Romneys and donkies and spinning - oh my!

Spent a wonderful day yesterday at Chris English's sheep farm near Kingston. Chris is a spinner's breeder and has a wonderful array of Romney and Romney cross sheep that provide us with the most wonderful fleeces from fine to medium and from white to almost pure black.

What started out as a short visit turned into 6 hours of talk, fleece skirting and walking in the field to get closer pictures of the sheep. I bought a white ram fleece - lustrous as can be - from Nelson - a gorgeous long medium white fibre. I will have it processed into roving and put it up on my website.

While we were out in the field trying to get some sheep pics, Chris's guard donkey walked along with us and kept butting in to get her head scratched. She was remarkably soft - but then what do I know - I am a city person from top to toe and haven't been within 10 feet of a donkey before. This one really wanted attention and would walk in front of me if I stopped paying attention to her and stop any progress until I scratched her head again. Very cute!

On my way home from Kingston this morning I stopped in to visit Janet Wagg at the Wilton Road Custom Fibre Mill in Odessa (Odessa also boasts Gord Lendrum who makes the great Lendrum wheels). Janet and her family have just set up a Mini Mill and have been processing from washing all the way to spinning and I pawed through some of her gorgeous samples.

I am going to have her do my "Hair of the Unknown Sheep" that I bought at Maryland - a medium grey possibly Corriedale - fine-ish fleece that wasn't identified - into roving and I also hope to get some single breed yarns spun by her - a couple of different breeds to add to the Merino, Wensleydale, Blue Faced Leicester that I have already.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Tomorrow is a holiday here to celebrate Queen Victoria's Birthday.