Ewe's Raven Mad In Alaska

Ewe's Raven Mad in Alaska all began when we went through six lawnmowers in two short weekends. We ignorantly switched to goats, not realizing that goats like brush and trees, vs. grass. Education, i.e.- the internet – led us to sheep, and sheep like grass. Simple. Introducing Sam, the Ram.
Ignorance, rearing its ugly head once more as Sam the Ram liked to literally ram people. Great fun for him, less fun for us. Sam was quickly replaced with two Shetland sheep named Hattie and her lamb, Jessie. Then came Creamy and her lamb, Daisy.
We quickly became a refuge for any sheep in need of a pasture. Sheep then turned in gifts for holidays such as Valentine's Day, with Inga, my white Icelandic princess. George, a birthday present. Sarah, Bella and Little Man yet another birthday present, and so on. A temporary work relocation produced Bentley - a beautiful gentle ram. Much to my surprise... When I got home with Bentley, there were two additional sheep in my pasture, Jack - yet another Ram and Kathy, a ewe. Jack and Bentley were the best of ram friends. In fact, great friends, and fairly easy to handle unless you separated them or fed them last!
Note to self. Always feed the rams first!
What a difference since 2013, when all this started. Our first-year lambing was quite a surprise. The girls were so much bigger than the boys and the boys didn't quite seem to know what to do, where to do it or with whom. Come March however, and we found out that we were very mistaken, and had underestimated the boys.
Education has been an ongoing adventure ever since, every single day.
We use a local shearer and we try to process all the fleeces ourselves. However, when you have 14 sheep, that is a bit of a project. Some of our wool has been sent out for processing; cleaning, carding, and roving. All other aspects of our yarns are done in North Pole in my yarn Studio. I also enjoy incorporating other fibers and colors into my yarns. The 2015 and 2016 fleeces have all been processed by hand as we do not have a fiber mill here in Alaska.
My sheep now wear stylist sheep suits by Rockies and Matilda sheep suits. These suits resemble dog coats but are designed specifically for sheep. The useless wool, belly, leg and neck fleece are not covered. The chest, sides and back wool is protected by the suit. It keeps feed, sticker bushes and whatever else the sheep find their way into, mostly out of my wool. The suits keep the fleece cleaner and makes processing the wool much easier and faster.
Then there are my color dyeing days and I love my dyeing days. I look like a mad scientist with a face mask, rubber gloves and boots. Yet somehow, my hands still come out multicolored, even with gloves. I use a multitude of dyeing techniques, chemical dying, using the sun to set color, crock pots, microwaves and sometimes I just purchase colored fibers because they are pretty.
My wheel is a Lendrum from Canada that I upgraded to May of 2015. Originally, I started with a Baynes Wheel from New Zealand. It was a Christmas present from my husband. We couldn't find a quality wheel that I would not outgrow that was made in the USA.
Spinning is my mind yoga.
Before sheep, I had no more than a dog or cat; now I can't imagine my life without my woolly buggers. Each has a name, a personality and an attitude. They are fed, love, petted, and absolutely spoiled rotten. When I enter the barn I am greeted with "Hail to the Queen" Sheep Style.
Everyone, all at once, as loud as possible. There are times the chickens and turkeys chime in.
We shear once a year. Yes, that is in direct conflict with the lower 48 shearing seasons ... Thus the sheep suits and this is after all, Alaska. I get a longer staple length and very beautiful curls from my Icelandic’s’. May I take this time to quell any fears of the sheep being "cold" or needing an insulated barn. These northern sheep are a hardy, primitive lot and they excel in our unique weather conditions. Keep in mind the lanolin in the wool is a natural heater as well as an air conditioner for the sheep.
We here with Ewe's Raven Mad hope you enjoy your homegrown handspun yarns. You may find photos of your yarn’s sheep on Facebook, Ewe’s Raven Mad in Alaska. Feel free to go through every album on my site. The site IS family friendly. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook or email at Bramhall907@gmail.com I will reply as soon as possible.
I hope you enjoy your purchase. Please note, it is 100% made in the USA by a Dual Service American Veteran Family. We thank you for your purchase and would love to see posted photos of items you have made