Mountain Top Fibers

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Frankly speaking.....no one is perfect not even me!

So,   It's been a while since I've published a blog post.  In case you forgot about me, here is my pretty face image  This photo was taken during my favorite activity - getting scratched. So, about the not being perfect part..... I planned to post once a month in 2015 in order to keep y'all updated about the farm, but I got distracted this fall - my wench went through some medical challenges and we were rather pre-occupied.  However, all is well now, so it's back to business as usual.

Our flerd continues to grow and evolve, and we have recently begun experimenting with new yarns.  The new blend for 2015 was..... 35% kid mohair, 35% angora rabbit, 20% merino and 10% silk.  This was a limited run, (which we plan to recreate) and is available on line at our partners over in Yarnthology dot com.  They are also carrying the 2014 blend we did of angora/mohair/merino.   That blend is almost gone, but there are a few skeins left here which wench will use to make things for the 2016  fall craft shows, and a few are over at Purl's Yarn Emporium in Asheville for you locals.

We are still hoping for more fiber opportunities - maybe a mill, maybe some cooperative yarns with other farmers, etc.,  and of course baby goats will be coming in the spring (watch our facebook page for updates there).  Speaking of baby goats, today is the birthday for Neptune and Hera.  They were born a year ago.

That was then: January 2015 135and this is now:

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They are spoiled, I'll tell ya.  (like the rest of us).

In other news, we have begun to build our rabbit (meat) business, so that's another reason why I've been scarce.  They are serving our rabbit in some of the nicest restaurants in North Carolina and Virginia, and this keeps wench on the road quite a bit.  It's ok.  Sometimes she still finds time to participate in my favorite activity...

imagescratching me.

Smidge is beginning to fill out a little (no, she is not getting pudgy) and is becoming a beautiful cat.  She surveys her kingdom and keeps the mice at bay, all while consuming a can or two of fancy feast daily and all the dry kibble she can eat.  Who has it better than her?  She also has us and rockstar to play with all day long.

imageSpeaking of rockstar, he has become quite the fixture around here.  He knows his way around pretty good, and goes out any door that's open, hanging out with us in the pasture, out by the sawmill, up on the 2nd floor where all the does live, etc.  We are careful to make sure he is in the barn every night and secured behind closed doors, due to the owl population around here, but he has food and water and his hay cup stationed in various places around the barn.  (he's not spoiled either)

imageSo in a couple of weeks, wench will travel to PaSRBA for a rabbit show and I will post any good results after that.  I have to get more photos of the bunnies, as we now have our first Giant Angora baby, Clems Jubilee.  She is still in with her momma, and hopefully will become a brood doe (she's not showable now because she is black, and only whites are showable in Giants  that sounds rather racist, doesn't it?)  and also travel some for exhibition.  The spring breedings are being planned .

Oh, and wench is going to be the "rabbit superintendent" at SAFF this year, so be on the lookout for more information about that.  Like she doesn't have enough to do, but the angora rabbit breeds will be displayed in force at SAFF in 2016.  yay!  I'll probably send a few of our goats, too, for the show.  How FUN!

Well, that's about it for now.  Thanks for reading Frankly speaking!

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