Technically.......

From this..

From the day I first sheared one of my sheep I have been fascinated by their fleece and its properties.  To hear that most Ouessant  sheep fleeces are binned just seemed plain wrong and I set about the challenge of learning how to convert a fleece to a useable product. There are LOADS of uses!! One has been to learn how to spin and with that the various process that go into preparing a fleece, washing it, dyeing it and oh so much more.

I have only just begun to put my foot on the ladder but I set myself an exercise to produce a finished sample which would encompass many of the processes I want to learn and here it is.

To this!

OK, so its not sooo impressive, I mean it doesn't overwhelm me but trust me there are a lot of hours and blood, sweat and tears put into producing this little swatch.  Despite the Ouessant being traditionally a black sheep I started with a white fleece I wanted to work on the process of dyeing as well as spinning etc. What I have learnt is that there is much more for me to learn and I am looking forward to the next project.... I confess its already in progress.

Bon Dimanche

MiniMynx

On My Bobbin #3

I wasn't expecting to like this yarn as much as I do. I wanted to use up some fleece that had been carded and left over from another project so I spun it up for some practice. My first time with carded fleece rather than combed. Its a white fleece but technically I guess you could call it a red based fleece and the mix of fibres and colours gives the final result quite a textured appearance in a soft apricot hue. By the time I took the photo I had managed to get a reasonable draw on the fibres although to start with I found the  carded fibres quite tricky hence the slubs in the yarn. I also much prefer the more woollen - less worsted look of the fibre and so have once again tried to produce a yarn  that is less defined and fluffier.

Encore une essaie,  mais cette fois ci avec  une toison cardée. J'aime le résultat  même si ce n'est pas parfait il y a du progrès. La laine est d'une brebis blanche mais avec un  aspect roux à la toison, qui don un fil plutôt abricot que blanc.

Getting Crafty!

The Korrigans / Les Korrigans

Sometimes you have to take time out to have some fun. Finding a few basic things to do with prepped fibre that are so easy its kids play, wasn't difficult. The potential for all sorts of little fibre animals is limitless, here are  a few members of the korrigan family. Korrigans are a part of breton folklore and can be described as having long hair and flaming eyes - perfect! Of course nothing to stop you doing sheep or hedgehogs or whatever takes your fancy.

Il faut prendre du temps parfois à s'amuser. Il y a pas mal de choses qu'on peut faire avec la laine des moutons d'Ouessant qui sont pas compliqué, on dirait "jeux d'enfants" Les petites boules de laines qui ressemblent "les Korrigans"  dotés d'une magnifique chevelure et d'yeux rouges lumineux. Mais il y a rien qui vous empêche à faire petits moutons ou hérissons.....

 Zesty the Caterpillar

Very simple wet felted balls of wool pre-dyed and then I needle felted the head. It was my first attempt at needle felting  and there is definately room for improvement but its not overly technical .

Très simple,  une chenille en feutrage mouillé avec  des boules de laine déjà teints et la tête   fait en feutrage à l'aiguille

Pompom

Simple to do and if done multi-coloured or tonal  they can be quite striking. 

 Pompons de laine en couleurs variées pour un effet plus frappant

Needle felted cushion / Coussin  feutré  à l'aiguille

La pièce de resistance - Juliette aged 12 was kind enough to send me a sample of her work done in Ouessant wool. I Love it!! What ever your age or skill level theres no excuse for not having fun with Ouessant wool. 

La pièce de resistance  - Juliette 12 ans m'a envoyé un coussin qu'elle à fait en feutrage à l'aiguille avec la laine de moutons d'Ouessant.  Superbe! Je l'adore! N'importe votre âge ni votre niveau de compétence  il y a aucune raison qu'on peut pas s'amuser avec la laine de nos Ouessants.

A Bit of a Card!

Having first experimented with wool combs  I have moved on to carders. As a complete beginner spinning has come more easily with combed fibres which are practically already drafted and can be spun with little effort.  I am still working out the kinks in prepping the fibre by carding and how this relates to spinning but I'm getting there. Traditionally Ouessant wool was carded not combed, I am looking forward to seeing how I can play with this technique and the fibres to produce something creative and up to date as well as appreciating the qualities needed in the fleece from an historical point of view. The learning curve steepens.

Maintenant le cardage encore une nouvelle technique mais plus traditionnelle. La laine de moutons d'Ouessant était cardée avant d'être filée et tissée. Espérant qu'un jour j'arrive à comprendre mieux le lien entre la race aujourd'hui et l'histoire du production de la laine et la valeur de ces petits moutons  autrefois. 

On My Bobbin #2

A new bobbin and  a new technique for spinning ( don't worry its meant to look hairy). It does bring with it, its own technical difficulties for me to master..... in time. I am using the previously dyed and blended wool to run through a few techniques,  plus I want to know how the yarn spins up in terms of colour, how it knits up and also try out another couple of things along the way. Its all practice practice practice.


Une nouvelle bobine et une nouvelle technique de filage ( oui c'est poilu!) avec quelques difficultés pour moi à surmonter. Je voulais savoir  également comment la laine, déjà teints est transformée en fil puis plus tard quand c'est tricotée, le résultat final. Il me reste plein de choses à apprendre.

From Little Acorns Grow

The young rams of this year are now firmly integrated into the group of adults.  I am enjoying immensely their differences and  variations.  A number of them are also quite photogenic, what a pleasure to be able to document them  in all their detail.  The horn shapes and growths this year are also of interest and I will put together a post documenting their changes over the coming months. For now there are a couple of months of rest and recuperation from all the changes within the groups before it will be time to start to consider lambs for next year. Now is a time for reflection on the thoughts and ideas of the last 12 months and the reality of those decisions which will affect my choices for next year.

Les jeunes béliers de l'année sont maintenant regroupés avec les adultes mâles. La douceur et la force, je trouve que les deux sont beaux. Il sera un vrai plaisir à découvrir en chacun leur façon de l'exprimer. Les cornes et leur développement est également à suivre avec intérêt. Les décisions de l'année dernière sont maintenant la réalité. Il est le bon moment pour réflection.

Suited and Booted

Ushant - Complete with cravat! / Avec cravate!

GEMO Concours National Slideshow 2013

What *do* sheep gossip about I wonder

For The Slideshow Click HERE / Diaporama Cliquez ICI

Say What?

              " Have you seen Myrtles new haircut?"                           "mmmmnnn"

Moments.........from the GEMO Show

I wanted to try to pick a selection of photos that brought together a more intimate perspective of the show. The camera is ideal for capturing a look or a feel, so here is a different kind of focus.

Touchant

Douceur

Turbulence

Patience

Judgements

Un regard

Eyeing up the competition

It has been hard to sort the photos this year, truly I have been spoilt for choice and even though the day was not the best for photography for several reasons looking through the photos of the day, I have been pleasantly surprised at how many are quite serviceable. This head study of a black ram just leapt off the page at me.  Beautiful!!

Judgely decisions were not always easy

and opinions were sometimes split

 but everyone was checking out the competition.........

There was little to complain about on any count.  More soon.....

GEMO Concours National 2013

Vaillant Ewes

This year the National Competition for Ouessant sheep took place at Brécé - Ile et Vilaine. Not too far from home. It was good to see the return of Patrice Royer's sheep to the competition  after three years absence.  It was also good to see some of the newer breeders return once again, surely bitten by the bug. There was a high standard overall and a good entry of over 100 sheep. A significant change this year is the option to bring sheep who aren't entered for the competition but who can still be examined for a certificate of conformity to the standard.
With limited places available and a high standard of sheep in general it can be hard to provide encouragement to newer breeders and reassure them of the standard of their sheep if they are not in the select group of prize winners. The certificates of conformity provide not just breeders but prospective purchasers with the assurance that they are buying sheep that can be considered of the breed.

I chose only two sheep to take this year both home bred, one for the competition and one for a certificate of conformity. Lets just say I wasn't disappointed on either score. I'll post a selection of photos from the day in due course. For now just a couple of candid shots.

Hercules Ballentyne - arriving in style

Ouessant Couture!

Its a bit of an animal........

Sombre Shades

As the shadows lengthen, summer ripens.

 Plus que l'ombre s'allonge, les fruits d'été murissent.

Chinchin!

Wow those colours really fizz!

Eclatant!

Dyed in the Wool

Time for a little indulgence, I am venturing into the world of dyeing wool or fleece or yarn. I don't really have anything specific in mind just  thought it was about time I started to explore few avenues. These are food dyes and the little pots with their lids on was just  too good a photo opportunity to pass up. I have no expectations  and I'm sure I'll be trying a few different methods and dyes to get some sense of where things are going.  Results later.

Faut être patient  - je suis  stagiaire au monde de teinture de la laine. Aujourd'hui la teinture alimentaire. Je ne cherche rien de spécifique,  c'est un essai à voir......... et  ça fait des jolies photos en plus. Résultats plus tard.

Sizzlin!

Personally I enjoy the heat, when it is crisp and dry although it has to be said its not conducive to growing grass, its high summer here in Brittany and it shows.  Whatever surplus of hay farmers were gleefully stocking earlier in the year is in danger of being required now. The corn has been cut and the fields are golden. The sheep are sensibly conserving their energy - lazy sunshine days, bliss:-)

Under The Skin....EID

Dont you just love the way these types of consultations are brought in as quietly as possible, hopefully no one will notice. Fortunately someone did and I for one am very pleased that this issue has yet to go away.

There has already been a dispensation granted for some parcs here in France who maintain ornamental flocks of sheep on view to the public to dispense with plastic ear tags in favour of subcutaneous microchips as was announced in the most recent GEMO bulletin.  Thank goodness some advocacy exists out there for breeders who are not satisfied with the current one cap fits all approach. Its a shame that the option to microchip was not investigated  more throughly at an earlier stage.  I look foward to future announcements. LINK  to the site page and consultation paper for the UK.

Puce électronique  sous-cutanée  bien tôt pour moutons non-destiné pour la consomption? Qui sait.... à voir.

La Paperasserie

With any flock of sheep comes a certain amount of paperwork.  Some of which is required for keeping track of  health, breeding and the flock in general. There are other formalities to ensure that state administrative requirements are met. In general once the systems are in place, the paperwork pretty much looks after itself and updating any changes within the flock is relatively straightforward. For the last three years generating any administrative paperwork to meet the requirements has been a logistical nightmare. The failure to foresee the difficulties associated with the introduction of electronic identification particularly in relation to the Ouessant sheep has meant that many flocks have gone three years without  the means to  satisfactorily identify animals. This has included animals coming in from outside flocks as well as lambs born to the holding.

What a farce! In addition national requirements for flock testing for brucellosis has meant that there is a REQUIREMENT to have animals properly identified to ensure it's possible to tally up blood results with individual sheep. Added complications of the national departmental databases which means each department generates its own system  including computerisation of records ordering and such has meant that  no generalised approach can be translated for every breeder.  In short the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, neither is it possible to co-ordinate  nationally a definative policy - resulting in a shambolic system with advocacy on behalf of the breeder sadly lacking.

Continual delays in the introduction of EID tags which are suitable for small breeds  of sheep has meant that the latest batch of yellow monstrosities arrived for my flock at the end of June. The first official tags for three years..... needless to say the work to bring the flock up to date has been frustrating and  what is rarely more than a nod towards administrative duties was a logistical nightmare to ensure that old and new numbers tally as did the actual sheep being tagged.

The flocks numbering system might be back on track in about three more years, the flock sports a variety of tags and  coloured lumps of plastic. I have no satisfactory system for identifying lambs that doesn't involve retagging at a later stage and still the sheep lose their tags and now ears in fences.

A congratulatory pat on the back for finally bringing in an alternative to cattle sized tags ............what price progress.


C'est la folie Ca y est, après trois ans le troupeau est à jour, .....plus ou moins. Félicitations   pour la situation d'aujourd'hui.