Mikelswool’s Weblog

Snowing like crazy, the weatherman Say’s “3 storms in a row” At this rate we will be snowed in till spring. Well I guess that would not be so bad as long as I could get to my barn and see my sheep.

I love how the cold weather and snow make’s everyone silly.The sheep are funny when it’s snowing they run and kick up their back leg’s. I watch them for hours just enjoying the snow.

The geese and chickens are crazy to. They can stay in the barn if they want, they come out instead. The geese come out to be a pest to all of us I think. They for some reason think they are Boss. The barn is nice and warm and they have heated water buckets this year. 5 bran new ones. ( thank god I wont have to pick away the ice this year.)

Okay well some like the snow and cold. I just am not one of thoes people. I know the children like it, I use to but now I’m getting older and cant stand the cold.

When I am not out in the barn I am in reading my sheep books or knitting. (after the chores are done of course)

It’s so cold  out and there’s no heat in the store. We have decided to close the store a few week’s earlier then we were intending on doing.  But we will re-open again in March.

You can also shop on our on line store at www.mikelswool.net  We are adding new stuff everyday.

We will continue to come up with new designs and new products. We are happy about our new products. We have new yarns in many different colors. we have new mittens, in many new colors and sizes. Slipper’s and socks for the whole family. Along with hats, head bands and ear warmers. we are making many different styles of sweater’s and vests for the whole family in many different color’s.

We have a new web site, It is now http://www.mikelswool.net. I hope you will all enjoy it. We were finding that bluehost was down more then it was up.

Our store in Woolwich will be open till the end of December. Then we will close for a few months. You will still be able to shop on line at http://www.mikelswool.net. There we do except pay pal.

All 10 of the ewe’s are getting Hugh with their pregnancies. I cant wait for February to get here. That is when our Finn is due to have her lamb. I just can’t wait to see what her lamb looks like.

We have been busy winterizing everything out in the barns. Now if the darn geese would just stop flying over the fence we would be good. They keep flying out over the fence to see the turkey’s and chicken’s. It really kind of funny.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and hope you will check out our new web site. Have a great evening.

I am happy to anounce that our store is now open. We had a few bugs to work out and have dult with that. Our store hours for now is Wednesday  through Friday from 9am to 2pm. And on the weekends Our Saturday hours will be 10am till 5pm and on Sunday we will be open from 10am till 3pm. I hope that this will be of a help to you. We will extend our hours after the first of November.

Oh and before I forget to mention for the rest of October we will be having 15% sale off your final bill. Hope you will join us.

This would be Joshua, He is our very lazy Romney Ram.

Our sheep are happy these day’s. Today when I was out in the pasture with them all the ewe’s were running and bucking. I am hoping that this is a sign that they all are pregnant.

They are all getting their fall shearing on Monday afternoon. They will be naked babies again. And I will have so much more wool for spinning.

Our store opened up on Saturday morning of last week. We will be open on Friday’s Saturday and Sunday’s for now. Our store hours will be from 8 a.m. till 3 p.m. In a few more weeks we will be open everyday but Monday’s and Tuesday’s. Then a Month or so before Christmas we will be open everyday.

We will be have many sales to celebrate the opening of our new store. Each month will be a different sale. So Keep your eyes peeled or you will miss it. I would not want that to happen.

THIS MONTH SALE WILL BE A 10% SALE ON MOST THINGS IN OUR STORE. THIS IS IN THE STORE ONLY NOT ON OUR WEB SITE. BUT OUR WEB SITE WILL HAVE THEIR OWN SALE’S GOING ON.

Now just in case I have forgotten to mention. All the lambs that will be born in March and April will be for sale in the Spring. if you think you might want one put your name in so we will be sure to hold it for you. They go fast.

Our new shop will be opening on Saturday. We have decided to go ahead and open our doors to you the customer and paint out side when the weather is better. No more waiting. Our store will be open at 9 a.m. on Saturday Morning and will be open until 4 p.m.  For a while we will be open everyday. But if there is a half day off from school we will post that. That does not mean we will be closed for the day, it just means we will be closed for an hour, just long enough to get the crumb snatchers and drop off where need to be.

November first. We will be running a sale and this will be a 10% off finial total and will be going on for the week. We will be doing many sales, some will be for a week, and some will be for the day. Or the sale will be special products sale. One never knows.

We also want to hold a knitting group. We will post all the details as we figure out when it will start. This knitting group will be held at night when the hubby’s can watch the children. We will also have one during the day, most likely on Sunday afternoon.

So keep checking to see daily updates.

Fall has sprung here in Maine. The nights are cold and so are the day’s. The Rams are smelling the Ewes heat cycle in the air. Breeding going on everywhere. Fall and Spring are my favorite times of the farming year. Meaning of new life on its way.

This years 2008 we are breeding Joshua with all of the Ewes. Joshua is our Romney Ram. We have Blossom, Sophie, Isabelle That are all Shetland ewes. And Jasmine, Bethany, Faith That are Correidale Ewes. Bailey is our only Finn Ewe Marie, Rose, and Zanna are Shetland/Romney Ewes. This year’s lambs will all be Crossed with Romney. We will sell some and Keep some.

Now its time to start the count down Till march and Aprils dates. We will keep you all posted. When we are done breeding all of the ewes.

Wow, What a beautiful day. When I first went outside at 5:30 this morning to feed and water all the sheep, I thought it would be a crampy day. Was I surprized. It turned out to be a beautiful fall day. I wish it could be like this all the time.

Well I was busy worming everyone today. They all got it weather they wanted it or not. I have found out that worms are a real problem here in Maine. So now instead of worming every 6 months it will be done every month.

The sheep have been moved to the horses pasture for a while. I think they are really liking that. The horses are at the breeders.  I hate seeing that pasture empty. And the sheep could use it any how. I will lyme the sheep pasture tomorrow morning. I normally do that it the fall anyway’s. The stalls all got cleaned then Lyme was put down. and then fresh beeding. I think that will cover any worm problems that there may have been. I took a fecal sample to my vet, she said things look good. Few I am glad, I caught things in time. I just love my sheep. They are like my children. When people ask me how many kids I have “I ask then if they are talking about 2 leg’s or do 4 legs count.”

After a long day cleaning stalls and Field, I took a cup of tea out and sat with the sheep watching them graze in the Field, I had to knit, don’t think it would be fair to say I got much done on that. My favorite pass time is being out with the sheep. They are alot of work, but man its so worth it to me.

Well off to cook dinner for the 2 legged kids. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Today is labor day for most, for me it is the day my only brother Dennis was killed doing what he loved to do. He was on his motorcycle on his way home it was dark out, a dog ran out in front of him. Denny (dennis) was killed instencly. My brother was only 36 years old when he died last year on Labor day. I miss my brother very much. He was always playing tricks on people. When I started my farm he was the one who said to me ” follow your dreams no matter who does not like it” “go with your heart”. 

My poor brother had to put up with 3 sister’s, We did not make it easy for him. He was the type of person though who would do anything for anyone. He was always playing jokes on us, one time he put petroleum  jelly on my door to get in the house and on my door handles of my car, pizza on my windshield. and blow fog horns at my window while my children where in bed, so I got tired of it and put chocolate sauce on his door step and molasses on and in his wood pile. saving cream all over his door. he was mad. I thought that would stop him, but it did not. One day I was baking cookies and he said ” gee no one makes cookies for me,” so a friend and I make him some cooking with ex-lax in it. he was sick.  The jokes stoppedfor a while after that.  Now I really wish he were here to play the same jokes on us that bothered me so much back then.  My brother and I were close. I had dreamed that our children would grow up together, He had no children. He was the worlds best brother and uncle. He was an uncle to 10. 5 nieces and 5 nephews. They all miss him. I know he has gone on to Heaven and I will see him one day.  It is because of my brother the dreams and hopes I have for my farm and store will go on.  I LOVE AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH DENNY.

On Tuesday morning I took 6 fleeces of mine to GOODKARMA, they will process my wool for me. I was so impressed with their mill.  I took a tour and got to see how everything works. It is amazing when you take wool to a mill and even if you process some of your own wool like I do, it is nice to see the different ways they do it. I will have my wool back in 6-8 weeks. I cant wait. We will be putting the yarn in our store for sale. The skeins will be in 4oz skeins with 200 yards in each. gauge 3 stiches per inch with size 9 needle.

Some of the wool is black and grey which will all be blended together. Then there is natural oatmeal color. Some of that will be dyed and the rest I will keep its natural color. I even took some brown which I may keep for myself. This brown has 3 different shades in it. I would like to make a sweater for myself out of it. It is from one sheep and three shearing. Who knows maybe there will be plenty for a sweater and to share. We will see in 6-8 weeks.