Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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A Brief History of the Arapawa Island Sheep

It is generally believed that the Arapawa sheep of New Zealand were left on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds nearly 140 years ago. How and by whom they were left is the subject of much debate, and many different theories. Some say these sheep were left by seafaring whalers and sealers in the early days of European exploration of New Zealand. Other possibilities are that they are a Middle Eastern breed introduced by whalers (or pirates?), or that they landed on Arapawa Island from a Spanish galleon in the 1500’s. In any event, it seems that they were left there, as sheep have been left on other islands around the world, as a source of future food the next time the ship came around. Most of these abandoned sheep evolved and adapted, and survived long past the people who left them (think Santa Cruz and Hog Island here in the U.S., Soay on Hirta and St. Kilda, Shetland, Boreray, North Ronaldsey, Campbell Island ... etc. etc. the list goes on).


There are many theories about the origin of these sheep, but again it is generally believed that they are of merino origin, which is known to have been introduced to New Zealand in 1867 from Australia.

Arapawa are a feral breed (breeds that were formerly domesticated but left to become wild without much interference by man). They are rather prehistoric-looking wild sheep ~ lean, light-boned and on the smaller side. They have a narrow face and head, with alert bright eyes, on a long neck with slender ears. Rams may have spiralled horns which can be over a metre in length. Their light build, together with their rather long legs, makes them a very active sheep, allowing them to survive for more than a century in the very steep and hostile terrain of Arapawa Island.


The sheep that did survive both in this harsh island environment and from visiting human hunters adapted themselves to their harsh island home by becoming hardy and resilient. Like many animals in harsh climates they have very fine fleece, close in characteristic to merino (another reason why the theory that they originated from an abandoned flock of merinos is the most popular), and the fine quality of their fleece appears to give good insulation and protection from strong island winds and driving rain.


Arapawa sheep exhibit several colors of fleece in beautiful natural colours and hues, from a pale cream through silvery grey, russet and dark chocolate brown to almost black. Their most common coloring, however, is all black, with a depth of blackness particularly striking in the lambs. However, Arapawas may often have white points, and on very rare occasions be pure white. The most strikingly colored are those which are spotted with white over the whole body, often referred to as ‘cocktail’ Arapawas. Many of the brown colored Arapawa sheep have naturally-bleaching tips, which creates a more variegated fiber for handspinners, as does the “cocktail” fleece, when carefully carded or combed.


The fleece of the Arapawa is also quite heavy for a feral breed (though less in weight than fleece from commercial wool breeds). This, coupled with its fineness, makes it popular with textile manufacturers and handspinners; it also makes excellent waterproof felts for head and footwear. Because there are so few of these sheep, however, it is not usually commercially available or marketed.

The Arapawa is considered a rare and endangered breed by the New Zealand Rare Breeds Conservation Society. There are still some Arapawa sheep on the island and several thousand are now found in flocks throughout New Zealand. Additionally, a sanctuary was established in the early 1970’s on Arapawa Island to protect the rare Arapawa sheep and goat breeds by Walter and Betty Rowe. Unfortunately, Walter Rowe died three years ago, and Betty Rowe died of a stroke in May, 2008. A trust has been established to continue the sanctuary and their work.


Sources and Photos from:
NZ Rare Breeds Conservation Society
Oklahoma State University Breeds of Livestock
Muriwai Valley Farm

When I started Spirit Trail Fiberworks over five years ago, Arapawa was one of the first rare breeds I started searching for (how could a fleece from a sheep thought to be descended from merino NOT be nice to spin?). It proved to be one of the most elusive to find. After several years of searching, I finally found a farmer who was willing to ship me fleece ... but I had missed the shearing for that year (they are on an opposite time schedule as we are here in North America). He also didn't raise his sheep for handspinning, so had no guarantee whether the fleece would be acceptable or not (I tend to be very picky about the fleece I purchase, because I personally do not enjoy pulling hay seeds and other VM out of fleece as I spin ... and there is only so much of this stuff that picking and carding will remove). But, I jumped at the chance to finally get some of this fleece.

It arrived late last summer, and I had the first box processed and ready last Fall. No, it's not the cleanest fleece I've ever had. But it's not bad at all, considering it wasn't raised for its fleece. And it IS interesting fleece, that's for sure (if for no other reason than its interesting history and rarity). Sort of spongey, and springey, and a lovely natural brown color, with hints of cream here and there from the tips. Rare breed fibers really are cool (says me ;-D ).

The Arapawa I have was actually tested this past May at MDS&W using OFDA technology (Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser), and it tested on average 21.7 microns ~ which means it tested as a fine wool. Not bad at all, and really next-t0-skin soft for all but the tenderest sorts.

In other news, this post is a bit late because I was buried under mounds of yarn last week, finishing up an order for The Loopy Ewe. So, stay tuned to Sheri's site ... the yarns will be up at some point soon. I also just heard that the order I recently sent to Yarn4Socks should be up on their website on June 29. So, even though my own site is not yet up to date with new yarns (blast it all) ... these two sites will have two different STF superwash merino yarns available in lots of different colors, in the very near future. Check them out if you haven't already (they have lots and lots of great yarns).

This week the next shipment for the fiber club is going out, and then I hope to get some new yarns dyed for my own website (I have several superwash yarns and silk lace waiting for me, and several other yarns I need to order). Then we're away all of next week to PA to visit family. My plan is to get the site up to date with the yarns and fibers I currently have available the week after July 4, and then new yarns up thereafter as soon as they're ready.

I've also knit a pair of socks and some other socks are in process ... will post photos next post.

You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.

-- Jerry Gillies

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I received some news a couple of weeks ago that I have slowly let sink in. At first, I was a bit too stunned to actually enjoy it. Then I went through an extremely silly, giddy stage. Now, I'm just plain excited and thrilled, and really, really honored, but mostly through the giddiness (well, not really, but it's under control). So, seeing as it's sunk in and is really and truly going to happen (and it's not just a great dream), I'm ready to say it out loud:

I received a full scholarship to SOAR 2008!
(and I'm keeping the letter forever and ever and ever. Maybe I'll even frame it. Well, maybe not. But I'm keeping it for sure.)

Still a bit stunned. Honored beyond belief. Thrilled. Excited. Nervous. Quite Nervous. But I cannot wait to go ~ I've wanted to, dreamed about it, since the day I started spinning. But until now it was out of reach due to other commitments (home, festivals, budget, etc.). This is an opportunity not to be passed up though, and since the committee kindly solved the third issue, I took care of the first two.

So, thanks to the committee for selecting me. Thanks to Brett for being okay with me going. Sorry I'll be missing the Fall Fiber Festival of Virginia, but it just can't be helped. Because I'm going to SOAR! Yay!

On another topic, there is a idea which has been on my mind for a while, but I haven't really had the time to do it. The first spinning club I did, I included a history of the animal the fiber came from along with the fiber. This was the luxury club, and I wrote histories on the Bactrian Camel, the Cashmere Goat, and the Yak. So, my idea is that I'll write regular (or, as regular as I can make them) posts here on the different rare breed and luxury fibers that I've used and/or sell, or would like to get my hands on (and there are still a few that elude me, but I'm not giving up). Because a big part of what I really love about searching for rare sheep breeds is learning as much as I can about them, and passing that information along to others (usually in my booth at fiber festivals, but there are alot of fiberistas out there who never make it to the festivals I attend).

First, though, I'll start with one that I've already written, which is the history of the Bactrian Camel (which is sort of long, but I think it's interesting ... but that could just be freaky me) ... because I'm still working on the first sheep breed post ...

The Bactrian Camel

Scientists believe that ancestors of the modern camel lived in North America over 40 million years ago. They wandered across the Alaskan “land bridge” to Asia and Africa, where the two main types of camels evolved: the Dromedary (one humped camel) and the Bactrian (two humped camel). The Dromedary camel is native to western Asia and East Africa and is a desert dweller, and the Bactrian camel is native to central and east Asia and is a rugged cold-weather dweller.

The wild Bactrian camel is one of the world's rarest mammals. The range of the wild Bactrian camel in historic times extended from the great bend of the Yellow River westward across the deserts of southern Mongolia and northwestern China to central Kazakhstan. It was already heavily hunted for its meat and hide in the 1800's, and by the 1850's it persisted only in remote areas of the Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts in and China. By the 1920's, its populations had become fragmented, and it is currently restricted to three small, remnant populations in Mongolia and China.

Heavy persecution by hunters and competition with domestic animals for water and pasture were the principal causes of decline up to the 1960's. Hunting has continued to have a major impact up to the present. Additional threats include settling of oases by pastoralists, prospecting for and extraction of oil and gold, and hybridization with domestic camel stock.



The Camel was a perfect fit for the peoples of Asia and Africa. Strong, fairly indiscriminate in their diet, and well adapted to harsh climates, camels are famous for their ability to travel as many as 100 miles without water because they have become so well adapted to their environment and can efficiently retain body moisture. Ultimately, like every living organism, camels require water for life, and a thirsty camel can drink as many as 30 gallons of water in about 13 minutes.

Camels are powerful animals and can easily carry humans and their wares. They stand about 7 feet tall at the hump and weigh 1600 to 1800 pounds. Over a four-day period a camel can haul 375 to 600 pounds at rates of 29 miles a day and 2.5 miles an hour. At full speed, they have been clocked at over 40 miles an hour.

Unlike the American Bison and several other large mammals, people were able to domesticate camels and thus use them as more than a source of meat and hides. At about one year of age a captive camel begins to learn its owner's commands, and thus begins a relationship that has flowered for centuries in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. It is believed that the Bactrian camel was domesticated sometime before 2500 B.C. in northern Iran and southwestern Turkestan, and the Dromedary in Arabia around 4000 B.C.

Throughout the history of their domestication, camels have provided many of life’s basic necessities: food, clothing and transportation. The soft, inner down of the Camel hair is woven into clothing and blankets, and traditional Mongolian yurts (gers) were constructed of a wood frame covered with felted batting made from camel hair and wool. Dried camel droppings were traditionally used for fuel in the arid and treeless steppes of Asia. The traditional Mongolian diet includes camel meat and fresh and cultured camel milk. People make shoes, saddles and other leather objects from camel hides, and ropes and rugs are made from the coarse outer guard hair.

Camel hair was also used in much weaving. Bedoin rugs are traditionally made from camel hair, and Kilim, or flatwoven, bags were developed centuries ago by the nomadic Turkic tribes of Central Asia and typically woven using wool and camel hair. They were made in various shapes and sizes to transport and store everything from salt to liquids to household goods. The weaving was spectacular--tight enough to hold water--with a clean yet intricate pattern inside six horizontal bands. Called jabors or juvals, rectangular bags were tied to the sides of camels or donkeys as carrying sacks. During the days when Uzbeks lived in yurts, they sometimes were hung in the yurt for storage.

Camel meat has been eaten for centuries and is recorded in Ancient Greek documents, was roasted whole at Persian banquets, and eaten in Ancient Rome. It is still a staple food in many parts of Syria, Kenya and other African and Asian nations.

Camel milk continues to be a staple food of desert nomad tribes. It is richer in fat and protein than cow milk, but cannot be made into butter in the traditional churning method used with cow’s milk. It can, however, be readily made into yogurt. The curative powers of Camel milk appears throughout the Camel’s natural habitat: it is believed to have many healthful properties and is used as a medicinal product in India; Bedouin tribes believe that camel milk has great curative powers if the camel's diet contains certain plants, and in Ethiopia, the milk is considered an aphrodisiac.

The camel's capabilities have been well documented over the centuries, and its niche in the history of mankind is assured, but times are changing. Life on the Mongolian Steppes is changing, as are many other indigenous cultures that once relied on the camel as part of a way of life. Where the camel caravans historically carried salt from the salt mines in Africa through the deserts to trading centers, 4x4 motorized vehicles are now making the trek in several days rather than several weeks, which is dropping the price of salt and threatening of way of life that is thousands of years old. The camel's contribution to desert life today dwindles as the mechanical age continues to advance.

Like the Yak, Muskox, Cashmere Goat and other animals living in harsh conditions, Bactrian camels are dual-coated: a warm inner coat of soft down and a rough outer coat which is long, coarse and hairy. Bactrian camels produce about 5 - 11 pounds of down fiber from the undercoat each year. Baby camel hair is the finest and softest, and has a micron count of approximately 19, similar to cashmere. The most c ommon color is reddish-brown, but color varies from brown to light gray to white. The white fleece is most valued, and also the most rare.

The soft down undercoat produced by animals living in the hottest desert climates tends to be coarser and sparser than from those living in a more temperate climate. The significant producers of camel hair are China, Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, New Zealand, Tibet and Australia. The best fiber is found in China, Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. The Camel fiber sold today is the result of many years of selective breeding.

Like cashmere, only the soft down undercoat is used in the production of yarn. A camel moults in a certain pattern over a six to eight week period, beginning in late Spring (camels will have grown a new coat by Fall): first the neck hair falls off, then the mane and finally the body hair. The hair covering the humps is not shorn since without it, the animals would be more susceptible to disease in the summer months. Camel hair is obtained by a number of methods: combing, shearing and simply by collecting the clumps of hair shed naturally during the moulting season. It is then separated into the coarse outer coat and the finer inner down.

The long hair removed by the dehairing process is used to make felt for Mongolian yurts and for herdsmen's winter coats, which are very warm and completely waterproof. It is also used for carpet backing. The strong, springy hair of the camel mane is used for interlinings and the outer hair is traditionally used in bedding as it is said to have properties beneficial to rheumatism and arthritis.

Some Interesting Camel Factoids:

The name camel comes to English from the Greek κάμηλος (kámēlos) and from the Hebrew gamal or Arabic Jamal.
Some desert people measure wealth by the number of camels a person owns. Such livestock might be considered medium-term investments, as the captive camel's life span is about 50 years.
It is an old wives’ tale that the camel’s humps are full of water. Camel humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue.
Camels are able to withstand changes in body temperature and water content that would kill most other animals. Their temperature ranges from 34 °C (93 °F) at night up to 41 °C (106 °F) during the day, and only above this threshold will they begin to sweat.
The camel is the only animal to have replaced the wheel where the wheel had already been established (this occurred mainly in North Africa).
The camel was not removed from the top of the transport industry in its native areas until the wheel was combined with the internal combustion engine in the 20th century.
The almost 14 million Dromedaries today are domesticated animals (mostly living in Somalia">Somalia, Sudan, Mauritania and nearby countries).
The Bactrian camel population has been reduced to an estimated 1.4 million animals.
Most camels in their original range are now domesticated. There are estimated to be only about 1,000 wild Bactrian camels living in the Gobi Desert, in China and Mongolia.

I gathered the information from the following sources:

National Geographic
Peace of Yarn
Spiritus-Temporis
Wikepedia
www.animalinfo.org
www.arab.net
www.fao.org
www.ultimateungulate.com

Next up ... the extremely rare Arapawa sheep of New Zealand (next week sometime) ...

On my own personal knitting and spinning activities, the secret project for a friend is now completely done. I am also moving along on the new socks and will post a photo soon. I am really wanting to start a sweater from Lisa Lloyd's new book, A Fine Fleece, with some cashmere yarn I handpainted last winter. So, I may start that. I am yearning for some new sweaters for myself and would like to have at least two done by this Fall. Will post photos in my next post.

An unfulfilled vocation drains the colour from a person's entire existence.

-- Balzac

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We had our local dinner last night, after being away for the weekend ....

For some reason the photo doesn't look as good as the dinner did in person. Fresh trout a friend caught and gave us cooked with fresh rosemaryfrom my garden; dried beans from my garden several years ago cooked with rosemary and sage from my current garden along with garlic tops and garlic from our CSA and olive oil, on top of lettuce from our CSA; braised greens from the CSA ~ broccoli, kale and chard, cooked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was great! The kids had raw milk from our cow share as well, and Brett had wine from our local vineyard.

Our hike last week to White Oak Canyon was great; it was warm but not too hot (like it is now, yuck) and a beautiful day. This is a beautiful hike if you're ever in the Rappahannock County / Shenandoah National Park area. You can hike it from Skyline Drive (which is a downhill hike on the way and uphill on the way back) or, my preference, from the Madison County entrance near the bottom (which is uphill on the way and downhill on the way back).

Whilst hiking up the canyon to the falls, we came upon a surprise left by another hiker:

This rock sculpture was so carefully balanced, with little rocks placed in between to balance the larger rocks. It was really amazing. Here's a close-up ~ hopefully the little balancing rocks are visible:


White Oak Canyon has several sets of beautiful waterfalls. We hiked to the lower falls and stayed there for an hour or so, playing in the water and relaxing on the rocks. Here is a photo of part of the lower falls (impossible to get them all in one photo):

The three dots in about the center of the photo, at the base of the first waterfall, are hikers, to give you an idea of scale.

The falls have a bunch of deep pools at several points, and this is a popular swimming place for locals (and visiting hikers) in the summertime. The water is COLD coming off the mountain, but by July / August it feels really, really nice (after you've gotten all sweaty hiking up hill for an hour). Here's the pool at the base of that first waterfall near where the hikers were standing:

On the fiber front ... I received a big bag of fleece from one of my farmer-suppliers ~ this one is Wensleydale, Rambouillet, Teeswater and some others. I am closing in on the search for Debouillet thanks to some help from some other Fiberistas and have a bunch of yarn here to dye.

My hope is to get these yarns dyed up and skeined, and then get them as well as the other yarns I have up on the website all at once. There just doesn't ever seem to be enough time in the day to get everything done that I'd like to. But, the kids will be in summer camp for the next two weeks after this one, and I'm really hoping to make some headway on my to do list during that time!

My own knitting has been focused on finishing up a project for a friend and starting another pair of socks for me (yeah, I'm just not into knitting socks with merino/angora right now so those and the other pair are on the backburner at this point). For this new pair, I'm using one of my new yarns, which is a luscious blend of superwash merino, cashmere and nylon. Really, to die for. There will be some up on the site with all the other updates.

It is good to have an end to journey towards but it is the journey that matters in the end.

-- Le Guin

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It's a photo day today ...

Ta Da! Spinning Photos ... I spun this up yesterday for some new superwash socks. It's some superwash I dyed several years ago which got sort of fugged up in the rinse. I didn't sell it because it's not "smooth" ~ I'm not sure what happened but it got all frayed and weird looking. But, it spins absolutely wonderfully ...



Details: Spirit Trail Fiberworks 100% Superfine Superwash Merino Combed Top
Colorway: Sugar Maple (the orange and gold aren't showing up so well in the photo)
Wraps per inch: 32
Ply: Navaho
Notes: I split the Combed Top down the middle and am spinning the two halves separately
into two skeins, working to make the socks more identical than fraternal (I don't mind fraternal socks at all, just mixing things up this time ;-D).

I will, by the way, be loading all the different combed tops I have available onto the website for sale ... sometime soon ... sometime soon ...

I'm also glad to report that my spinning wheel has forgiven me for my transgressions (like, putting it in storage and then continuing to ignore it for another year after getting it back out of storage) (I didn't exactly ignore it, I looked wistfully at it as I ran by doing other work) (shhhh. don't tell my wheel but I'm seriously considering purchasing another one ... a Lendrum Saxony ... spun on Beth's at MDS&W and fell in absolute love. Thanks alot, Shelia).

Another Ta Da moment ... I finally took photos of my Icarus Shawl, and nicer photos of my Forest Canopy Shawl. Here they are:







Details: Icarus Shawl by MimKnits
Yarn: Spirit Trail Fiberworks "Lachesis" 100% Prime Alpaca Laceweight
Colorway: Special (autumny reds/oranges/greens/golds)
Skeins: Four 500-yard skeins
Needles: US Size 3
Notes: I held the yarn double to knit this shawl, so used twice the amount called for in the pattern ~ this makes the shawl slightly more substantial but it's still very light and airy. Holding two strands required a bit more attention, to make sure I knit both strands of yarn for each stitch, but wasn't that much of a pain. The alpaca gives the shawl a very slight halo, and is also very soft when knit up. It also blocks beautifully. This is a great pattern.

Icarus is a great project for beginner lace knitters, in my opinion. The entire body is very simple to knit (nearly mindless, but in a very fun way) and it's very, very easy to see any mistakes you might make (like, all of a sudden your eyelet rows are no longer lining up) and the three lace borders have a short number of rows to them and short stitch repeats, which is also nice. The result is a beautiful shawl which is also big enough to cover you up ... not just a decorative shawl. I highly recommend this pattern to anyone who's interested in knitting lace but hasn't done any (or a larger project) yet.

And Forest Canopy:





Details: Forest Canopy Shawl by Susan Pierce Lawrence
Yarn: Spirit Trail Fiberworks "Penelope" 50% Merino / 50% Bombyx Silk 2-Ply
Colorway: Special (Spring Greens)
Skeins: One 400-yard skein
Needles: US Size 7
Notes: I had enough yarn to knit three extra repeats of both the body and edging patterns. I love this yarn. It has wonderful drape and sheen, a really nice hand and blocks beautifully. The pattern is very clear and well written, and Susan gives good information on knitting it in various weights of yarn.


We've actually had a wonderful Spring here in Virginia this year, which is Highly Unusual. Most years, it feels like we go from winter right into summer. But this year has been different, and beautiful. On our property, we have thousands of wild Mountain Laurel bushes. Some years they don't bloom at all, but this year they went crazy. Their blooms are so beautiful, and the woods around our house are completely filled with them ...





Aren't they beautiful? It sometimes amazes me that these flowers just appear, they are so perfect. We also have some amazing wild dogwood and wild azaleas (these flowers are incredible) but unfortunately they were blooming while I was busy with MDS&W and NHS&W and I didn't get photos. None of them have any scent, unfortunately, but the Lilac tree Brett planted by the front door more than makes up for it and is scenting the entire house these days.

The other night, as I was walking down the stairs to put the kids to bed and the stairwell light was on, I looked up at the window and there was a Luna Moth right there on the window. I'm not a big bug fan, but these moths are really amazing, and really big. I grabbed my camera and snapped a shot of it. This is the underside of a Luna Moth ...



Later on that evening as I was reading in bed, I heard quite a loud commotion on my window screen and looked up, and there he (she?) was again ... so, this is the top side of a Luna Moth (through the screen, sorry) ...



They are amazing creatures.

Not to think I haven't been knitting ~ I recently finished a rather secret project that I'll talk about at some point and now I'm thinking what I need to do next. I told a friend I'd knit her an Icarus Shawl and that will probably come first.

But I also have this rather large bag of aran weight cashmere yarn that I dyed up in a colorway I call "Raspberry Truffle" ~ sort of a plummy brown, that I am aching to knit into one of the sweaters from Lisa Lloyd's new book.

And I have three pairs of socks on needles right now (which is very, very, very Not Me ... I'm more of a Completion Knitter than a Process Knitter so I don't usually have alot going on at once).

And also some fingering weight cashmere that I dyed in a dark eggplant purple / brown / dark olive green color that's slated to be a Cherry Blossom Shawl from Victorian Lace Today ~ for another friend for her birthday (it was supposed to be for last November but I obviously didn't make it, so now it's supposed to be for this November and I really do need to make that deadline).

And lastly I have 1,600 yards of laceweight cashmere in white, that I'm planning to knit and then space-dye. I'd really like to start this one first, but since it's just for me, and just for fun, it's definitely last on the list.

Off to go hiking today with the kids, who are now out of school for the summer. We're thinking to go on the White Oak Canyon Trail, part of the Shenandoah National Park that has an entrance down here in our neck of the woods. Because it's supposed to be up into the 90's by Friday. So much for Spring in Virginia.