Fleece and Yarn

Every once in a while you see fiber posts here :)

My goal of having a proper 1927 Standard Shetland sheep that produces top quality breeding stock, grass fed lamb, AND a fine fleece every year, is really the ultimate sheep! AND they eat a lot less than most of the 'meat breeds' and don't require any grain!

Today I spent quite a bit of time pooling similar colored fleeces together to get ready to make batches of roving, top and quilt batts out of them. The grade 1 or 1/2 will go for roving, and then i have grade 3 and britch that are going for roving and/or quilt batts and then have Grade 1 neck wool getting made in to top. Granted one must always have the money to do this, so if you are looking for something specific I can send that to be processed first, for a deposit. Otherwise they will sit here, skirted, separated and ready to go when there is ever extra funds to be used for that.

But I DO have some that is already done :)

I have some 4oz Grade 2, White Shetland yarn, 250 yards, 4 oz skeins available. They are $21 dollars each, plus shipping. 


Here is a photo of the warm black/shetland black batch of lightly skirted (yes I see the VM) that will go for roving or batts. If you would rather just take several pounds of raw wool this is fine too! There is 12 pounds of this in this bag and I would sell it for $12/pound plus shipping.

And then I have my show fleece from WhitePine Lydia (gray katmoget). Its around 4" and is skirted heavily. It is 2 pounds 11 oz and is $43 dollars plus shipping.

Below is WhitePine Naomi (fawn katmoget) with her 2nd fleece. This is also skirted heavily and is available. I must check the weight (the fleece and card are outside)

And I do have BFL yarn too! This is DK weight, 6 oz, 300 yard, 2 ply (one white, one natural colored) next to a scarf that my friend made for me out of a skein. Doesn't it just knit up awesome? And its super soft.

Sale List

black ewe lamb. Conformationally lovely. Will have a longer fleece than I personally like. Less crimp. Some would call this intermediate, but my guess is it will be 5-6" long with little crimp. It IS soft and she will be jet black like her mother. Sire is White Pine Roman and Dam is WhitePine Festus. Available any time.

ShelteringPines Fleur de Lis - gray katmoget smirslet ewe. Has given me two great ewes and a ram and therefore can move her on. She had mastitis on one side of her udder last year but is raising a single lamb this year with no assistance. Her price will be lower accordingly. Her pedigree and conformation are enough reason to give this girl a try!

WhitePine Eve - mioget F1 Orion. She is a very typey ewe like her mother was, and her micron results were nice last year. However she falls out at the last rib (too much britch wool for me) and although she really can produce (was bred to Jazz this year) I need to sell a few nice ewes to pay for some bills. Serious inquiries please.

Sommarang Emerald - black flecket. Looks like a dalmation. Had twins the last two years, very milky ewe. So milky in fact she was the ewe that got mastitis this year on one side. She is available for auction price immediately. I retained a daughter from her last year and she is amazing.

Wintertime Jazz. Anyone who follows my blog knows about this handsome ram. He's available to a serious shepherd who has the 1927 standard and Appendix A in mind when looking at the ideal Shetland.

Five ram lambs.
white ram - WhitePine Roman (F1 Orion) x Justalit'l Chloe. he's the ram in the previous post with the phaeo and incomplete color coming through. Fully horned.

white ram - WhitePine Roman (F1 Orion) x WhitePine Neriah (Blues x Nirvana). He's pictured in the previous post as well. I may hang on to him if he does not sell. Beautiful ram. Fully horned.

gray katmoget - WhitePine Caiphas (F1 Holly) x WhitePine Centennial (Jazz x Chloe). He is dynamite! Will not be available until mid July. He's correct in structure and fleece. Cannot fault him.

gray katmoget - WhitePine Caiphas (F1 Holly) x Justalit'l Black Lambo (everyone knows her!). He is horned, but to what degree I'm not sure. His fleece will have less crimp like his sires did at the same age, but should still be quite fine. Available mid July.

gray katmoget - FirthofFifth Nekomis (Blues x Bramble Nadeen) x WhitePine Salome (Jazz x SP Snow Cloud). This ram lamb carries spots, and possibly moorit but not sure. He's had pizazz since he was born and he knows it too. dam is also horned and therefore ram lamb could carry the horned ewe gene, although its hard to know without test breeding.

I also have four polled ram lambs available that I posted to the polled yahoo list.

Once micron results come back I may have a few more adult Shetlands for sale. With the current price at the auction houses it makes me anxious to breed them all to a crossing ram for market lambs next year, so I may not have many to sell. And with fleeces like the ones that are in my flock, its getting harder and harder to part with any ewes!

Lack of snow = ewes and cows for sale!

Due to the lack of snow (we have maybe 4 inches of snow) and having missed five of the last 6 storms that brought FEET of snow here to Minnesota, I need to sell some ewes and cows to pay for my bills.

I wanted to let those of you who leased ewes from me, the option of purchasing the ewes first.

Also I will have several other ewes available.....of course with me kicking and screaming....but bills must be paid!

All ewes are blood tested negative several times for OPP, Johnes, CL and Blue Tongue. Several years of micron tests also available. UTD on vaccination and worming.

I will sell TWO Simmental cows, that are bred to a Red Angus bull (calves would make great steaks! I'm just sayin'!) Callie and Rena are both traditional Simmental (red and spotted) and are regsitered with the American Simmental Association. Proven mothers. I'm asking $1500.00 for each cow. Both have daughters that I have retained in the herd, and thus are available. Both are in their prime years for calving!

I also have several straws of British Simmental semen available to anyone interested in using some of the first UK semen to enter the US for Simmental!

Once I have finalized for sure who is available, I will try and collect photos of them. If pick up is not an option until spring, a small boarding fee would be added to the price.

Please inquire

Micron Results finally!

My Excel Spreadsheet came via email today of the 86 samples. I like to pay extra to get the results somewhat faster. I don't get the histograms unitl they arrive in the mail but this gives me an idea of what I'm feeling with my fingers and gives me a start on what do go forward with.

That being said I am going to be culling heavily this year. I already know which lines are working, which ewes I've already retained offspring from and there will be about 10 days of ewes for sale before they either go to the BFL ram or go to the auction house.

I'll try to get photos of the girls in question.

I'm not culling only on micron. I already have lists based on lambing record, health and parasite resistance, fleece sales, handle, conformation, temperament etc. The micron testing is just another tool, and to be honest, most of the numbers i was NOT suprised by.....

One nice thing about the reports is that it helps to train my fingers as to what a 30 AFD 6 SD feels like versus a 30AFD 4SD.

more when I can

2009 micron tests for rams for sale

Barish's test was as a 2 year old, taken spring time, mid side, last rib.

AFD22.4, SD 5.9, CV 26.4, CEM 12.2, CF 89.1

Uphaz's test was as a 6 month old fall sample, taken mid side, last rib

AFD 22.4, SD 5.7, CV 25.7, CEM 10.8, CF 90%

Caiphas' test was as a 6 month old, fall sample, taken mid-side, last rib

AFD 21.7, SD 5.2, CV 24.2, CEM 10.9, CF 93.4%

Veni's test was as a 6 month old, fall sample, taken mid-side, last rib

AFD 20.7, SD 4.8, CV 23.1, CEM 10.1, CF 95.3%

Christian's (black ram in photos) test was also 6 month, same as the rest

AFD 22.2, CV 4.9, CV 22, CEM 8..8, CF 95.2

All rams I'm waiting on the spring micron results for, taken in the same manner. However I'd like to move these guys spoken for in the next few weeks if possible so I can pay the vet back for their services.

Thanks for looking!

F1 rams for sale

I have several yearling F1 rams available immediately due to Oliver's back going out (read Vet Bills)

WhitePine Caiphas. Gray Katmoget. Greenholme Holly x Justalit'l Chloe. 65.5% UK. Ultra Fine fleece (21.7 AFD), crimpy 3" fleece. AbAa, BBBb, SSS?. Gorgeous wide sweeping horns. I just can't keep all these gray katmogets!

WhitePine Ephraim. Mioget. Heights Orion x FirthofFifth Evidence of Autumn. 62% UK. Was used extensively both here and at Cynthia's FirthofFifth Acres in Wisconsin. Modified, and I also got several lambs with krunet/smirslet markings on their heads. AaAa, BbBb, SSSs. Fleece staple very crimpy 3-4".

WhitePine Uphaz. Musket Smirslet Sokket (white tail also). Shirehill Minder x Underhill Ulla. 69% UK. Not uses last fall. Horns are growing atypical but not fatal. AgAa, BbBb, SsSs. Fleece length 4-5"

FirthofFifth Barish, F1 Campaign Timothy three year old proven ram. 53% UK, BBBB, AbAa, SSSs. Poll carrier. Polite, respectful, fertile, fleece staple 4-5 inches, very crimpy.

Can be delivered to BSG in Eugene OR or can meet half way between here and your place.

My flock is OPP, CL, BT and Johne's tested annually. Micron tests annually. Heavy culling. I wouldn't sell, what I myself wouldn't breed from.

Peace on Earth....er...the farm (also goals and sale sheep)

So the last few days I've been preparing for Shetland lambs. And mule lambs. And shearing. In. the. rain!

I've moved the ground bred ewes to the pen connected to the lambing jugs. The open yearling ewes in with the AI bred ewes and there is PEACE in the ram pen. THANK YOU LORD JESUS!

With the frost not out, and a few inches of 'snow cone ice' instead of snow on the grass, and 3-4 inches of mud on the field roads (frost still isn't out), we have over land flooding like we did last March when we had a week of hard rain. While its not raining nearly as bad, it IS warmer...like in the 40s every day, and above freezing at night, its just crazy weather for MN.

Every paddock and pasture is flooded, or half flooded. In a normal rain, it would drain way or soak away naturally, however with the frost not out, and not in the foreseeable future, we will have several more weeks of this 'in between' crap. Good thing the barn is dry and full of clean straw!

I let the Guineas out as they were madly protesting their spring fever in the barn and they proceeded to look like ducks the past few days, playing and splashing in the rain and running through puddles and streams in the roads. Such characters.

I've made tweeks to my goals on the farm. Don't worry, nothing drastic, but some decisions that I feel are worth sharing.

Awhile ago, Theresa had mentioned that she was only going to keep ewes with soft fleece and within what she saw as her ideal micron, length, crimp etc. I totally agree. I talk a lot about fine vs coarse in my sheep. Some feel coarse to me, or coarser than others. When Jerry was here on Sunday, I had made mention of several ewes that I thought were more coarse and he thought they felt extremely soft and fine! I guess its all in perception. Words like "fine, crimpy, soft" are all very subjective. I didn't have him feel my softest ewe, but he thought the ones for sale were quite soft. I went through all my ewes again tonight and I can honestly say only ONE ewe FEELS coarse, and even the few ewes that I have that are over 30 AFD, they still FEEL soft, and have low CV and SD.

Since I've gathered quite the collection of sheep (both purchased and bred) I am really honing in on my preferred type of fleece (length, crimp, fineness, density etc). I truly believe after I sell the remaining ewes I have for sale, that I will be at that goal. Some of the ewes for sale are in the high 20's for AFD, but don't have the crimp I am looking for. Whatever the reason, the ewes I have retained so far as all winners in some respect.

In looking to the future I have 25 ewes that I would like to breed to purebred. Most of them are quite young and I have several rams I'd like to try them with to see just how far I can go in my goal for the ultimate Shetland (at least to me). Those ewes that I do not breed pure this year, will not be for sale, but will be bred to the BFL for Shetland Mules. Since those ewes are nothing to sneeze at, I may use them for pure in the future, or I may just keep them for mules. Is that wrong? No! I will still have the ewes, I will still have their fleeces and I will know what to expect from them as the years go by and they keep lambing beautifully for me.

I may occasionally have one or two ewes for sale, but I can make a more definite income on mule lambs or market lambs that I can on the wishy washy purebred market.

So in saying that, this is what I have for sale:
Minwawe Sea Breeze: moorit smirslet sokket. Shorter intermediate fleece. She feels coarse to me, but still is under 30 AFD. I guess I should say 'less fine' than the rest of my flock. She does not have any crimp. 65 pound ewe, great mother, lambed easily last year. Produced smirslet sokket katmoget ewe lamb last year with gorgeous crimp (she was bred to Jazz. so she is improvable)

Minwawe RedBud: Shaela, krunet. carries moorit. Throws wild spots. Long intermediate fleece. AFD of 22.8. Her fleece is already sold from this year. Her fleece is a gorgeous blue color. Great mom. 65 pound ewe, with shorter legs. She has a longer tail, but her lambs, when bred correctly, do not have that tail. She is also very improvable.

Minwawe Flopsy; moorit. proven mom and spot producer. She is 8 years old but still has several good years left in her. 80 pound ewe who's last year ram lamb was the most amazingly crimped lamb I had. Even better than my AI lambs (he was out of Jazz). I retained his twin sister who is a krunet sokket katmoget. super improvable.

WhitePine Columbine. Jet black Jazz daughter. She was a bottle baby. 65 pounds, long intermediate fleece. Her yearling AFD was 20.6. She is very soft, but does not have the crimp definition I'm looking for.

Justalit'l Chloe and RYL Rachildas are still available. They are 4" length, intermediate fleeces but super improvable. I think they deserve a chance in another purebred flock for sure. Those that are after UK style fleeces and improvements. Structure is spot on.

That's it.

My next post will list the girls I have currently. If you see something you might like, let me know, but chances are I won't sell them......such a tease I know!

Shetlands Available

I am compiling my 'for sale' list of sheep available.

I'm planning on traveling to Gettysburg, PA the last week of April, and also Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, OR in June. Sheep can be transported to those destinations. Ewes will not be ready to move until the June transport or later.

Rams:
FirthofFifth Angus - dark emsket krunet gulmoget - S27909 twin, born 3.7.08, 25% UK

UnderTheSon Arapaho - dark moorit - S26588 twin, born 3.27.08 42% UK

FirthofFifth Barish - gray katmoget - poll carrier - F1 Timothy -S25042 twin, born 3.31.07 53% UK

WhitePine Uphaz - smirslet sokket musket - F1 Minder S29977 twin, born 3.27.09 69% UK

Micron reports, prices, fleece descriptions etc are available privately.

Ewes: (available after weaning of lambs)

Justalit'l Chloe - homozygous fawn katmoget - F2 Minder (Bartok daughter) S15371 single. 31%UK. This ewe I have really used heavily on AI, having had her bred to Greenholme Holly, Shirehill Minder, and Todhill Jericho (at Cynthia's). She is a 4" fleece intermediate fleeced ewe with more wool on tail than hair, but has hair and proper length of tail and fluke shape. She has given me three ewes and ram, all of them I"ve retained. I'm also borrowing her jericho daughter that Cynthia owns. She is going to be 7 years old this year but she is going strong and very healthy. She deserves to be used in another flock. She carries spots. CV of 20.7. Highly improvable. Friendly.

RYL Rachildas - Awt/Ag white ewe - 13%UK S18143, twin. Rachildas will be 8 this year. I"ve kept her two white ewes and a white ram from her out of Orion from last year. This year she is bred to Jazz. Another 'foundation' ewe with wonderful conformation, hardy, healthy and a great mom. Her Ag lambs are always spotted (bersugget) so she also carries spots as well. My 2nd favorite ewe on the farm is her daughter Rahu who is out of Forrest. Rachildas is another intermediate 4" fleece with a CV of 22. Highly improvable.

FirthofFifth Evidence of Autumn - mioget S20267 twin, born 4.22.05. She gave me a gorgeous pair of mioget lambs out of Orion last year. Typey Shetland ewe with intermediate fleece.

Justalit'l Shasta - Ag/Aa Gray smirslet flecket horned - 25%UK S21032, born 4.15.05 twin. Has some 'mane' behind her ears. Conformation lovely, great mom, solid, healthy build. Friendly.

Minwawe Dark Chocolate - black krunet domestic ewe with intermediate fleece. Conformation is outstanding. S28418. born 3.18.08

Minwawe Flopsy - moorit ewe. conformation is excellent, intermediate domestic ewe. In most of Mary Ellen's pedigrees. Great mom, friendly. born 4.12.02 twin. carries spots. proven sound ewe.

Minwawe Sea Breeze - moorit smirslet sokket, intermediate fleece, domestic ewe. twin. S27945.

Sheltering Pines Snow Cloud - smirslet gray katmoget - intermediate fleece. dam was a primitive true spotted emsket. She produces loud bling. improvable. CV of 22.5

WhitePine Castle Rock - F2 Jericho. gray katmoget S27559 twin. born 3.31.08. Retaining her sister and her daughter.Lovely black face

WhitePine Columbine - S 27562 black long silky intermediate AFD of 20. twin, born 4.7.08. Was a bottle baby and is SUPER friendly and sweet. loves to sit on your lap (if there is room). F2 Jericho.

WhitePine Twix - long moorit iset intermediate fleece. twin born 4.25.07. S26418. Her lamb fleece was crimpy and a gorgeous dark moorit. She went iset after her first shearing. Some people like it. I prefer not to use it in my breeding program.

Minwawe RedBud - long intermediate emsket fleece. Domestic. born 4.5.07 single. AFD of 22.4 as a two year old. Smaller ewe.

I think everyone who enjoys the diversity in Shetlands can find something in here that they like. This is just the preliminary round. There will be more added after micron reports and lambs are born. Some I'm waiting for a ewe lamb that is better to replace their moms. I'm hoping that I have more AI ewe lambs this year to choose from :)

Today my dad and I vaccinated everyone for CD/T and trimmed hooves. With the longer walks of the ewes this past year, I'm happy to say that the hooves need minimal trimming. Not surprisingly the rams had the longer hooves as they have less distance to travel to eat :). Spoiled rotten too.

For anyone that has read this far, I may be willing to part with my beloved Jazz. With four gray katmoget ram lambs to hopefully use this fall, Jazz is getting less and less ewes each year. I have retained about 11 of his ewe lambs the past few years and hope to keep a couple more from him from 2010's lamb crop. Please inquire.

Rams for sale

I have several rams available now. If transportation is an issue, I can house them for $1/day until they can be picked up or arranged transportation. All rams micron tested and all mature rams blood tested negative for OPP, Johne's, CL and BT

UnderTheSon Arapaho - moorit nearly 2 year old ram. proven ram. dark moorit color, all lambs have been dynamite conformation. Very mellow ram.

FirthofFifth Barish - F1 Timothy - homozygous black - gray katmoget ram. He carries modified, spots and is a half poll with abherent horns. Conformation is lovely with a nice crimpy fleece. dark katmoget face and a gentlman.

FirthofFifth Angus - shaela gulmoget - A gorgeous colored modfied ram with a very mellow personality. Could carry moorit and spots.

WhitePine Uphaz - F1 Minder - musket smirslet sokket ram lamb. 69% uK. He may be abherent horned as his horns are growing differently. AgAa, SsSs, BbBb, MMMm

WhitePine Phineas - F1 Orion F3 Greyling/F3 Jamie 75% - musket - scurred ram. Very crimpy fleece, even, soft. In at the hocks.

There may be others available if you inquire :) Its an odd time of the year to be buying rams but I wanted to get it out there that they are available.

More F1 rams available

I have several other F1s available as well.

WhitePine Solomon SOLD- black ram - Campaign Timothy x Justalit'l Shasta. Solomon carries spots, possibly carries moorit and is 62.5% UK. He is intermediate in fleece with a soft handle, but little crimp.

Solomon was stretching after just getting up, but he is 4-square and otherwise nice conformation. He'll have more UK style horns.

WhitePine Rufus SOLD is also 62.5% UK out of Heights Orion x FirthofFifth Rooibos. He is more of a fawn color and again in intermediate in fleece with larger crimp in the fleece. His right horn (your left) lost its casing in the fenceline when he was quite young so it doesn't look as symetrical as it could.

Rufus was NOT cooperating this day...he was frozen solid/stiff and I could not hardly get a good photo

Close up of his fleece mid side.


WhitePine Phineas is out of Heights Orion x Underhill Peep. 75%UK F1 Orion,F3Greyling/F3Jamie. He is musket with possible poll gene (super slow growing horns)

He appears to be single coated with no glaring faults other than he appears to fall at the britch and is a bit narrow from the rear. He doesn't always look like that but sometimes, while resting, standing up he tends to look narrow. Maybe I'm being overly critical.A fleece shot mid side. He has not been microned.

WhitePine Philemon - twin brother to Phineas. His lamb micron was AFD 20.9, SD 6.2, CV 29.4, fibers less than 15 micron was 13.2%!! CF of 90.1% He has a long single coated staple with tiny crimp. He has full horns and is fawn/moorit in color. I was going to hang on to him but have rams wtih lower CV than he does. Wool on poll and cheeks, I cant seem to find fault in him, other than his higher CV.

If you biggify you may be able to see his lovely tiny crimp.

F1 ram lamb available

I have decided to part with WhitePine Uphaz, a musket smirslet sokket F1 Minder ram lamb. His lamb micron was AFD 22.4, SD 5.7, CV 25.7, CEM 10.8, CF 90% with fibers less than 15u 4.8%.

He is 69% UK out of Shirehill Minder and Underhill Ulla. He carries Aa (solid) and is brown based. AND he is spotted!! I didn't know before this but Minder was a spot carrier! One of very few F1s that are spotted, that is for sure.

His lamb photos:
Above he is just born.....

Below he and his brother Ulam grazing.
And again....(with mom right behind them)
And their lovely tails and rears.

if anyone is interested further, please email me for a more current photo and pricing.

re-evaluations and for sale animals

The joy of not selling your lambs before they are born, or immediately when they are born, or when they are 8 weeks old is awesome! My AI lambs are now 14 weeks old. I now cannot decide which of the 14 ram lambs I should keep!

I thought initially there were a few 'duds', and then at 8 weeks there were a few I thought would go directly to the freezer, but now...I'm seeing some AMAZING things happen to the boys! The fleeces are coming in really crimpy. The bodies seem to have caught up to the long tails on some, the horns on some that looked to be headed towards 'fatal' are now curving out and away very nicely. Heads are looking less ugly. I have got to be honest. I'm hooked on this AI thing :)

I KNOW I do not need to keep both rams from a set of twins. Just deciding which one to keep will be my problem!!

I plan to offer NOW the option to be put on a waiting list for one of the following boys. After micron tests the 1st of September I will be able to figure out who I want to retain over winter and/or use for fall breeding groups. The others would be available for sale, if they are deemed of breeding quality. Those that have bad fleeces and/or bad conformation will be held over and butchered in the spring. Yes F1s can be eaten too, no worries ;)

The following rams may be available:

ONE of the following two rams: WhitePine Simeon (Ag gray) full horned ram or WhitePine Solomon -black scurred ram. One will be available. F1 Timothy F3 Gordon. Dam is Justalit'l Shasta. 62.5% UK. They appear to be more intermediate in fleece or a long single coat. VERY square boys.

ONE of the following two rams: WhitePine Rhodes or WhitePine Roman. Both white rams, one has illget markings on legs and face. Both full horned rams, F1 Orion 56% UK. GORGEOUS crimpy fleece including the tail head. very little or no britch wool. Dam is RYL Rachildas.

ONE of the following two rams: WhitePine Philemon *musket* or WhitePine Phineaus *Moorit*. Philemon is scurred, and Phineaus seems to be full horned. Both are a big leggier right now that I like but they are really filling out nicely with nice even crimp. 75% UK. Heights Orion x Underhill Peep.

ONE of the following two rams: WhitePine Ulam (light badgerface, moorit based) or WhitePine Uphaz (musket yuglet sokket). Ulam is full horned, very square with a slight leaning towards intermediate or long single coat. Uphaz is appearing to have UK style horns or slow growing horns or scurred(?). He is more single coated of the two. Sire is Shirehill Minder. Dam is Underhill Ulla. 69% UK.

WhitePine Rufus. Fawn ram with scurs or slow growing horns. He is out of Heights Orion and FirthofFifth Rooibos. Will be long intermediate fleece. Very square and built ram for those who wish to have a longer staple. Lovely wool on poll and cheeks already too! 62.5% UK.

Please contact me for prices on F1 rams of this high of percentages. Photos are available if they have not been posted lately.

I also have several ewes still available:

Justalit'l Shasta. Ag smirslet flecket horned ewe. Possibly carries polled gene as well. Great mom. Really produces

Minwawe Flopsy. A mature ewe who has given me amazing lambs this year when bred to Jazz! She is domestic with a more singlecoated fleece. She is moorit who is a proven spot producer and is very structurally correct. A great asset to any flock.

Minwawe Dark Chocolate. Gorgeous jet black ewe who carries modifed and spots. Extremely nice conformation and a fleece that has some larger crimp.

Minwawe Sterling. black krunet ewe. She is not the ideal ewe but has given me two years of dynamite ewe lambs to retain! She is a proven producer who has given me my softest lamb of 2008. Her 2009 lamb is also very amazing.

WhitePine Columbine. black ewe with tiny horns. Complete love. she was my bottle baby last year. yearling micron was 20.1 with a comfort factor of 99.6%. She was not bred last year. I have other black ewes I am wanting to take a chance on and so she is available. her CV was not her strong point.

There are also two black ewe lambs that I am still waiting to have 'wow' me in the fleece department. I think they will be more intermediate and I don't really 'want' to have them as I prefer single coated. One is 65.75% UK and the other is 35% UK. One has a silly white smirslet on her head, the other is solid black.

Will give discounts to multiple purchases. All yearlings or older are tested negative for OPP, Johne's and CL. Micron reports available as well as lambing history of ewes.

Please inquire >:)

What's For Sale

I did a tremendous amount of fencing today. This morning I spent the entire time fencing in another movable pasture for the boys. I have 10 yearling or two year old rams and I want to have only 4 by June 15th. I did some more evaluations on the rams and this is what I've decided can move on right now. I do have the right to change my mind ;)

RAMS:
* yearling moorit ram UnderTheSon Arapaho. $450 he has nice horns, near perfect conformation and is proven ram (bred three ewes for this spring lambs) All lambs had nice crimpy and even fleeces. He is a dark moorit with no iset. F2 Orion. Carries modified.
* yearling fawn katmoget UnderTheSon Mohican $350. Also nice horns, conformation. Both dense fleeces and mellow personalities. He was not used last fall. F2 Brent, F3 Jericho. Carries modified.
* yearling black ram named WhitePine Romeo $250. He is a poll carrier (one gene for poll, one for horn) as he has small scurs that require trimming. Gorgeous fleece, more intermediate in length (5-6") and very square boy. Soft like his dad, jet black. F2 Timothy. Out of Rahu one of my softest ewes.
* yearling warm black ram named WhitePine Lyons. I showed him last year at our Annual National show that was in Wisonsin. $350. Nice conformation, horns and friendly ram. He carries modified, spots and moorit. Was my keeper ram from last year but now am going to keep his younger full brother.
* yearling Ag/Aa Gray Bersugget ram named WhitePine Rico. His fleece is like butter. Super crimpy UK style fleece that is consistent from front to britch. Slightly narrow in the rear. Is spotted, carries modified and carries moorit. F2 Orion. $350

All rams are pending new micron results. For more information please inquire.

This afternoon/evening I spent mowing a path for the electronet for the ewes and lambs, as well as fencing in permanent fencing that will eventually be used for rotational grazing in a larger scale.

I did more evaluations on the ewes that I had in my mind I might let go. This is what i came up with.

Ewes available after July 1st.
*yearling Minwawe Dark Chocolate. She carries spots and is structurally wonderful. Crimpy fleece for a domestic. Carries moorit and modified genes also. jet black. $250
*Minwawe RedBud - shaela ewe (not iset)- two year old $250 carries spots and moorit. great mom. I'm keeping her ewe lamb.
*Minwawe Flopsy - moorit ewe - she is seven years old $300 carries spots. structurally beautiful. great mom. I'm keepign her ewe lamb.
*FirthofFifth Rooibos - fawn ewe - she is three years old . Primitive fleece. Free to good home due to mastitis. Should not be bred again.
*BonoCreek Lavender Brown - fawn ewe - she is six years old $250 reserved
*Minwawe Sterling - black krunet ewe (borderline shaela) - she is two years old $250 carries spots and moorit. Thrown only spotted girls for me. I'm retaining her girls.
*Minwawe Dixie Cup - black smirslet ewe - she is two years old $250 carries spots and moorit. My softest domestic ewe. I'm keeping her ewe lamb.
*Justalit'l Shasta - Ag smirslet flecket ewe - she is four years old $300. i think she carries polled and she herself is horned. Great mom and VERY friendly. F2 Gordon.
*WhitePine Twix - moorit moonspotted ewe - she is two years old $175. moonspotting is rare. she is now just getting iset on her sides. Last micron was very soft.

The above girls were all tested negative for OPP, Johne's and CL in October 2008. All have several micron reports as well.

Ram Lambs: (pending horn growth, testes, bite, structure) They may be kept until September for their first micron test to see where they are at.

Since I still have Jazz and Barish, most of their boys will be available July 15th or so. Please inquire for pricing.

*WhitePine Matthias - gray katmoget -(Wintertime Jazz x ShelteringPines Myra) He carries moorit and spotting. Very even fleece with no falling out at the britch. Very crimpy.
*WhitePine Reuben - black - (UnderTheSon Arapaho x FirthofFifth Rahu) . Very sound boy who has amazing presence in the pasture. Carries moorit.
*WhitePine Enoch - gray katmoget - (FirthofFifth Barish x River Oaks Eliza). Eliza is my softest mature ewe hands down. Enoch should carry moorit and could carry modfied and spots. Will have a wavier crimp in his fleece and 'probably' be more intermediate I'm thinking at this point
*WhitePine Lot - dark gray katmoget krunet - (Wintertime Jazz x Bono Creek Lavender Brown). Carries spots, moorit and possibly modified. GORGEOUS fleece, very even. Darkest Jazz katmoget ram lamb yet. Beautiful conformation. single coated.
*WhitePine Christian - black - (UnderTheSon Arapaho x WhitePine Centennial) the most amazing black ram I've had born to date here. Very even crimp, UK style, with a lot of presence and attitude in the field. Crimp even on his tail head. Carries moorit and possibly modified. He may stay here, but if someone reserves him I can't change my mind :)
*WhitePine Fortunatus - gray katmoget - (Wintertime Jazz x Minwaw Flopsy) Fleece is just stunning. dark gray katmoget that carries moorit and spotting. Beautiful build.
*two black ram lambs I'm still out to lunch on as their fleeces are still dog hair. One coudl be shaela, the other is a black krunet. With all the others to choose from I woulsn't consider them except their moms are soft and the lambs may just be 'sleepers' until this fall.

AI ram lambs:
*white ram lamb - (heights orions x ryl rachildas). I haven't decided which to keep but they are nearly identical. One has more phaeo than the other, but both are crimpy down to the tail head with no britch. nicely conformed.
* ram lamb out of Campaign Timothy x Justalit'l Shasta. One is Ag with normal horns. The other is black with scurs. I won't decide until micron reports.
* WhitePine Rufus - fawn (heights orion x firthoffifth rooibos) - it looks as though he will be intermediate in fleece going more towards his mother's type of fleece. nicely built, square boy. Very inquisitive and calm disposition
* ram lamb out of (Heights Orion x Underhill Peep) 75% UK. one is moorit, one is musket. Both seem to be scurred. I will only keep one.
* WhitePine Ulam - (Shirehill Minder x Underhill Ulla) 69% UK with nice horns so far. I have a fawn katmoget ram lamb i'm keeping out of Orion so this boy is available. His brother is the musket yuglet sokket HST ram lamb that looks like he will be scurred. I'm retaining him.

All above ram lambs are available to be 'reserved'. I'd like to make sure they are breeding worthy prior to me selling them. If I feel they are worthy of breeding the deposit will go towards their purchase price. If they are not breeding quality after all, then your deposit can go towards another ram or refunded. This will be more precise in July or August. Stay tuned. Please inquire if you have a favorite ;)

ewe lambs available will be in a post tomorrow.

Ewes available.....

I sat long and hard today out in the flock and made some tough realizations and decisions.

I've decided I'm willing to sell two ewe lambs (going on yearlings) that have been exposed to FirthofFifth Barish.

White Pine Sheridan is a intermediate fleeced black ewe lamb that was born with a smirslet marking. Sire is Wintertime Jazz AI and Dam is Justalit'l Shasta. I'm working towards finer fleece and single coats and I feel she will lack in this department. However with that being said she is extremely correct, solid ewe lamb. She should, if bred, lamb with a grey katmoget or solid black lamb. No guarantee she is bred, but if she is, she is due April 20th-May 21st. $200. Micron report available upon request. SALE PENDING

White Pine Westminster. Intermediate grey katmoget smirslet. She had a wide blaze when born which has now faded. Sire is Wintertime Jazz AI and Dam is LittleRedOak Wren. She carries moorit and will throw spots! Exposed to FirthofFifth Barish and should lamb with a solid black or grey katmoget. Could be homozygous katmoget lamb. NO guarantee on breeding, however was exposed to lamb April 20th-May 21st. $250. She is a little smaller than Sheridan but is correct in stucture.

White Pine Denver is a black smirslet intermediate fleeced lamb that was left open this year. She is a dainty, small framed, small in stature ewe lamb. Sire is FirthofFifth Barish and dam is Minwawe Dixie Up. She reminds me more of the domestic Shetlands so feel that I can move her out. $150 SALE PENDING

All three have soft handle, just are higher in microns and more intermediate in fleece than I"d like to see. I'd be willing to sell all three as a package deal for $500 plus transporting fees.

Also have three ewes available for sale after lambs are born, if lamb is ram lamb:

BonoCreek Lavender Brown was rebred to Wintertime Jazz. In 2008 she produced a shaeal ram lamb with perfect round horns. Lavender is a dark fawn, proven ewe. if with a ram lamb, will be available. Lavi is more intermediate in fleece. microns available.

FirthofFifth Rooibos is a fawn ewe that is rebred to Wintertime Jazz. Her daughter last year went to good friend Stephen at Sheltering Pines. If she has a ram lamb, they will be available as a pair. she is more intermediate in fleece. microns available.

Minwawe Sterling - black krunet ewe. She produced my SOFTEST, NICEST, SPOTTED katmoget EWE lamb last year! I bred her back to Wintertime Jazz hoping for another ewe lamb this year. If she lambs with a ram, she will be available for sale. She is a small ewe (65 pounds mature) and not the best conformationally but she has proven her worth as a producer.

Please email me privately if you are intersted in the ewe lambs or being put on the waiting list for any of the ewes.

Shetlands for sale

I have decided that after my micron results came back on the ram lambs that I will be offering WhitePine Lyons, the black/shaela ram, for sale. He has very nice horns, silky soft, very crimpy fleece and single coated UK style to it. He was a single born 4-5-08 and is overall my nicest ram lamb with horns of the year. I was going to keep him and use him for breeding but his father, Jazz is still softer than he is and Lyons cannot help in my fleece improvement program more than his dad Jazz can.

That is why I am offering him for sale.

He is out of Wintertime Jazz and Bono Creek Lavender Brown. He is 62% UK, F2 Jericho, F3 Drum Ram, F4 Drum Jings, F4 Jamie, F5 Gordon. He is registered with NASSA and can be found online. Lyons was the ram lamb I showed at WS&WF. Please email for price, photos and any more information you might need.

I still have WhitePine Rico, the F2 Orion F4 Lightning, F5 Holly, F5 Jamie, bersugget small scurred ram lamb available, also registered with NASSA. He is as soft as Lyons, but I am still waiting back on his micron report.

WhitePine Romeo is the tiny scurred black ram lamb out of FirthofFifth Barish and FirthofFifth Rahu. Romeo is an F2 Timothy, F4 Dillon, F5/F7 Greyling, F5 Lightning.

After much consideration, I am offering up several ewes that I had planned on breeding. If they do not sell, I will keep them and breed them.

Minwawe Sterling, a black krunet and 100% domestic lines. She was bred to Jazz this year and gave me an incredible spotted katmoget ewe lamb with perfect conformation, although she herself isn't perfect. NASSA registered.

WhitePine Denver, a black smirslet ewe lamb. She was born later and is not big enough to breed this year. She is also NASSA registered. Out of FirthofFifth Barish and Minwawe Dixie Cup.

I think that's it, although there could be more if you inquired :)

Boys, Boys, Boys

Blogger is a great way to stalk other people's lives, and to be nosey about what they do, and then can pretend they "didn't know" even when they really did. LOL

In other ways its a great way to check up on your friends when you have time, and you don't have to wake them up, bother them at work, or if you don't feel like talking....you can just check in to see how they are doing. Hi Auntie Paula! :) LOL

Ok so we all like to see how sheep are growing, right? Of course. People are nosey by nature.

For those who haven't been fortunate enough to come visit me yet this year (shame on you!) Here are some of the boys I have yet.



Here are WhitePine Peyton and WhitePine Peterson. They are both of out Wintertime Black Forrest, a black gulmoget. Peyton is out of Underhill Peep and just found a new home today!. Peterson is out of FirfthofFifth PiLo Chun and is still available. Peterson looks to have normal horn growth and is NCWGA registerable.


WhitePine Lyons (shaela) out of Wintertime Jazz and Bono Creek Lavender Brown and WhitePine Romeo (black, scurred) out of FirthofFifth Barish and FirthofFifth Rahu. I am going to keep Lyons as I think that color of his is absoultely stunning! He is even from front to rear, gorgeous horns, nice disposition and perfect tail, and HE's SO SOFT! Romeo is super crimpy as well thanks to his dad and I think he will stay jet black with no iset as his Grandpappy (Campaign Timothy) was jet black at 9 yrs of age yet. He's NASSA registerable.



Minwawe Fiddler, a moorit yuglet flecket is still available. I was going to grow him on but realized he is very related to all my spotted girls! He is NASSA registerable.



This is WhitePine Longmont, an F2 Orion, Double Tennyson breeding. He is currently fawn and could change yet to mioget like his mother. Super crimpy, correct boy with nice horn growth and square back end. He is NCWGA registerable.



And this long scurred guy is FirthofFifth Barish, my poll carrier ram, F1 Timothy. He's turning out to be a handsome young boy.

Spotted starter flock available

After much deliberation I have decided to sell a group of ewes that are spotted or carry the spotting gene. There are a range of colors and patterns and they are available at a GROUP PRICE!! All are NASSA registered.

Minwawe Bejig S26887 A Shaela ewe with some iset on the britch. Very open crimp from midside foreward, more straight fleece in the back. This year she produced a black krunet ewe who I'm retaining and a black yuglet ram that was totally white except for his yuglets. Nice big lambs. Great mom.

Minwawe Hopscotch S20014 Fawn ewe, proven spot carrier and produced a gorgeously crimpy, flecket ewe lamb this year. At three months old her daughter is almost as big as she. Good mother.

Minwawe Do Si Do S26887 black bielset, yuglet, sokket. First time mom who gave me a loudly patterned yuglet, flecket, sokket moorit ram lamb. Good mother.

Minwawe MopsyII (NASSA pending)half sister to Hopscotch. Black ewe lamb who carries moorit. Her brother was a black HST with gorgeous horns. She has gorgeous bedroom eyes. carries spots and moorit.

WhitePine Salida (NASSA pending) black krunet ewe lamb. Out of my F1 Timothy and Minwawe Skippy (fawn smirslet) Has a good chance of being modified down the road as both parents are, or carry modifiers.

There may be two more adult ewes available if there is any interest.

Choice of ram to accompany above ewes/ewe lambs:
Minwawe Fiddler - yuglet, flecket, sokket moorit ram lamb out of Do Si Do. Domestic lines.

WhitePine Rifle - is going modified, mostly likely EMSKET. Has scurs. Out of F1 Timothy and Minwawe RedBud. Both parents microned in the low 20's. Could carry spotting.

WhitePine Peyton. Krunet Ag Gulmoget scurred ram lamb. Is spotted/carries spots, plus gulmoget and Ag, as well as moorit

WhitePine Rico - Long scurs, Bersugget F2 Orion. Is spotted, carries moorit, very crimpy fleece, very soft

WhitePine Romeo- black, small scurs, F2 Timothy, could carry spotting and possibly moorit. Extremely even and crimpy.

Price of ewes with ram depends on which ram is chosen. Please email for more details or photos.

Sales List - UPDATED 7-10-08

Going through your own animals, day after day, gets quite stressful! Questions that always come up are:

How many can I keep comfortably?
What does their micron report tell me?
What does their handle tell me?
Do I have any others in that line?
Do I have any others in that color?
Do I have any others in that pattern?
What are its conformational faults or strengths? Can I live with them, or improve them?
Is their ewe lamb better than they are?

After second guessing myself, re-evaluating my flock and what my current and future goals are, this is what I have for sale. Granted they are moving on because I cannot use them for MY GOALS, but that doesn't mean they aren't NICE for some other flock!


A gorgeous and soft, square little modified moorit who may go mioget. NCWGA registerable $150 F2 Orion.
Bersugget F2 Orion scurred boy who carries the poll gene and is spotted. Super crimpy and soft! $300.

White Pine Peyton Ag black gulmoget scurred ram lamb $400. Very solid and square and growing fast! NASSA registerable.
White Pine Salida - black krunet ewe lamb. One of the only girls I'm letting go this year.$250 NASSA registerable.
WhitePine Peterson, black, crimpy, nice set of growing horns NCWGA registerable $125
Minwawe Skippy - fawn smirslet - shown with her ewe lamb Salida. Both for sale. $300 for Skippy, or $500 for the pair. Skippy is modified and spotted.
WhitePine Romeo - F2 Timothy, jet black, crimpy, soft scurred boy. Carries poll gene. Quite the gentleman NASSA registerable $250


Minwawe Fiddler - moorit yuglet flecket ram lamb. $250 very striking boy!


There are a few I missed, but do ask for details. I may have a starter flock ready to go shortly for wildly patterned babies! Discounts when three or more are purchased!

For Sale List: - Updated!

Below you will find a list of the current "for sale" and "evaluation" sheep. We are doing an extensive AI this fall with 12-15 ewes being AI'ed along with an additional 15-20 ewes of Cynthia's. We were able to secure the last Jericho, Holly and Jamie straws as well as most of the Timothy and Orion straws. I am also using a few Minder.

This sales list is subject to change. if you are interested in even some that are listed currently as 'being evaluated' please do not hesitate to ask about them as they may be come available sooner or later.

Ram Lambs:
All ram lambs are available for sale pending further evaluation of conformation, growth, horns, testicles, temperament etc. It is an ongoing, daily judgement. Some of these boys will be amazing sires, others are not destined to be flock sires. These prices reflect pedigree, potential worth in a flock, and current temperament, horn development (or lack of) color of fleece and SOFTNESS of fleece.

White Pine Peyton - Ag gulmoget ram - Forrest x Peep $400 reserved
White Pine Lyons - black ram - $350 - Jazz x Lavender
White Pine Rico - bersugget ram - F2 Orion - $300 Aman x Rachildas
White Pine Romeo - black ram - scurred - Barish x Rahu $250 F2 Timothy
White Pine Grover - black ram - scurred - Barish x Gracie $250 F2 Timothy
White Pine Rifle - black ram - could be modified Barish x RedBud F2 Timothy $200
Minwawe Cloud - bergsugget - $200
Minwawe Fiddler - moorit flecket yuglet ram - $300
White Pine Longmont - fawn ram - Heath x Layla, F2 Orion -Available NCWGA $150
White Pine Peterson - black ram (Forrest x Pi Lo) $125 NCWGA registerable
White Pine Masonville - black krunet ram (Jazz x Maya) $100 as a whether/fiber pet

Ewe Lambs:
Minwawe Mopsy II - black krunet ewe - $250
Minwawe Merry Go Round - Ag flecket ewe -$300 - held for evaluation
Minwawe D.C. - black krunet - $250 - held for evaluation
White Pine Silverthorne - Ag krunet burrit ewe - Jazz x Shasta - held for evaluation

Mature Ewes:
ShelteringPines Wind Sprite - shaela smirslet - $200

Ram Lambs For Sale

I had read on several blogs that people wanted to know what lambs were available. Its really sad for me to say this but I was really hoping for all girls! I am keeping both Jazz and Barish (for now) and realize that I'd be doubling up too much if I kept their sons. If they were ewes they would never be going anywhere. Some, I'd like to 'grow on' but in the end I realize they will more than likely become available. Others are Ag and I personally don't want a ram that will spread that Ag like wildfire in my flock. Just a personal preference. Had either been a girl, i would have kept them too :) And since I have a plethora of black ewes and grey katmoget ewes, I really want to hold out for a moorit or moorit gulmoget ram from someone for the fall groundbreedings of the ewe lambs (its crazy i'm not even done with lambing and already thinking of this fall!)

Below is a bit of description of each boy with mostly current photos. For inquiries please email me privately at gramsay@arvig.net

We'll go in order of age:
WhitePine Arvada grey katmoget smirslet
(Wintertime Jazz x FirthofFifth Assam Meleng)
56% UK, F2 Jericho, F3 Drum Ram, F4 Drum Jings, F5 Jamie, F5 Holly, F5 Timothy, F5 Timothy, F5 Gordon.
His mother is Shaela and carries spotting and moonspotting. Father is grey katmoget. Arvada could be homozygous black, but could also carry moorit. Super crimpy fleece, consistent from front to rear, nice square build. Currently a big momma's boy. I have fleece samples and micron reports on both parents for the past three tests for Meleng and past two tests for Jazz. I haven't seen a softer ram than Jazz. Period.

WhitePine Lyons (black smirlset, could be modified)
(Wintertime Jazz x Bono Creek Lavender Brown)
62% Uk, F2 Jericho, F3 Drum Ram, F4 Drum Jings, F4 Jamie, F5 Gordon
This guy may be modified as he is not 'jet black' but more of a steeley dark grey. His mother is a dark fawn color. He is also quite consistent from front to back, and according to this photo, will be quite the ladies man. He will have nice big horns. I again have fleece samples and micron reports for the past three tests on both parents. He is also carrying moorit and is BBBb AaAa.


WhitePine Rico (bersugget)
(FirthofFifth Aman x RYL Rachildas)
37.5% UK, F2 Orion, F4 Lightning, F5 Jamie, F5 Holly
His dad is an Orion son who is modified. Both parents have a gorgeous crimpy fleece (he is shown above with his mom and sister). He has a gorgeous bersugget pattern and is AgAa and BBBb. If only he was a girl! (for me) I have both fleece samples and micron reports for both parents.


WhitePine Parker (musket smirslet, POLLED) and WhitePine Peyton (black gulmoget smirslet)
Wintertime Black Forrest x Underhill Peep
50% UK, F3 Dillon, F3 Greyling, F3 Jamie, F4 Greyling
Sons of the super soft, super crimpy, solid sided gulmoget of Meghan Namaste's I was truly hoping for girls from this breeding...dang it! However both these boys have a lot to offer someone else. Parker, the musket has very dense, very crimpy fleece and both are built like brick houses and very squar. Peyton the Gulmoget will be a lot like his dad....dog hair at birth but then shed it out and have a gorgeous crimpy fleece. Both carry spotting and possibly modifieds (from their dad). I have fleece samples and reports for both parents again.

WhitePine Romeo (black, button scurs)
FirthofFifth Barish x FirfthofFifth Rahu
42% UK, F2 Timothy, F4 Dillon, F5 Greyling, F5 Lightning, F7 Greyling
I believe he will be jet black like his grandpa Timothy. Timothy was jet black at age 9 yet. Again have fleece samples and micron reports for both parents as lamb fleeces and yearling fleeces.

WhitePine Grover (black, POLLED)
FirthofFifth Barish x Wintertime Gracie
36% UK, F2 Timothy, F5 Jamie, F5 Timothy, F5 Holly, F7 Greyling
He could be possibly polled. He will also be jet black like his grandpa. I have fleece samples for both parents as well as micron reports.

Please email me privately at gramsay@arvig.net for further information.