Freezing rain this morning  and I am thankful I am not having lambs like so many  of my friends. I am  happy every time I go out to see the flock that I have  decided not to breed anyone this year.   I will miss lambs and kids but the girl's fleeces will be so much nicer, softer and silkier without  being breed. We will not be listening to the barn channel, I can get away for spring shows without  endless worrying. On days like today I  do not have to lock the pregnant ones in with extra food. Life is so much simples with just a spinning flock rather than a breeding flock.    
      The new weathers  are such a nice addition to my barn yard. Ebony has one of the most beautiful  chocolate fleeces I have ever seen, and he is such a sweet boy. He loves to eat out of my hand and get his neck scratched.  Teddy is going on three this year and still produces a wonderful fleece. I  can't wait to see the next few years in the lambs from this last spring.
         I got back from the Des Moines Metro knitters winter retreat yesterday afternoon. I  had a great time reconnecting with folks I only see at that show. I guess if they get stranded in this weather they will just happily knit away until the roads clear up.
         I will be heading down to the studio later today to start dyeing on a new fiber blend. I like to stretch my color world every so often, so I am going to try to create a summer garden of fiber this next round. I will work with pinks, oranges, yellows with just a bit of olive green and purple splashed in.
 My friend Gail who loves these tones loaned me several balls of yarn and a stunning shawl she has woven. I have them laid out in a big basket so I can meditate on the interaction of these  colors. I will keep posting my progress on this new blend.         Janette