blend, blend, blend and rams and crochet

Thinking of connecting my drum carder to a 1/4 HP motor, if I can do it without ruining it. Been blending fleece of 2 colors and it takes time - especially when there are lots of noils in it. This is 2007 fleece, sheared in fear, washed in haste and bunged in the attic. Used this to experiment with dying - then found I really liked some of the yarn the blends produced - so have to keep at it. Will add a picture sometime - I hope.

Rams were moved today as they've been in a small paddock for over a week and I think they need a change of scene and some vegetative variety.

 Easy enough to move the ewes out of the lower pasture - hardly needed Huddie as they are addicted to concentrate and go anywhere to get some.

 However, the wether is even more addicted - and rushes for me is he thinks I have some. He's not aggressive in the usual sense but he could bundle into me and knock me over pretty easily so it was a delicate matter of drawing him (followed by the ram) across the upper pasture towards the lower pasture without getting him going at speed. Huddie hung about the edges of this enterprise so I could call him to me if I got crowded, yet get behind the ram if he turned back, while Oisin lay behind a fence on one side, effectively cutting off half of that pasture.  (I don't involve Oisin in the finer details these days but use him as a brute force, lurking at the periphery and occasionally bring him in to set the ovines right if they get snotty with Huddie.) 

 All went well until the last 1/3 of the pasture transfer when Dopey (the wether) got up a lot of speed rushing towards me. I ended up running at full tilt through the gates before dumping the last of the nuts on the ground for them. Boy can he move when he wants to! Unburdened by any concern other than food, he is a free spirit. (Where did I read "friends don't give friends wethers" ?). In his favor though, he is a great one for being first to undergo any nasty treatment being meted out to the flock and he is a pal to the ram - who would get depressed if left all alone 10 months of the year.

Got to learn some crochet last night (Thanks KnitT girl)! Never did it before and it's very interesting - the way it builds up. Had a good teacher though - clear and non-abusive :). Clear because she knows how to do it so well herself. Makes lovely things. As do all the Knit T ladies.

OH came along and watched last nights soccer match (Ireland V Georgia) - a success. last week he watched rugby (Ireland V france) - also a success. He's 2 for 2 - wonder what he'll get to see next week?