Where Did the Time Go?

We are finally getting around to updating our blog, thinking we missed a show or two. Little did we remember that the last time we posted was a year ago! As we prepare to leave for the Big E this Wednesday, we decided to catch up.

The Year in Review

• Following our success at the Big E in 2014, we headed to Louisville for the NAILE in November, where the bright spot was watching one of our ewes owned by Gina Bilyeu win Reserve Champion. Otherwise, we won a couple of classes, a little disappointment after doing so well in Massachusetts.
• As for our breeding season, we've cut back and only had 10 lambs, 5 rams and 5 ewes this year. We sold 2 ewe lambs before they were 6 weeks old.
• It seemed a good year to return to Maryland, where we won 5 out of the 8 classes, but alas, no champions.
  
  
  
• Memorial Day weekend brings us to Wooster and we took only one ram, Jack. He won champion ram and was the top selling ram. He was purchased by the Barney family of New Hampshire. Perhaps we'll see him at the BigE?
  

At the same time, we sent TP, one of our rams who had sired many winners to New York with the Knappenberger Family.

• Then life became very busy as our son Zac and his family moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, this summer (of course, we were delighted since Amherst is a short drive to West Springfield). We even timed a trip to stop in to see the Northeast Youth Sheep Show and expose our grandkids Lucia and Theo to the world of showing sheep.
• August rolled around and we made it to the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan. We enjoy the show mainly because of all the wonderful Michigan Sheep Breeders we have met over the years.  I love my workshops - this year 3 baskets and some alpaca spinning - and look forward to Jerry bringing the sheep for the weekend show.
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A Good Year!

Reserve Champion Ram Natural Color Wool

As much as we enjoy the sheep business, we still are hoping to sell our flock in the near future. Spread the word!

The Big E - 2014

Hurray!

We had another enjoyable time at the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts. This year we took ten sheep and had a lot of success!

• In the ram show we had the second yearling ram and the second senior ram lamb. 
• Our pair of ram lambs were second.
•  The first place junior ram lamb, which was also the reserve champion, was out of a ZNK ram Barbara Thompson had purchased from us.
• We won first and second in the yearling ewe class and second and third in the senior ewe lamb class.
• The yearlings won the pair of yearling ewes and the lambs were second in the pair of lambs class.
• We had champion and reserve champion ewes.
• We won Breeder and Exhibitor Flocks, Get of Sire, Best Fleece, and Best Headed female.
• To top it all off, we won Premier Breeder and Exhibitor.
• In the final all-breeds fleece competition, we were pulled out in the top four.

Of course, the Big E is not all work and showing sheep. We had a great time reconnecting with other sheep breeders from all over. We especially enjoyed hanging out with Lydia and Hannah Smith from Vermont. 

            

Best Headed Ewe

Reserve Champion Yearling

            

Breeder and Exhibitor Flock

Champion Yearling and Best Fleece

See you at the NAILE in November in Louisville!

Summer, 2014

Good News from Vermont

We received good news from Lydia Smith from Vermont who had purchased a ewe lamb and a yearling ewe from us in early May. At the North East Youth Sheep Show,  the yearling won Reserve Champion, best fleece, and best head.  Lydia is a natural, as you can see in these pictures!

Sheep Lead-In

Who knew we would ever be involved in the sheep lead-in competition again?!

At the Madison and Fayette County fairs and the Ohio State Fair, we were well-represented by four-year-old Alli Knecht in the lead-ins. Alli's parents, Angie and Matt Knecht, bought two of our lambs so that Alli could participate in the lead-ins. I knitted a dress and hat from our wool for Alli. She named her sheep Katie and Sparkles, and she quickly became friends with them. Above is a picture of Alli modeling her outfit. As you can see, she's knows what she's doing! Alli and her cousin showed both lambs in pairs, winning first place at the state fair.

Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan

ZNK Border Leicesters had a successful weekend in Michigan. First of all, we took the white ewe lamb that failed to sell at Wooster. She won Champion White Long Wool Ewe and found a new home in Virginia with Cathy Shiff.

In the Natural Colored Long Wool division, our ram lamb was champion.

 And our ewe lamb beat our first place yearling for champion Natural Colored Long Wool Ewe.

In all, we had 9 first place ribbons, 2 second, one third and 1 fourth. We also were awarded Premiere Breeder for Natural Colored Long Wools. Not bad!

Workshops

I also had a chance to take a couple of workshops during the week. I attempted to weave again, this time on a rectangular continuous strand loom from Hillcreek Fiber Studio using yarn that I spun. I wove a divided work basket in a workshop with Bev Larson, The Basket Lady.

A week in SW Michigan with friends, new and old, is something we look forward to every August. 

May, 2014

We took a quick trip to the Maryland Wool Festival to deliver 2 ewes to Lydia Smith from Vermont. We just happened to arrive in time to see the natural colored Border Leicester show. The champion ram and ewe were purchased from us at the Wooster sale last year. The ram was shown by the Sands family and the champion ewe was shown by the Bilyeu family, both from Pennsylvania. 

Wooster was pretty successful. We had the top selling natural colored ewe, and our ram was the reserve champion. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones interested in the Border Leicester breed.

We feel lucky to have sold quite a few sheep in the past month. We hope the sheep will do well for their new owners.

Now we look forward to the Michigan Fiber Festival in August. Hope to see you there!

Flock For Sale

We've finally decided to sell our flock of white and natural colored Border Leicesters. Travel and family will be our focus now. Raising and showing the sheep have been an enjoyable and worthwhile experience that we've been able to share. The people we've met along the way are wonderful, and hopefully some of the travel plans will include sheep shows to visit with friends!

Our plans are to sell the flock as one unit. In the meantime, we'll sell at Wooster - The Great Lakes Fiber Show over Memorial weekend and possibly Rhinebeck - New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in October. 

Please contact Jerry at znkborderleicesters@gmail.com if interested.

We have had a lot of success and fun along the way!

NAILE 2013

Success in Louisville!

Our luck in the show ring this year continued at the NAILE in Louisville. In the Natural Color Border Leicester ewe show we had the first place yearling ewe, first place senior ewe lamb, and second place junior ewe lamb. The senior ewe lamb was also Champion Ewe and Best Fleece. 

We also won all three pair classes and flock, which was undefeated this year.

We have had a lot of help showing the sheep throughout the year . We'd like to thank Brian Larson, Emma Hopkins, Colin and Artie Siegmund, Don Drummond, Jill Morton, David Freds, Tyler Myers, and Alisun Watson.

 We'd like to wish ewe Happy Holidays!

The Big E, 2013

Jerry soloed at the Big E this year with much success. He took seven sheep and came home with a lot of ribbons and smiles. In all he had eight firsts, two seconds, one fourth, one sixth, and a tenth.

The ram lambs had a perfect day. They won the senior ram lamb, junior ram lamb, and pair of ram lamb classes. The senior ram lamb was picked champion ram, while the junior ram lamb was reserve. The first place yearling ram was one that we sold to Barbara Thompson last year. He also sired the reserve champion ewe lamb.

The yearling ewes didn't do as well, placing sixth and tenth. However, they did place second in pairs (you figure that one out). The senior ewe lambs were first and second in their class and paired up to win the pair class. The final ewe lamb placed fourth in its class.

Jerry also came home winning Exhibitor's Flock and Breeder's Flock. The champion ram lamb also won Best Fleece. Just before leaving the show, Jerry was awarded The Big E Shepherd award, topping off a great week.

See you all in Louisville!

Michigan Fiber Festival, 2013

The Michigan Fiber Festival Workshop Experience

For the past eight (or maybe more) years in mid-August, I’ve been going to the Michigan Fiber Festival in Allegan, Michigan, for several days of workshops. Each year I come home with a new or renewed passion for a craft. Over the years, I’ve improved my spinning and knitting skills, learned to make baskets, rugs, and paint yarns. I especially enjoy the workshops when I come home with a finished project. This year was special. I signed up for the Continuous Strand Weaving workshop, led by Carol Leigh from the Hillcreek Fiber Studio in Columbia, Missouri. The workshop lasted two days, although it took me three and a half to finish, and I came home with a beautiful shawl. What really made it special is that I used all natural yarns from our Border Leicester fleeces, white and natural colored.

The Michigan Fiber Festival Sheep Show Experience

Jerry arrived in Allegan on Friday with a trailer full of sheep and fleeces. This year he brought a yearling ram, 2 ram lambs, 2 yearling ewes and 2 ewe lambs, all natural colored. The sheep show was on Saturday morning (btw, the weather was perfect...cool and sunny). The judge was Sam Wiford from Ohio. One yearling ewe won her class; we won pair of yearling ewes and pair of ram lambs; and we won first in flock. The yearling ewe also was champion natural colored ewe. This all added up to winning Premier Breeder in the natural colored show. We were pretty happy with the results. Even better, we came home with no fleeces, having sold them all. We also came home with one less ram. We  found a new home for Emmit at Clearwater Farms in Coldwater, Michigan, where he will be well-taken care of. 

We highly recommend the Michigan Fiber Festival  - we haven’t been disappointed yet!

Great Lakes Fiber Show and Sale - Wooster - 2013

As Memorial Day approached, it was time for our annual trip to The Great Lakes Fiber Show in Wooster. We loaded up the camper for its first trip of the year along with five lambs in the back of the truck and headed north. Unlike last year when it was in the 90's, it was a chilly day barely in the 50's.

Once we arrived, it was time for settling in and trimming, while catching up with everyone. On Friday night we gathered at the Great Western for a potluck with the other border leicester breeders. Thanks to the Fogles for organizing and furnishing delicious lamb.

On Saturday it was time to get ready for the show. Judge Judy Moore placed two of the lambs in second and one in first in their classes.

That night we met for our annual Border Leicester Breeders dinner at the Olde Jaol Restaurant in downtown Wooster. We had excellent company and food along with a silent auction featuring wines, foods, photographs, and a quilt.

On Sunday we were pleased to have a good turnout of buyers at the sale. All of our lambs sold at good prices and went to homes in Indiana and Pennsylvania. One even went home in the back seat of a car!

The ram lamb and one of the ewes found their way to Pennsylvania.

What's next? We'll be shearing in July and will have fleeces for the Michigan Fiber Festival, which is the third weekend in August in Allegan. Don't miss it!

New Crop of Lambs - 2013 

Out of ten ewes, we welcomed seventeen lambs by the end of February. The biggest surprise was the fourteen pounder! There were five rams and twelve ewes, which is a good thing:) 

We're headed to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival with eight natural-colored sheep and three white the first weekend of May. At the end of May, we'll be bringing some to sell at the Great Lakes Fiber Show in Wooster. We're looking forward to reconnecting with fellow Border Leicester sheep breeders this spring from Rhode Island to Montana. 

Below are a few shots of the lambs:

Flock For Sale!

We're ready to downsize (and spend more time with our granddaughter). If anyone is interested in investing in a great flock of Border Leicester sheep, mostly natural-colored, let us know. Hope to see you in Maryland or Wooster in May.

ZNK Fall Update, 2012

Michigan Fiber Festival, August 18-19, Allegan, Michigan

We made our annual trip to Allegan for our favorite sheep and fiber show.  We took 7 natural-colored Border Leicesters and felt pretty successful with the results. We had Reserve Champion ewe and won Premier Breeder in the Long Colored Wool show. Not only did the show go well, but we were happy to see friends from previous shows. Everyone is so nice. Sadly, one of our favorite restaurants, London Grill in Plainwell, closed soon after we ate there with friends Brian and Jennifer Larson. In the meantime, we have found Salt of the Earth in Fennville, an excellent place to eat with our friends Janet and Tim Thieme who live in Kalamazoo. And we made new friends like Susan Munson from Fennville who loved a fleece on one of our ewes and put in an order for it. We look forward to returning to Allegan in August, 2013!

Ohio State Fair, 2012

We didn't show at the Ohio State Fair this year, but one of our white ram lambs made an appearance. He was the Grand Champion white long wool ram. Here he is being shown by his new owner Travis Johnson.

The Big E, Sept. 23, West Springfield, Mass.

Yes, we returned to the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts, this year. We enjoyed the venue - even camping in the parking lot in our little camper - so much the previous year, we decided to give it another shot. We took 6 natural-colored Border Leicesters and came home satisfied. We had four firsts, four seconds, one third, two fourths, and one fifth...all placing in the upper half of each class. We were just one point behind the premier breeder award...not bad! We also came home with a new ram, trading our first place ram for Emma Morton's reserve champion ram. Of course, the food is great at the Big E where there are places to eat in each of the replica state houses for six New England states and the Storrowtown Tavern (lobster bisque, crab cakes, and so on). And you can't top the home cooking at the potluck following the show! There is really no reason to leave the fairgrounds.

Jerry with first place early spring ram lamb.

NAILE, November 14, Louisville

While one of us took off for a week in Florida (Dena), the other (Jerry) headed for Louisville with 7 natural-colored border leicesters. We did well, coming home with two silver julep cups, reserve champion ewe and reserve champion ram. Also, another white ram sold to Callie Taylor of Pennsylvania won its class and was reserve champion in the junior show.

And so...we've had a good year. We've met some wonderful people along the way, had success showing the sheep and fleeces, and improved our flock. We look forward to 2013 and a new crop of lambs. 

Update - 2012

Other than a quick overnight trip to Maryland to pick up a new black ewe (champion at Maryland the previous year), things have been quiet around here since fall. Lambing in January and February went well - finished by February 16! Half ewes, half rams - total of 16. We've had luck in selling too. In December, we sold sheep to people in Delaware, Ohio. We then sold more to the Taylors in Pennsylvania. We sent fleeces to Maine and one to Alaska. In Athens, Ohio, there are 2 ewes who with the help of our ram had 5 lambs. Needless to say, it's been a good year so far.

Wooster - 2012


We were happy with the National Border Leicester Sale in Wooster Memorial Day weekend. We sold four head for over $1800. And we bought a ram lamb from Tiffany Deakin (can't go home empty-handed!). The weekend was fun getting together with other border leicester breeders. On Friday evening, there was a potluck put together by the Fogles (in spite of Marilyn's shoulder injury). Saturday night was a lovely dinner at the Olde Jaol in town. People brought things for a silent auction (representing sheep or their state). We made contacts to sell fleeces along the way, so all-in-all, it was a successful trip.

Fall, 2011 - The Big E

First Time at the Big E

Success - Champion natural-colored Border Leicester yearling ewe! Maybe it was beginner's luck, but we were thrilled. 

And what a terrific venue. The fairgrounds in West Springfield, MA is impressive - definitely not your typical state fair. We took our camper and stayed in the lot behind the sheep barn, just steps away from our animals. We found everything to be clean, and everyone was helpful and friendly. There is plenty to do from watching a free evening show of oldies music to wandering through the 6 replicas of the New England states' capitol buildings. We took a day trip through some beautiful areas and stumbled upon Smith and Amherst Colleges nestled in the hills. We thought this would be a one-time trip, but decided we have to return.

Summertime 2011

ZNK Border Leicester Summer Update

Great Lakes Fiber Festival - Wooster, Ohio

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kick-off for summer, and ours began with a successful weekend at the Great Lakes Fiber Festival in Wooster which hosts the National Border Leicester Sale. We sold three sheep. The black ram lamb won his class and was sold to Sarah Jakeman of Some Day Soon Farm, New York. The white ewe was second in her class and was sold to Montana Aerie along with our other yearling ewe in the sale.

June and July on the Farm - West Liberty

In spite of a very hot summer, it was a good one. As soon as Jerry arrived home from Wooster, our granddaughter Lucia's 2-week visit began. Zac and Rebecca took off for Spain, and we gladly offered to entertain Lu while they traveled. We introduced her to the sheep, hoping that she'll get to feel comfortable around them and help her Pappy show them someday. Her favorite activity, as seen in the photo, was helping Pappy mow the lawn.

In the meantime, I started renting a booth at Hidden Treasures in West Liberty. I have hand-painted yarn, hand-spun yarn, roving, and hand-knitted items for sale. I'm hoping the sales improve in the fall when people are looking for woolen projects to do, as well as hats, scarves, mittens, and wrist-warmers to keep them warm this winter. Look here for future listings of fleeces for sale.

In July, Christine, a dear childhood friend, visited us from California for a few days. She thoroughly enjoyed the small farm experience, including helping Jerry wash and trim sheep.

It was time, of course, to get them ready for the Ohio State Fair later in the month.

Speaking of the state fair, we had a second in a class of 5 and a 3rd in a class of 12. Two of our fleeces placed second and third. We had hoped to do better. Unfortunately, the ewe we thought could be a winner didn't get entered.

Michigan Fiber Festival - Allegan

Mid-August brought us to the Michigan Fiber Festival in

Allegan where we were very successful.

In the yearling ewe white long-wool class we had a first

and third. Those 2 ewes then won the pair of yearling ewes.

The first place ewe went on to win champion white long-wool ewe and then supreme champion ewe.

In the natural-color long-wool show our yearling ram won

his class and was reserve champion NC ram. The NC yearling ewe and the NC ewe lamb each won their class with the yearling being the champion and the lamb being the reserve champion NC ewes.

We also sold a lot of fleeces, so it was definitely a successful year in Michigan!

What's Next?

We're headed to the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts, to show for the first time. We look forward to seeing familiar faces at the Border Leicester Show and meeting new breeders as well.

Lambing Time!

Things have been busy in the barn. Still waiting for the last ewe to deliver, but 18 lambs running around so far!