Diary
The Dorset Wool Year – February 2021
Mar
The best part about February was it was dry. The mornings were clear and frosty, and the views were beautiful. It is wonderful to be able to enjoy this fantastic countryside on my early morning dog walks. The escape from mud was great!
What a month of contrasts though, it started out with a really cold spell. This meant feeding the sheep daily and making sure they had access to water. After a few days, the water had run out, so it was back to carrying buckets to the fields from the non-frozen tap in the yard… Thank you to Rachel for your help with this – the sheep in the top field really appreciated it, so did I.
It remained cold and dry for a week or so, but oh the grey skies… it was a real weight, but at least we avoided the snow. The cold and dark did slow up the bank clearing though, as there is something really odd. Despite loving cold, crisp weather, I hate to work in the garden in the half-light and cold!
I did worry about the state of my Woad plants as they seemed to die off. However, a few days of the real warm we experienced at the end of the month and they were back, looking ready to grow, produce flowers and then seeds for next year’s crop.
The sun and warmth allowed me to sort and wash some fleece for seat pads, carded fibre and combing ready for spinning into more luscious yarn. You never quite know what might be hiding away in the bag of fibre and I wasn’t disappointed this time. A beautiful hibernating wasp queen was awoken from her slumber and after a few minutes in the sun, she was up and away to find a new place to spend the rest of winter. I also dyed some cobweb yarn with Woad. I am still trying to get the elusive deeper blue with a reduced vat. It remains elusive…. One day!
Additionally, I carded a few boxes of fibre ready for peg loom weaving, as I have an order to fulfil and need to replenish my stock. The seat pads are great for indoor and outdoor living.
Of course, the warmth was short-lived, and March has started on a cold note with more cold and frosty mornings. However, we seem to be heading for ‘Winter’ storms this week, so I am battening down the hatches, making sure the sheep are all safe and planning my work according to the weather that is due.
