New Babies, Nesting and Spinning!

Goat Girls Just Want to Have Fun

The big excitement here on Squirrel Spur this past few weeks has been all about the goat girls and the impending births of their little ones. We were all counting the days and delighted when first Martha, then Rose, delivered healthy baby girls. Rose frolicked around like a kid herself until an hour before her little one arrived.

Martha and her little Jessie

Sweet Rose and baby Clara

The babies are beautiful and already little Jessie has a new home. So does Martha, as I wanted to keep Rose's kid and don't have the space or money to have too many mouths to feed. Martha now lives just over the hill and Jessie is not far down the road.

Little Clara, growing up fast

Everyone has fallen in love with little Clara and she's getting lots of attention from friends and customers. I'm told her color pattern is caramel and we love the little black belly and the black stripe down her back. Not to mention the white topknot.

Yarn Room at Greenberry House

I think I went a little crazy this weekend when I decided to move EVERYTHING in the shop so that all of the yarn and spinning fiber, along with the tools, were all in one place. Maybe I didn't move everything but it certainly feels that way. I'm pleased with the results, though, and I have a new room to expand the book selection as well as some space for some different consignments. Looking forward to working with some new people.

Helper dog Knightley

Knightley has been staying busy looking after me at the shop. After Emma staged a grand escape and nearly got herself kidnapped at a local store, she has been staying home while we are at work. Frankly, she's really happier at home as long as we can get in her daily walks. Knightley enjoys being with me in the shop and he supervises everything that is going on with the chickens and the goats. We lost one hen to a fox a few weeks ago; I think she had slipped off nesting under one of the buildings and I didn't notice she was gone. Another hen is setting but she chose the safety of the chicken house. She has seven eggs and I hope she's successful this time. Earlier in the year she hatched one chick but an invading cat killed it.

Spinning dyed angora fiber

Hand dyed carded angora fluff

It has been lovely to get back into spinning angora again and I dyed enough to spin singles to ply with some merino that I worked on last winter. I'm planning to start on a new bunny house this weekend and maybe then I can get some good pictures of the lovely rabbits from Woolybuns up in Connecticut.

Spring is heading into summer and there are warm and busy days ahead. With so many projects I've not done my usual flower beds and pots, but maybe I can get it done later. My peonies haven't bloomed yet but some of the irises are trying to fight their way through the weeds. I really need more hours in a day!

A sweet picture of Emma, just because.

What I'm spinning: hand dyed angora
What I'm knitting: the final rows of the Quill shawl by Jared Flood
What I'm crocheting: everything is hibernating
What I'm reading: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
Current sounds & sights for spinning along: The Gifted by Ann H. Gabhart (for book club)