Pumpkin carving @ HOWL

We had a blast pumpkin carving at HOWL last night, just past the full moon. Our pumpkin carving event morphed into a dance party!

HOWL Blog

Shearing Day

Shearing Icelandic sheep is both challenging and rewarding. The Icelandic breed is typically shorn twice per year, in the spring and in the fall. We handled the spring shearing our self this year, but decided to bring in the professional this fall. Jim McRae made short work of our 11 ewes and ram. Vanessa got a lesson out of it. People in the sheep world are very giving of their knowledge and expertise. It sure is appreciated. Vanessa, with the help of Laura and Anya, sheared the 7 ewe lambs. This time of year in Vermont, the weather is unpredictable, but the animals must be shorn or their spring fleece with be very matted and dirty. Their fleece will grow out about an inch within a couple of weeks and they will be sporting almost full fleeces by Christmas.

Spinning Class!

I took my first spinning class at the 2010 Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival in Tunbridge, VT. It was way harder than it looks, but I did manage to spin up some fleece and put it onto my niddy noddy. I am hoping to get a double treadle spinning wheel soon and practice my fledgling skill.


Setting up the wheel for spinning...


A lesson in hand action...


On my own...


Gettin' niddy noddy with it!

Orn Heads to Alaska

Stark Hollow Farm's 2.5 year old resident Icelandic ram heads off to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska to become the new breeding ram for a small farm up there. We will miss him, but we are so happy that he is going. He flies out this morning on Delta Air Freight. Thank you Orn for all the beautiful lambs!