How to Turn a Goat into a Hat

 

 

It has been ages since I have had the time to get back to this blog. Loads of things have been happening - mostly good- that have kept us hopping.  Also I found out that a few people are actually reading this Blog. And these people started asking me what was going on...so I thought I'd better get back to work here.
 
First of all an evil person got into our lives and tried to do a lot of harm...but we prevailed and while we wasted a lot of time on this person, it was ultimately time well spent. It was an adventure of sorts and what my mom would have referred to as a"learning experience". Onward and upward.

And now, for the goat fan club - Fritz, Fred, Louise, Berta, Tillie and Bessie are doing well, fat and sassy and very very fuzzy.  Which brings me to the point of this Blog...how I made a hat out of  Fred....or, 

How To Turn a Goat Into a Hat.

First.  Get a fuzzy type goat and put a huge amount of time and anxiety into caring for this goat. Lose sleep and spend $$$ on vet bills, medicine and feed and vast amounts of internet time in goat groups and internet research on goat care.

Oh..and I forgot to mention...get several goats because they are herd animals and need companions to thrive.  They also need a ton of other stuff and equipment and fencing and bedding and shots and worm medicine and if you get one you might as well get.............


But my gosh they are cute, funny, smart and cunning. They eat a bunch of nasty brush and bushes, but will just as likely eat your most valuable shrubbery too as they are gourmands. Look it up.

Second. Shear this animal to get his  beautiful hair (mohair/cashmere). Now this is where it gets complicated because you need to restrain the goat...no easy task...and develop some skill at separating hair from goat without injuring yourself or the goat. We struggled with this with moderate success until one of our B&B guests confessed to being a skilled shearer! No joke.

So last spring Mr. W came to our rescue and sheared the 6 goats in less than 2 hours. For Ed and I it usually takes about 5 hours and significant risk to our marriage!

Third. Send the fleece out to a processor to dehair and clean it and wait 3 months to get it back. It will be soft, luxurious and cost a lot of money to be processed. But it will be worth it as this hair is so amazing that it is almost obscene.

Fourth. Turn the hair into yarn. Now, if you don't know how to spin your own yarn you may have to learn or ask someone to do it for you. Learning will require the purchase of a drop spindle or $$$$ spinning wheel and many hours of swearing and frustration, but eventually you will produce some fabulous yarn - which after washing, fulling and otherwise prepping will be ready to knit or crochet with.

Fifth. Knit or crochet something with this yarn. 

Well, as it turns out, our friend Mr. W and his wife were expecting a baby and I, in a moment of wild enthusiasm promised that I would make a little cap for new arrival out of the hair we all worked to remove from the goats.  It only took me about 5 days of frustration and hair pulling (mine and the yarn) for me to relearn how to crochet (after 20 years of trying hard to forget it) and then three tries at figuring out the instructions until at last a soft, cute little baby cap, albeit not perfect...emerged.

Little cap went out in the mail this morning to baby W. 

And that my friends is how to turn a goat into a hat!

 Cider Mill Blog

Winter Over?

Yep...well, it's been an awful winter. Very tough on people and animals alike. As you can see, Fritz..our biggest Wether, at almost 120 lbs, is dwarfed by the snow banks.

We lost trees, fences and business because of two tough months of snow...finally, just today, washing away under torrential rain. YIPES.

The B&B business has taken a huge hit from the economy, as has most of the travel and tourism industry. It has affected us as well, but fortunately we planned for slow times and are still running the Inn and using downtime to our advantage. Besides, the animals don't care about the economy and demand just as much from us as they always have. So here is the animal update:

The goats got through winter in pretty good shape. Berta caught pneumonia in December, but a course of antibiotics, nutridrench, probiotics and B12...plus a LOT of TLC got her safely through. We battled a minor outbreak of foot scald, and some leg mange (Berta, AGAIN), but all in all the gang seems to be in good shape. Next comes the joy of shearing...ooooh nooooo. They all have long long shaggy coats ready to be shorn.

The chickens and Guinea hens did well also. We lost one Guinea to an owl. Despite the fact that we had to confine them all to their coops for 4 weeks, snowed in, they came through like troopers and are rewarding us with dozens and dozens of eggs.

The cows had a rougher time as they are pastured on an upslope and caught the worst of the snowy weather. We brought them into the barn several times, but they are not used to being confined and protested by trying to destroy the barn..ha ha. Several of the cows have gone off to market and the herd will be considerably smaller this year. Again...the economy has taken it's toll on them as well.



So THIS is what I have been doing with my time...working on Kat'z Kritterz ragdolls!
They have helped pass the time and are actually selling! So I have added them to my inventory of studio "output" and will be taking them along with me to shows this year. And yes, I have been painting, but it has been difficult with all the distractions and snow shovelling to get in any quality studio time. I do have a couple of paintings going to the Millwood VA show and have some great ideas for more work this summer.

Any Uncle Wiggly fans out there? Well, If Mr. Fungus (and you know who you are) doesn't spread and cause the little spring plants to hide under the leaves, I'll be back soon with another update!