Spring
has
arrived
and the
grass is
growing.
Here in
the
Pacific
Northwest
we’ve
had a
rather wet
spring and
my own
goats are
having
trouble
keeping up
with the
growth of
vegetation.
Now, mind
you, if
they would
be brave
enough to
stand out
in some of
the more
brief rain
showers,
they would
spend more
time
grazing.
But goats
are not
fond of
wet
weather
and they
run for
the barn
the moment
they feel
that first
drop of
water hit
them.
Heaven
help the
poor
chicken
that might
be
standing
in the
doorway!
With the
price of
gas and
the time
required
to mow
some of
the
unfenced
areas on
my farm, I
invested
in some
portable
electric
net
fencing
from
Premier 1
(http://www.premier1supplies.com/).
I have a
little
over eight
hundred
feet of it
and it
comes in
manageable
rolls of
164 ft and
80 ft. It
only takes
me minutes
to install
it and
then
connect up
a fence
charger. I’m
able to
set this
fence up
in areas
that I
couldn’t
make
available
to my
goats
before.
With a few
extra
step-in
poly posts
I can
install
the
fencing
around
sensitive
areas that
contain
trees that
I would
like to
protect.
My goats
are in hog
heaven and
so am I!
They get
access to
free food
and I no
longer
have to
drag out
my gas
powered
weed
whacker to
keep the
foundations
of the
barns free
of
weedy/grassy
growth.
The area
behind our
garage,
although
close to
the main
pasture,
is now
mowed on a
regular
basis by
my four
footed
maintenance
crew! Each
week I
find new
ways to
use this
fencing
and I’m
happy to
say we’ve
only had
to mow
with the
tractor
once or
twice in
very small
areas as
compared
to years
past.
This year,
for the
first
time, I
have been
focusing
on
developing
my skills
as a
spinner
and
learning
new
techniques
and ways
to use my
fiber. In
February,
on Guemes
Island in
the San
Juan
Islands
off the
Northwest
corner of
Washington
State,
along with
a couple
of other
PBA
members, I
attended a
weeklong
spinning
retreat
taught by
Judith
MacKenzie.
Judith
teaches at
fiber
workshops
and
seminars
across the
country
each year.
If you
ever get a
chance to
take a
class by
her, I
encourage
you to do
so. She
teaches
with
humor,
anecdotes
and
personal
stories,
and her
knowledge
and
experience
will
astound
you. It
was a
wonderful
experience!
We learned
basic
wheel
mechanics,
how to
spin the
kind of
yarn
needed for
certain
projects,
how to
select,
wash and
prepare
fleeces
for
spinning,
and much,
much more.
Judith
also took
us outside
on a
beautiful
day to the
dye pots
and showed
us various
techniques
for dyeing
yarns and
rovings,
including
the use of
acid dyes
and
natural
dyes from
lichens.
We had so
much fun
dipping
and “cooking”
in the dye
pots that
I though
it would
be a fun
thing to
do at
home. So,
on a
Saturday
in April,
I invited
lots of
fiber
friends
over for a
day of
dyeing and
spinning.
Terry
Mattison,
a PBA
member who
also
attended
the Guemes
Island
retreat
and has
prior
dyeing
experience,
agreed to
be our
master
dyer and
share her
knowledge
and skills
with the
other
folks in
attendance.
We had our
propane
burners,
crockpots
and
roasters
set up on
tables in
the
driveway
between my
house and
garage
(dyeing is
something
best done
outside
‘cause
it can be
a bit “drippy”).
April
weather in
Oregon is
iffy at
best and
despite
the fact
that the
weather
service
called for
a nice
day, it
rained
like a
son-of-a
gun!!
Terry,
bless her
heart,
remembered
to bring
her large
canopy to
set up
over the
dyeing
area so we
remained
dry while
tending to
our yarns
and fibers
while they
were in
the dye
pots. If
you’d
like to
see a few
photos of
our lovely
and
colorful
yarns,
type in
this web
address
into your
browser:
http://slaphog.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album18.
We all had
a great
time and
learned a
lot.
Everyone
brought an
edible
treat to
share and
also
brought
their
knitting,
felting or
crocheting
projects
for a
fiber show
and tell.
Take a
look at
the “My
journey in
choosing a
portable
spinning
wheel”
by Melinda
Weer to
learn more
about the
fiber fun
day we
had.
If you
have fiber
enthusiasts
in your
area and
would like
to expose
them to
your
beautiful
Pygora
fiber,
consider
having an
informal
get
together
at your
home or
local
community
center or
grange
hall.
Invite
people to
bring
their
spinning
wheels and
fiber
projects
and to
share
their
knowledge
and
experience.
If
possible,
share a
little bit
of your
prepared
and
process
Pygora
fiber so
that
others can
try it and
learn why
Pygora is
so
wonderful.
This is a
great way
to make
new
friends in
the fiber
world
while
promoting
the Pygora
goat and
its fiber
at the
same time.
On another
note about
Pygora
fiber –
the Fiber
Committee
(which
consists
of PBA
members
Louise
Douglas,
Pat Copa
and Erica
Trainer)
is hard at
work
putting
together
information
about
Pygora
fiber and
how to use
it, a list
of
resources
for where
to get it
commercially
processed
across the
country,
and other
helpful
information,
tips and
photographs.
All of
this
information
will be
loaded
into the
PBA
website
when it is
completed
and will
be of
great
benefit to
all PBA
members
and
newcomers
looking to
learn more
about
Pygora
goats and
their
fiber.
This is an
exciting
project
and we’re
really
looking
forward to
seeing the
end
results.
Special
thanks to
the Fiber
Committee!!
Be sure to
read the
cute
article in
this
newsletter
about
Ruby, the
goat who
went to
school.
Susan
Krueger, a
third
grade
teacher
and Ruby’s
owner,
found a
creative
way to
make
history
come alive
for her
class
members.
We thank
Susan for
taking the
time to
write this
article
and for
submitting
it for the
PBA
Newsletter.
If you
have an
article
you’d
like to
write for
the
newsletter,
please
contact
our very
capable
newsletter
editor,
Theresa
Esterline,
who will
happy to
help you.
This is a
busy time
of year
for PBA’s
registrar,
Fran
Bishop. By
now, many
Pygora
kids have
been born
and the
pre-registration
forms and
photos are
coming in
fast and
furious.
Thanks,
Fran, for
all the
hard work
and
attention
to detail!
Susan
Prechtl
Hidden
Meadow
Farm
pygora@clatskanie.com
