Rambouillet (part 3)

On November 20, 2022November 17, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

The third sample of gifted Rambouillet wool in my stash was raw fleece, which means it came straight off the sheep and had not been scoured to remove most of the lanolin.

I scoured the wool with Amway LOC (taking a risk because this is fine wool, but the other scouring soap is on my wish list) at about 125 degrees F, letting it soak for 15 minutes in the same temperature water so the lanolin doesn’t redeposit.

I sacrificed my salad spinner to the cause. I haven’t used it for salad in over two years, and it does a lovely job getting most of the water out of the rinsed fleece.

The fleece was dry in a few hours, and I was able to comb it in preparation for spinning. There is more waste when combing, but the waste contains the nepps and vegetable bits that are not desirable in spinning. I put the waste out in the compost bin.

Bottom: scoured fleece, Middle: combed fleece, Top: waste

I spun this on my 3D printed spindle, drop spindle style, as I walked the neighborhood. It is even more lovely to spin than the commercially prepared roving. I’m rather falling for Rambouillet.

Two ply center pull ball of Rambouillet yarn pulled off my spindle (with Missy photobomb)

Rambouillet (part 2)

On November 19, 2022November 15, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

The second Rambouillet wool sample I have was already scoured, combed, and prepped into roving.

It also spun like a dream, with no waste and a cottony feel. I spun and plied this while walking in about an hour.

Rambouillet (part 1)

On November 18, 2022November 15, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

I was gifted samples of Rambouillet wool by a local spinner who also likes to encourage new spinners.

Top down: scoured black Rambouillet, white Rambouillet roving, raw white Rambouillet

Getting started on this stash was precipitated by the acquisition of my wool combs. I love my mini Louet wool combs. They make such a nice preparation of the wool for spinning.

Combed black Rambouillet (left), uncombed (right)

I spun the combed wool with my latest 3D printed spindle as I walked the neighborhood. Not only did the Rambouillet spin like a dream, my spindle didn’t break when I dropped it. Huzzah! I can give extra weight to my spindle by putting stone beads in the center cavity. To keep the beads from jumping out, I cap the space with a bit of wool. Easy to tuck in, easy to remove with a crochet hook.

Black Rambouillet single spun on my 3D printed spindle

I plied the single right after spinning, using the same spindle. I slid the cop of yarn off the spindle, found the center end and joined it with the outside end, then two plied the yarn with an opposite spin. The spindle performed admirably, and the yarn is lovely.

Using a different color leader to start the spinning makes it easier to find the center end

I’ve divided this post into parts because I have loads of information to share! I understand why two thirds of the sheep in the US are Rambouillet (Brittanica), it is cottony and fine and absolutely a pleasure to spin.

RIP Cloud

On November 17, 2022November 15, 2022 By CarynIn chickens

Not a high spot of my chicken tending career. I usually check the chickens on the camera before bed. I apparently did not last night. Cloud did not make it back into the coop. She missed getting in the coop before the door closed, then chose to settle on the food bin (metal and stone) about 6pm and passed away when the temperatures were around 32 degrees in the wee hours of the morning. I found her when I did my morning check, and then I checked the camera footage. I don’t know why she chose the feed bin step to huddle, maybe something else was going on and it wouldn’t have mattered if she were inside or out. But if I had looked at the camera at my usual time, or she had chosen a roost on the side of the coop where the wind wasn’t so intense, the outcome might have been different. Darn it. Cameras are definitely a mixed blessing in this situation. Good that I can check without going out, bad that I can review footage on something that was preventable.

Cloud the hen “perched” in front of the food bin, caught outside in freezing weather

The other 8 hens are doing fine. I have one that wobbles, but has now for months with no other ill effects, and I’m not sure how Magic keeps hanging on, but she does. The other six look hale. They are over three years old, which is old for a production chicken (because they cull them when egg production slows), but still young for Faverolles that typically live 5-7 years (and mine are hatchery quality, so have questionable breeding). I started with 12, lost one to pendulous crop or sour crop, one was egg bound, and one to an inhaled wheat seed. They teeter the edge between livestock and pets.

If you made it this far in the post, thank you. Writing this was more a catharsis for me in reaction to an accidental death of an animal in my care than my usual critter or craft posts.

Winterizing

On November 16, 2022 By CarynIn chickens, Coop, Garden

We had a freeze coming in so I set about winterizing outside the house in 40 degree rain. It is a little different setting up for cold temperatures in Texas than up north, but there are still things that need doing. (I would take 32 degrees over forty and raining any day, though. Yuck.)

I cleaned and filled all the chicken water (three hanging, one heated) and put away the foot baths. I closed up the extra vents in the coop to prevent drafts (there are still eave vents to allow air circulation). I drained all the water hoses and put winter caps on all the outdoor faucets. I took the batteries out of the automatic waterers and stored them away in the garage. I harvested all the basil and covered the tank garden (which still has non-producing squash vines).

I washed the basil and picked through it for the nice leaves. The remainder went out to the chickens, who appreciated that I threaded it through the chicken wire in the covered run so they could pull leaves off, and did not hang it out in the rain.

Chickens tucking into basil secured to poultry wire

After the freeze, the remaining basil is starting to brown. The squash vines bloomed.

Critters and Craft

Month: November 2022