Saturday, November 04, 2006

shearing the buck

No, I didn't shear this handsome fellow...he showed up the other morning, nibbling on the forsythia bushes.

Contrary to what some may think, I cannot tell the how old this buck is by the antlers. The only way to really know his age is to look at his teeth, and he wasn't showing any. But his antlers do impress me, and I think about how he must have started growing them this past spring, and then how he shed the velvet to have them ready for the rut- typically late Oct to mid November around these parts. Yes indeed, they are impressive.

Anyway, I did shear the buck...

and he is a handsome fellow too. This is the last clip before the weather gets too awfully cold.

I was able to get about 6 or 7 ounces off of him, with a nice staple length of 4-5 inches. Lovely! I plan to blend it with the black Finn that I just picked up.

I have spun up some of this blend before, and have used it up as the darker wool in this shawl..which I have recently taken off the loom. Shown above, it is reclining in the rocker whilst waiting for its fulling bath and brushing....

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your shawl is gorgeous! It looks so cozy...

Anonymous said...

Wow, he is an impressive fellow! He has been eating very well this past summer/fall. Nice and healthy looking.

What a cute bunnie! Lovely staple on him. Your shawl is beautiful!

Leslie Shelor said...

Gorgeous, healthy bucks, both of them! Love the shawl, especially the colors!

Anonymous said...

I posted earlier this morning but have no idea where it went!??? Anyhow, I really love your wildlife pictures! It must be great to look out your window and see critters roaming through!

Judy said...

I promise to not tell my brother about that buck so it will be there next year too! I love the shawl and can't wait to see it brushed.

vanessa said...

cute bunny and lovely weaving.

Anonymous said...

Such a proud buck. I can't get over your photos. He is beautiful/handsome! Confident too. I love it when I see antlers. Your shawl is lovely, Cyndy.

Elise said...

I think I read somewhere that the size of the antlers has to do with how much calcium is in the soil. Maybe because they get more calcium in the vegetation they eat?

Blog Widget by LinkWithin