Learning Something Completely New | A Day of Firsts | Garden Tour
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- Опубліковано 14 бер 2024
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Join us at Little Mountain Ranch for our very first garden tour of 2024! In this episode, we’ll meander through our early spring garden, sharing tips and tricks for early planting and how to make the most of your space, no matter the size.
Learning new things really does keep me thriving and this spring I'm learning how to process wool, from sheering to spun yarn. It's something I have been wanting to do for years! Today we're going to start with washing and picking the wool getting ready for carding.
So, grab your cup of tea, and let’s step into the sunshine and soft breezes of Little Mountain Ranch together. Don’t forget to subscribe for more homesteading adventures.
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The content provided on the Little Mountain Ranch UA-cam channel is for informational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive to provide accurate and helpful information, we are not professionals. The techniques, ideas, and suggestions shown in our videos are based on our personal experiences and should not be taken as professional advice. Please conduct your own research, consult with professionals, and consider your local regulations and individual circumstances before making any decisions related to homesteading, farming, or any other practices shown on our channel. We will not be held liable for any losses, injuries, or damages arising from the display or use of this information. Always exercise caution and prioritize safety when attempting any project or task.
Hi friends, I was having some technical difficulties with uploading this video, so if this is the second time you've seen it come up in your feed, that's why. There are also a few issues with the audio on this one. Technology can be so fun! lol
Either way, I hope you enjoy it!
Love,
Chelsea
We were wondering if that was the case. Glad it has been resolved.
Chelsea, I do not have sheep, but I am a spinner and weaver and other fibery pursuits and I love working from raw fleece. I have a few recommendations that may help. I always give my fleeces one or two clod rinses before I rinse them in hot water and with soap. Much of the barnyard dirt rinses out with cold water and you do not have any felting risk and it's a lot cheaper that warm water and soap :). So get out most of the dirt first, then tackle the lanolin. My favorite wash tub for fleeces is a drinks cooler, one of the ones that are about the size of the totes you are using, the difference being of course a cooler keeps the heat in much better, it is mobile even under heavy load, and it has a drain plug. I marked off lines per gallon on the inside, so I can better control scouring agent to water ratio, but you can just wing it. The third suggestion I have is to rinse at least one time more than you wash, so if you did your cold pre-rinse (which by the way can sit on your deck for days without coming to harm, just in case your schedule falls apart) and you then give it two washes in hot water with some sort of scouring agent or soap, rinse it at least three times. I use a manual spin washer (think large salad spinner) to spin the water out, both in between "cycles" and after the last rinse and I dry everything in some of those big net "herb" dryers (I think they are targeted towards pot growers), they are about 2 foot in diameter and they have a zipper, so you do not end up losing your clean wool to wildlife, cats, or the wind. Mine is about 6 foot tall when fully deployed (but it collapses down to nothing at all for storage) and I can get a 5 pound fleece into it for sure (I love Romney, btw, you will love spinning that once you get with your friend to have her show you).
I'm from Egypt and started to follow you lately. I love so much your simple lifestyle with nature, plants, animals and your activities in the kitchen, hoping to spend some time with you. Really, we are all in need of this quiet, silent and peace away from the world's struggles. I am sure that logically in such places our spirit can find the way to Allah easily. Hoping always to enjoy your time ❤
At one time I had 2 Norwegian Elkhounds(dogs) that I used to save their fur when I gave them a daily brushing. They have no smell; their fur is very soft and full of lanolin. My friend asked me to save the bags of fur for her. She would spin their fur and them make artistic wall hangings. They were so beautiful. This video gave me fond memories of my friend who passed away over 15 years ago. Thank you!
Chelsea, you might want to exclude the cat when you're working with the wool, she shouldn't eat the wool. It can really mess with their insides.
I'm so glad to see you working with your fleeces! I'm a fiber artist in general, an indie dyer by trade, and probably my favorite of the fiber arts is spinning. Its so therapeutic once you get past the learning curve. Sometimes the rhythm soothes me and makes my brain stop its constant churning, sometimes I can even doze off while spinning. And sometimes the rhythm helps to put order to my brain when I need to think through a complicated problem, or go deep on philosophical thoughts. Very meditative and restorative.
Whether a wool feels itchy on your skin depends on several factors. The micron count, the staple length, and the way it is spun (there are lots of different spinning techniques, most people dont realize that yarns are designed, they're not all the same, and the way they are spun makes them more suitable for some projects and less for others), and then the way it is used in a final product can make a difference, too. Some people are also sensitive to lanolin rather than the wool itself.
Wool needs agitation, soap/lather, AND extreme temperature changes from hot to cold (shocking) in order to felt (usually, some breeds, like gotland, will felt if you just look at it funny).
Your washed and picked wool is ready for the next step. You can card it, or comb it, if you want or need it in a more organized form, but you can also spin right from the "cloud" you have created. Combing (with wool combs or a hackle) lines all the fibers up right next to each other, all straight (best for a sturdier, denser yarn with not much air in it, good for things that take wear, like socks, or need drape, like lace). Carding (with carders, blending board, or drum carder) lines the fibers up, but some may be folded in half and crossing over, more web like (best for spinning a loftier yarn with more air in it, used for things that you want to be softer/springier, and things you want to be warmer). I hope you enjoy working with wool as much as I do!
Hey Chelsea, I recently bought a wool duvet(cotton sheets filled with wool) and a pillow, and I love them. They regulate excellent the temperature during the night. They are light, almost as those feather filled ones, I don’t know how much wool they put inside. Back in her youth, my grandma used to make her own duvets, with wool from her sheep. She would mount a huge frame, fix the bottom cotton sheet on it, then lay the wool on top and then the other cotton sheet. And then comes the hand sewing. You also have to saw lines in the middle of it, so that the wool does not “travel” when using it. Her duvets were heavier than this modern one I have. Maybe it was a different kind of wool, or she packed it denser. But it would keep you very warm in the cold nights.
I am so happy to hear you are going to turn those beautiful fleeces into yarn! I am not a spinner, but I am an avid knitter from the Midwest in the USA and I certainly appreciate the beautiful yarn I am able to purchase and make into wonderful, woolly garments! Without the spinners, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this craft, as I do!
I used to knit like crazy until my hands gave up on it a few years ago. I miss it sooo much! I still have a cabinet full of beautiful hand dyed yarns. Now I'm crocheting a temperature blanket and that satisfies me a bit. I have an e-spinner I need to pull out as well.
You could use your greenhouse shelf as a skirting table and also to dry the fleece in the summer. The easiest way to clean your fleeces is to ferment them in the summer. It's called the Suint method. Take a big tote with rainwater, ideally in the warm greenhouse (away from the house because it stinks) and let it sit for at least 2 weeks and it comes out very clean. You don't have to worry about having straw in the fleeces the ferment mostly takes care of that.
I'm allergic to lanolin, and it's definitely used in a lot of beauty products, shampoos and lotions. For someone who grew up in rainy, cold environments and loves to hike, finding good, warm outdoors clothes is rather difficult lol. I also have to be careful about finding fibers for knitting - I'm constantly checking labels for so many things LOL I'll never be able to own sheep, or pet them but I'm glad I get watch someone do it without actually being in the room!
There have been cows in my garden more times than I'd like to admit...
Turns corner...there's a cow 🤣🤣🤣 the best!!
In my experience with sheep, your non nursing ewe may not be any better next year. Some animals have no mothering instincts, but you absolutely need to let the ewes clean off their lambs. Put the fluid on the ewes nose and they will start licking. Interrupting the process with first time mothers results in what you are seeing. Birthing fluids is how they recognize their own.
Absolutely correct. Wiping off the lamb removes the smell Moms bond to. Put some salt on the wet lamb and she will be encouraged to lick.
On another site they showed a method of getting a new mother sheep to connect and protect her lamb by putting the ewe and her lamb in a pen. In the pen next to her, they put a dog. The dog was curious and continued to show interest in the ewe and lamb. The dog wasn’t barking or being overly aggressive. He just kept walking running in his pen looking through the pen wall at the ewe and her lamb. The ewe eventually got protective of her new lamb. They said this was an old world method.
🇦🇺When I was a child we went to my dad’s uncle and Aunty’s farm. In their lounge room she had a spinning wheel. She showed me how to spin. I loved it. I wanted to be on a farm so bad as a child.
For making slippers with your wool, perhaps carding then felting will give you a quicker result than the extra step of spinning.
Lanolin relaxes cats, and they are very drawn to it💜
I hope you video each process of your wool journey. I would be really interested.
How cute is your new intro :)
Hi Chelsea. Great video. I am a new spinner and am also starting to process my own fleece. After watching many videos and help from fibre friends I have a good system. Smaller amounts are definitely easier and I think might clean easier. If you put the fleece in a mesh bag you can just gently lift it out, let it drain and then dump the water. Have another bin with water ready and transfer to it right away. Another thing someone did was use a big plastic strainer instead of the bag. I think they said it was a kitty litter bin. Good luck. It is a lot of work but worth it.
Thank you!!
Chelsea I enjoyed your video today seeing the baby sheep and where you putting your garden and all that you going to do thank for sharing.
I sure am enjoying learning all this - completely new to me even though I used to knit and crochet and loved it. Thanks!
Gosh I got so relaxed watching you pull the wool :) So excited about this new adventure! hugs
You got the doors placed on the kitchen island. Looks great!
So educational, I guess you never just Sit and Relax, always work to be done on the Ranch❤
Get a couple lenghts of drip hose for every run of plants to water the roots
Very cool learning about the wool. Maybe you could take a handful and felt it and make a kitty to for your kitten who sees to be wild about the wool.😆
I'm sure the kitten would love it from the looks of it lol. She could felt a toy mouse.
That's so exciting!! ❤ I can't wait to see how it all turns out!
Awww, I love their hay heads. They look so funny.
My father's family had lots of sheep, I remember going with them to the creek and washing the fleece in it and leaving it in the sun to dry. Everything else was a winter activity.
Our neighbours had the best tomato plants he had pipes with the bottom cut at an angle and too the roots at each plant and he watered through them , never seen such huge fruit and bounty.
Chelsea! That extra corrugated plastic is going to be a game changer for you...on both structures! I wish I could come help you install it, but I'm in Colorado. LOL!
Chelsea, watching your tour of the garden and high tunnel plans, reminding me of enjoying the UA-camr PAUL ELKINS who is quite the genius at inventions, designs etc mostly utilizing the corrugated plastic sheets, "Coroplast" and even building functioning, movable shelters, motor boats and many other interesting creations. You might want to contact him to pick his brain about the high tunnel and green house protective walls...
The upcoming gardening is so exciting can't wait to see how you put it all together. All of that wool is amazing never had seen how it's done so thank you for sharing this information.
Looking forward to seeing your garden.
We had same issues with egg theives.. Fun story - first time it was Ravens, sneaking in the chicken door while one stood on roof as a look out ( clever devils 😏) then we a fox, which got his foot stuck in fencing when trying to escape and finally a skunk, which husband caught in a live trap ( burned his clothes and he slept in the spare room for a few days 😜).. then finally a Sow with her two cubs came in and ate all our heritage birds (7) in one one night.. Now we buy our eggs off our neighbors.. 😆
This was so interesting. I'm really looking forward to seeing your achievements this coming year.
😂😂😂you made me laugh out loud about “every red cow”! Too funny!❤️❤️❤️
I enjoyed learning about the wool cleaning process
Chelsea, I believe you about red cows being a pain. I grew up on a dairy farm even though we had mostly Holstein, we did show longhorns as well. The more red the longhorn, the meaner he was.
You amaze me with all you do. The garden spaces are wonderful
Wonderful video; thanks for updating us & showing those cute sheep & lambs. You’ll do great spinning wool; I learned a bit at the museum where I worked & it is fun. The kitten probably was grooming the wool😅 Blessings to all 🤗🇨🇦
You still have snow. 🥰
I am so excited to see your garden this year.
neat things to do!! no boring days for you! always love your videos!
Wow that is so interesting the. Washing of the wool u certainly have your hands full with the garden animals and cooking and the fleece have done so well Chelsea to get everything in order to do
Hi Chelsea, we had Romney sheep as well several years ago. After sheering we never put coats on them. But if you’re cleaning and carding yourself maybe that’s something you might want to consider. I took mine to someone who did that and had all the wool made into batting for quilt making. You are an ambitious woman no doubt 😊
Love the sheep, also I made your lemon bars today oh my goodness.
Well I can see that you're all going to have a busy time. The skunk doesn't attack the chickens I hope not I hope you get it or whatever is stealing your eggs. Good luck.
Your little cat is so cute! Yes, our 2 cats love anything made out of wool! They go nuts for it!
The water you washed your fleeces in you can use to fertilize your plants if you did not use soap. Spinning is such a great thing. I do it too and than knitting with the yarn. Good luck and much fun while learning it from your friend. Greetings from Berlin Germany from Nadine ❤
I love your videos! No matter what they are about! I use to knit until a few years ago when my arthritis got too bad. I really really miss it. I have an electric spinner and have done a little but not enough to be really good at it. This video makes me want to pull it out again. Being allergic to the wool is miserable. The first shawl I knit made me itch so bad I couldn't stand it. I was so disappointed. Like you, I can do merino just fine. One of the most beautiful shawls I ever knit is too itchy for me to wear.
You are preserving some homesteading momma. Keep it up, from a city slicker to a homesteader. I am appreciative 😊
Loving the new intro ❤
Many cats are naturally attracted to wool because the odor of lanolin (a natural oil contained in the fibers of a sheep's wool). This scent is similar to the odor of the fur around the nipples of the kitten's mother so they love it!
That’s so interesting, thank you!
Suggest combing to make top then carding what's left to make rolags for spinning woollen. You have lots of spare hands to comb there with the kids, at least for some of it. Fun to learn.
With the ranch and space you could easily set up wool fermenting to clean the fleece. It is smelly but effective.
I love the wool project. I too am fascinated by "sweaters completely from scratch" but I'm also crazy itchy by wool. Even uggs leave me with completely red feet if I wear them too long without socks, on top of being itchy. I'll have to try merino wool for next winter!
I would suggest baiting the trap with a few whole eggs but do not leave the trap out during the day where the chickens are. I had a chicken get caught and it was so traumatic for her it took her days before she could find the chicken run door. I trapped four skunks last year and i live in a small town. The town foreman wanted to know what i was using as bait! I believe the first was a baby and for the next nine days i caught the rest of the family.
Good idea on the greenhouse - doubling the plastic
Your videos are always good!
Chelsea, I don't know how you keep track of when you do things in your gardens. You amaze me how you do though. Love seeing your videos ❤❤. Love watching you work with the wool. I'm so allergic to wool, but it's so interesting watching you work the wool. It would be so cool to learn to spin the wool. I'm fascinated by it.
You can dry the wool outside on a screen in the sun works great
Your kitten may be attracted to the lanolin in the sheep's wool. Love your videos! Hello from Vancouver BC!
No matter what topic you cover in your videos, I always look forward to, and greatly enjoy them. Thank you for all your hard work.😊
Hi Chelsea. Your sheep are so cute. I use to card and spin wool and found it so therapeutic. Anyways, if you use a insulated attic box on your hives for the winter, you can replace your insulation with the wool. I have a friend in PG who does this since she has all kinds of sheep. Anyways great video. Cheers 🇨🇦🌷
18 Celsius = t-shirt weather!!
Too right
I am always learning from you!
Last year the deer took big tolls on our gardens here . I have water out for them and with the heat last summer I was filling 2-3 times a day and they were so skinny , the fires in the area took so much of their food and they were finding it hard to get enough food .
Hickory Croft farm has many videos on raising sheep and wool care
Fun! Blessing!
Hello Chelsea,I really did enjoy today video can’t wait until next time.until next time from uk🥰
Awesome update. Thank you, Chelsea. When did you shear the wool, I think I may have missed that? How exciting!
I always enjoy your videos
I wonder if one of those old ringer washers would work to clean the wool, if the agitation part is gentle enough. You could just put it outside and use a hose to fill it up and then just drain it onto the ground.
A piece of raw sheep wool in the ear canal is great for earaches because of the lanolin ❣
Chelsea, I admire,the sweetness from you with all the animals,the garden, the food, and a with your family. May God keep always , the way you are. God bless everyone. ❤
I would love to see you create a video of you cleaning and fixing the greenhouse. So much happening for you guys! Along with all your daily chores and projects and family time? And now the wool. I would love to see the spinning but would also love to see batting created for a family quilt. Do you sew? At 17.50 your living room looks so bright and beautiful. Careful not to let cats eat the wool as it can cause intestinal blockage.
The wool would make great batting for a quilt or pillow if too itchy for sweaters.
I can’t wait to see what your wildlife camera shows.. can I ask why you think it’s a skunk? Just curious…
Thank you for bringing back my childhood memories.. I’m almost 70 but growing up I spent my summers with my cousins on their farm… cows, horses can’t remember sheep but I miss those days.. but because of your videos I’m able to have that joy and excitement back in my
Life… I really envy you .. enjoy your beautiful life you have chosen and those beautiful creatures and beautiful land.. you have a new adventure everyday..☺️
That wool looks so so soft… have fun you are one awesome person!
Much love 🫶🏻☀️🫶🏻
🇦🇺10C is the lowest winter temp it gets here in Logan QLD
Have you thought about of making wool batting for duvets?
I crochet, my furball won't leave it alone and tries to eat the yarn a LOT!!! lol
There’s a UA-cam channel of Kate Jackson it’s called the last homely house. She has a few videos there on spinning yarn.
Love her channel and new pond build!
Not a big wool fan myself.
Can wear wool only if there's a layer of cotton or silk touching my skin, and there has to be a covering layer to protect my neck and wrists.
That's why I'm a cashmere fan.
Merino ain't as bad, but bad enough.
This will sound kind of crazy and may not work but what if you hung a curtain rod in your greenhouse and hooked the plastic on with the big grommets. Then you could slide it back and forth when needed or not and tie it to the corners out of the way.
Hi Chelsea, I have a question. If you have a problem with that particular wool why don't you get Merino sheep?
I’m considering it.
Sounds good! Can't wait to watch you spin your wool!!!@@LittleMountainRanch
Loved this video,as i do all your videos. You say you cant wear wool, however it didnt bother your skin when pulling the fleece. I wonder if you could wear your own wool? Most wools have chemicals, maybe that is what bothers your skin? How lovely you may be able to spin your own wool! Thankyou for your lovely videos x
loving your sheep adventure -andrea mowery shares helpful info for new spinners sometimes - i hope to try one day - on another note -did you put some type of irrigation in the high tunnel ? it may have been a lost sound bit - or did you super saturate the soil early ? ( charging it ) ive seen milk poured in tomatoes for blossom end rot
I had wool sheep and wanted to work with the wool but I just never got to that point we lost those sheep to the wolves. Now years later I have hair sheep { Katahdin }
Could it be a snake stealing your eggs. Thank goodness Dan helps. Loved the video.
That would be one hungry snake lol! I can't even imagine a skunk eating 20 eggs a day!
I was wondering how you dry the fleece? Do you just lay it out or spin it? Love the journey with your sheep! OOPs! Just had to watch a little further lol
I googled why cats like wool they love the lanolin and play in it
I’m a knitter. Have been for 54 years, I’ve always wanted to learn to card and spin wool!
I’ve knitted items with 100% wool and washed them to shrink/felted them on purpose. Slippers and few bags.
Do you have a link for wool shirts?
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I can’t even wear a wool sweater over heavy cotton shirt… sooo itchy😢 my mom told me to soak/rinse it in hair conditioner but I haven’t tried it yet.
Hi Chelsea. Can’t you put the fleece into the washing machine on a wool wash? 😊
Then the tumble drier?
Will felt. Can put it into pillow cases or net bags and soak without agitating and then spin the water out. Best to be careful.
Nope, they''ll felt up into a big dryer ball in an instant. You need to soak, not agitate the wool, and most washing machines don't have a full no-agitation cycle. You also wouldn't want all that lanolin coating the inside of the machine.
Have you tried wearing raw wool? Merino wool is often not treated like other types of wool for clothing. I know a few people that have had wool issues until they tried some that was not chemically treated.
I haven’t! I will try - boy that would make me happy!
Is Marino wool from a specific breed of sheep? Can you raise that breed instead of the ones that you’re currently raising? Maybe they’re not cold tolerant? So curious as I would just love for you to be able to wear your own woven attire, that would be so awesome! Lots of love from your Vancouver Island sister in all things homesteading.❤️
Merino sheep are a specific breed of sheep. They are not a hardy breed in the area that Chelsea lives in, tend to get hoof rot in wetter climates. There are other finer micron count breeds that do well in the Pacific NW, Targhee and Columbia were bred to survive the harsher climates and be both a meat and fiber animal. Romneys like Chelsea's can be very coarse or fairly fine fiber, are very long stapled fibers and quite easy to learn to spin on. I'm from the NW and have been spinning and working with fiber for 25 yrs. I tend to spin the finer wools as I knit with thinner yarns, it all depends on what one wants to use the fiber for.
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question Laurie, is it? Really appreciate that. 🥰. Have a wonderful day!
I'm wondering if your kitty was missing its mama, I've been told that when a cat kneads or makes bread on a blanket or a soft surface that it's because they were taken away from their mothers when they were very young. I don't know how true that is, but I do know that I have kitties that still want to "make bread" in the blanket and if it's anything very soft they will bury their face in it while they're "kneading" it and then they seem to start drooling.
Funny you should mention red bovine and your experience with them. I spent decades living in cattle county in the southwest/USA and even though I had goats not cattle I always remember the cattlemen commenting about staying away from “those #*! ¥§# red cows ‘cause they’re so dang mean!” 😮. I hope your adorable little kitty doesn’t wind up with a bowel obstruction made out of wool! She’s quite the character! 😺
🤣
Whew!!!
That skunk sure is eating good!!!
If that's what it is.
That's a blow to any family, but especially a big one that cooks from scratch.
That fleece looks mighty short. Might only be good for felting. You ultimately want like a 3 inch draw.
Just curious but it seems it would be easier to wash the wool before you sheer?
What would be the reasons not to wash it first? I truly don't know anything about the subject lol
Seems there is something in the processing or dying of the wool that you are allergic to - not the wool itself.
I am allergic to milk bought in the store but milk a cow on the farm and I can drink it all day. Something in the pasteurizing or bottling or transporting is the culprit. It sounds similar for you and wool.