint on the floor - or the gal with bright orange hair and black fishnet stockings...The Shepherd said she had a booth, but I don't know what she was selling...

Many of the lambs at BSG are being weaned at the time of the show - creating quite a ruckus - and you can recognize that plaintive little "bah" anywhere.

Many of the breeders have tables set up with beautiful examples of what can be made from Shetland wool.









I love these skeins of wool that Susie Sizemore has in her exhibit.

Moving the lambs from one end of the barn to the other is not always the easiest thing. Oops here's one pretending it's dead - "Maybe they will all go away and leave me alone"...





Lynne Deschler from Cedar Haven Farms is organizing her show ring pen.








One of the best parts of BSG is catching up with old freinds and making new ones.

NW Breeders Joyce Thomas from Thistledown Shetlandsof Edwall, WA, Michelle McMillan from Boulderneigh in Amity, OR, Franna Pitt from Everranch in Auburn, WA and Terry Niles from Windy Valley Sheep Ranch in Ellensburg, WA take a moment before the judging to chat.

And a few minutes later, Franna is exchanging ideas with Judy Colvin, from Bitterroot Ranch in Montana













All I will say about this judge is that he didn't really like Shetlands and didn't seem to be up on the breed standards. Very frustrating for many in the ring.


And of course, there are many, many breeds of sheep besides Shetland at the Gathering. I believe that this handsome fellow is the Wensleydale Longwool sheep who won best of show.