Torts!

Not the dessert kind or the legal kind.

The whole nest box at Five Days Old- losing the "piggy" look as the sister's in law call it!

See how different these two look?  I thought perhaps the lighter one was a cream, but I think it might be a diluted tort.  The puir wee thing had a bug bite on its ear.

And, though the darker kit looks like a fawn, genetically it cannot be since neither parent carries the Agouti (A) gene.  So, it too, is a tort.

Here is the lighter fellow.  I can see shading on its flanks, belly, feet and other points.  I think, based on comparison with its lilac sibling that it is a lilac...pearl?  Maybe chocolate?- Update:  Probable Blue Tort!

Here is the brighter orangeish kit.  I also see shading in the same areas as the first kit.  It doesn't seem as obvious though for some reason.  Same pale color so perhaps a lilac tort again?  Could be chocolate? Update: Chocolate Tort!

Here is the cutie Vienna marked black at five days old.

And Sammy holding the chubby all black kit.

Yesterday the kits turned 14 days old and they have their eyes open and have started a wobbly bouncing walk that is great fun to watch!  We had them out on the bed for their first free romp.

Every time I picked up the Lilac it fell asleep in my hand.

Same thing happened with the tort.

Getting these two together was like herding cats!  No one wanted to pose.  I guess I thought my thumbs were in the way!

Top view color comparison- now that their coats are getting longer it doesn't seem quite so strikingly different.

Ready to back with Mum.  Soon they won't be wanting to stay in the nest box proper and will be out harassing their mother!

Thanks to Annette and Lisa for their help interpreting colors!

Ewe-per Fiber Fair!

Well, things are really coming together!  I'm very excited about our vendor list...I may not personally leave with any money at all in my wallet (and I have my eye on some holiday gifts).  In addition, it will be held at the Three Lakes Academy (our kids charter school) and the TLA community volunteers will be running the food booth so will be making some money for the school as well...how much better can this get???

Here is our list of vendors (and we may be adding one or two last minute!):

Candace Blocher-  CVM ram lambs

Janet Couch- Locker hooked rugs and knit items from handspun wool

Jim Engle- Hand turned wooden yarn bowls

Eweper Spinners and Weavers group- handspun yarn, knit goods, hand woven rag rugs, roving & Miscellaneous fiber items

Jane Forslund-  Triangle Looms, Shawl Pins, Handspun Yarn, Hand woven Shawls

Lavender Cottage- Fabric for rag rugs, crocheted rag rugs, some finished quilted pieces

Rose St. Martin/ Triple R Ranch- Shetland Roving, Tanned hides, wool wax hand creme, yarn, books and Miscellaneous fiber items.

Spinners End Farm-  Shetland Roving, Shetland & Angora Roving, Alpaca roving, English Angora fiber, Pygora fiber, Mohair Roving, English Angora bunnies (one or two adults), small niddy noddies, drop spindles, bamboo knitting needles and crochet hooks.

Karen Valley/ Winter Sky Wool Company- Shetland Roving, Cormo Roving, Handspun Shetland and CormoYarn, hand knit socks, hats & mittens, Felting kits, Cormo lambs, Shetland lambs

Susan Vaniman- Handwoven split reed baskets and knit goods

Woolderness- Roving, handspun yarn, Louet Spinning Wheels and accessories, Weavings, and finished wool products

Remember the date: Saturday July 9th from 10-4!  The little town of Curtis will be hopping with summer visitors and robed in summer finery.  We hope to see you there!!!  Find directions and other information HERE.

The sheep were shorn

Okay, I'm a bit behind.  The sheep were shorn on June 1- it was perfectly timed to be after the rise of the fleece and David hit it right on.

There is a sheep in the middle up there...it is Zanzibar.  She has a pretty Musket fleece.

This is her again...still hard to see the sheep though!  You'll have to trust me.

 Clearly, you can see a sheep in here.  The picture is blurry because the shearer was in constant motion.  This is Beltane.

This is the sheep handling crew.  Will would hand out a sheep, David would take it, and I'd bag the wool.  I got to take more pictures this year!

And Elle was last.

All the fleeces have been washed (by me!) and I took them town to Frankenmuth last week to have processed.  I now have several bags of yummy roving just biding their time in the basement....

Trying it on For Size!

Sam received a belated birthday present this week. 

Both he and Duncan were Thrilled to say the least....

So without any further delay, I give you....

"The Square"

"Hollywood"

"The Sherrif"

"The Weasel"

(Same mustache, different weasel!)

"The Grandfather"

....and the Great Uncle.

"The Hero"

"The Bruiser"

"Bruiser Two" (I think the missing teeth really make this one don't you?)

Thanks Doug and Ruthette!!!

Angora Kit Color Development

 

Here are Dalilah's kits at two days old.  Their colors are developing rapidly and it is apparent that none of them are white!  The kit in the middle looks lilac, the top kit on the left is possibly cream, and the top kit on the right looks fawn to me, though neither of the parents have the agouti gene so perhaps it is a tort...no other coloration on it at this point.  One of the blacks has vienna marks- a tiny white blaze on the head, one white foot and a white spot on the leg. The black kit on the left looks like a deep dark brown to me- the buck has the c (chl) gene so this is likely producing a shading affect on the black.  The c (chl) gene removes the yellow pigment from the coat so the fawnish kit on the top right evidently didn't inherit it.  They are so cute....

Dalilah's Kits

This morning I went out to check on Miss Dalilah- today is the 31st day of her pregnancy- and waiting for me (though they probably didn't realize that) were five kits!

Too early to tell colors yet of course, but there may be two whites (possibly pearls), one black, one blackish with some odd patches of color, and the other one?  Looks sort of lilac, maybe a tort?  I'd love a tort.  We'll see!  This was a pairing between two bunnies that carry recessive dilute genes and either Pearl or Lt. Chinchilla on the bucks side and his sire was a blue tort. 

Now...will Mocha delight us as well?  She is at 31 days today also.