Coloured Sheep: A Colour Genetics Primer

I wrote this commentary as one component of my May newsletter, which was sent to my mailing list yesterday. I’m posting it here as well so people who are searching for information on Coloured Sheep: A Colour Genetics Primer by Irina Böhme and Saskia Dittgen will be able to find it more easily. Spring and … Read more

2019 Rare Sheep Breeds lists

This is the updated list of rare sheep breeds, combining those listed by The Livestock Conservancy (U.S.) and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (U.K.). Click here for the list. If you’re interested in watching the shifts in breed status, I have been developing spreadsheets tracking listings of rare breeds of sheep by The Livestock Conservancy … Read more

So, what’s with “primitive” and sheep or wool?

For the past week, I’ve been holed up in a studio four hours’ drive from home catching up on a few things. I’m not caught up, but I’m ready to see how the new blog platform works. I’m still hampered by the complications with my photo library that took place last year, and while I have … Read more

Lithuanian knitting: unusual and approachable continuing traditions

Years ago, when I edited Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, I learned of Lithuanian textiles through weaving, by way of work by Antanas and Anastazija Tamošaitis and by Kati Meek and an awareness of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture in Chicago (SS&D Summer 1986). Lithuania is one of three countries tucked into the curve at the eastern end of the Baltic Sea, along with Latvia and Estonia.

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“Sugar-coating the cruel world of wool!”

Late last year I received an e-mail message that I answered personally, but I haven’t had time for blogging in a while (as some may have noticed), so this inquiry and my response didn’t get shared. This morning on Twitter I was asked for information on cruelty in shearing, which led me to find my previous blog post on the topic and to pull out that December 2014 message and my response to share here. I was going to write a blog post this morning on a different topic. Perhaps I’ll have time early next week to get to that one.

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Iceland 7 – Hveravellir, and Þingborg

For reasons why the blog posts are getting farther apart, check out my newsletter (of which there will be a new release soon, but this blog post comes first).

Up over the top

After learning more about winter housing of sheep, we got back into our mountain-ready bus and went up over the Icelandic Highlands. There are reservoirs providing hydroelectric power, and we were told there are also mountains and glaciers and gorgeous views.

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