Needle Felting Wool For Sale

I am excited to introduce a new product line...

Needle Felting Wool and Wool Locks...

all 100% Shetland Wool, of course!

Large bags (sandwich size filled up) are available in a variety of single colors or multi-color packs 

 $6.50 + S&H.  MN sales tax also applies to orders shipped to MN residents.

Small bags (approximately 1/3 sandwich bag size) are $4.50 + S&H.

MN sales tax applies to all MN sales.

Wool Locks are also available.  Small bags are $2.50.  Large bags are $5.00.

Again, S&H applies as well as MN sales tax to MN residents.

To give you an idea of how much lock wool is in a small bag...small bags contain enough locks to make beards for 3+ dolls with "barbie doll" sized heads.  I hope that makes sense.   

At this time, the locks are only sold in single colors, but multi-color packs can be shipped upon request.

If you have any questions or wish to order wool, please contact me at

sabrinalea19@yahoo.com

All of the above products are also available locally in downtown Bemidji at

YARN DANCE

on 15th ST & Paul Bunyan DR.

Prices at the shop and direct from Boston Lake Farm are the same.

I would like to thank Patty at Yarn Dance for encouraging me to produce this product line and for offering it through her beautiful shop.  Please stop by Yarn Dance and discover all the gorgeous yarns and fiber-crafting supplies Patty carries for fiber enthusiasts!

TRANS AM: SOLD!

Thank you to Lorie and Lance K. of Nebraska for giving Trans Am a great home.

I hope he gives you many terrific lambs!

I had Trans Am earmarked for a particular situation, but that did not come to fruition.  I know it is last minute, but TA is available as a breeding ram lamb immediately.  I am not overwintering any male sheep for the next two seasons...so I can't keep him.  And I DO have a butcher lamb customer waiting for him if I can't sell him for breeding.  The processor date is October 25th...so not much time.

Trans Am is a spotted (head,two socks, tail) black katmoget that carries moorit and solid. 

S'more Courante x RiverOaks Hannah.

Can be registered.

He has absolutely excellent conformation, tail, wide hindquarters, and super terrific soft crimpy fleece.  His parents micron data can be found on my Fleece Page and my Flock Page.

Trans Am has round profile horns that clear his head.  He very much has a British look to his horns...I am guessing he carries a poll gene from one of his parents.

Mouth and testes are very proper.

Just an all around super ram lamb.

SOLD-Pair of Working LGD's

 POOJA & CAPONE (called Bannon at our farm)

SOLD: a working pair of Livestock Guardian Dogs.

A brother-sister pair. Very bonded to each other.  4.5 years old. Great Pyrenees.

Male is neutered. Female is not spayed.

These two dogs are friendly with their humans but will bark at strangers. They were raised guarding alpacas and they have been fine around my sheep. They have shown zero aggression towards our 2 house dogs (indoor/outdoor border collie and chow/boxer mix) or our cat.

They have been fully groomed of all mats and burs. Current on shots as of May 2011, including three-year rabies shots.

TO A WORKING FARM HOME ONLY!

Serious enquiries only. 

Please call 218-556-zero86two

or email: sabrinalea19@yahoo.com

for more information including price.

Please be prepared to answer questions about the home you would like to offer these working dogs. 

Do not call if you have no experience with, or understanding of, LGD's and the work they do.  These dogs are unique and display specific behaviors because of their instinct to be guardians...you must know what that entails. 

Capone/Bannon-male

Pooja-female

To those of you that follow my blog:

Over the past few weeks it has become more and more clear that Bannon & Pooja & Shachah do not intend to get along.  Our first commitment is to Shachah, and so we must find a good working home for the new pair we brought in.  If you know of someone that needs an excellent working pair of LGD's, please send them to my blog.  Personal references are much appreciated.

More Sheep for Sale

I have reached that point where some of my foundation girls have to go if I am going to keep their ewe lambs. 

With a heavy heart, I am offering the following three ewes for sale.  I will try to update my sale page soon.  But for now, photos and fleece information can be found on the "Our Flock" and "Fleece for Sale" pages.

FOR SALE

Boston Lake Sian   $200 

4 years old

Solid Black with Moorit Recessive

minimal iset, excellent mother, excellent conformation/tail, wool on poll, large size, horn genetics

Little Red Oak January    $200

yearling

Moorit Katmoget with Solid Recessive

excellent conformation/tail, terrific mother, medium size, polled genetics

Bramble AnnaBelle   Reserved
To an EXCELLENT HOME only!

8 years old

White with Solid Black Recessive

big deep build, tiny tail, excellent mother, 32 micron but very lustrous & silky hand, possible full poll

I have 4 daughters & 1 son from Anna.  She is a very special ewe.

These ewes are completely unrelated stock.

2010 Lambs are also for sale on the "Stock for Sale" page.

Thank you for looking.

Late Summer Ram Lambs

I should know better than to judge a lamb the day it is born.  But I had to learn that lesson over again this year.  When Nhu gave birth to two ram lambs by White Pine Arvada, I was disappointed because they were not ewe lambs...and because they had small horn buds.  I was hoping for girls or polled.  So I dismissed both as little cuties and a very nice pair, considering it was Nhu's first pregnancy.

Tecwyn & Beck

Fast forward to late summer... I am absolutely in love with Tecwyn.  He is beyond soft...and his parents micron tests confirm that I'm not imagining it.  His horns are either long scurs or aberrant horns.  So that puts him at a disadvantage in the polled market I am aiming to be a part of.  But I think he's just super in every other way, especially in the fleece department.

Beck

I loaded more photos on my Stock for Sale page.  In between rain storms and long grass I was able to manage a few snaps.  You'll find Tecwyn and Beck featured there, as well as updated photos for Clennam.  Thanks for looking.

Lambs For Sale

Boston Lake Carys and Clennam are for sale.

They are twins

by ShelteringPines Bombarde and out of Bramble Anna Belle.

14 weeks old.

I consider both to be 'keeper' quality. But I still have Anna Belle in my flock, as well as three full blood sisters to these lambs.

Mid-side fleece samples from both parents have just been sent in for micron testing and those reports will be posted as soon as they return.

Carys

White ewe lamb. Carries Moorit and either Katmoget or Grey pattern from sire. I feel certain Carys is a poll carrier, and she has a 50% chance of having a second polled gene from her 'half-polled' sire. She has excellent conformation, tail, and ear-set. Her wool will be 4 inches long, crimpy, and soft.

Click here to see fleece samples from her 2 year old and yearling full sisters (Lyneth, Nhu, Vianne).

The only weakness I find with Carys is that she currently has a slight under bite. It is very slight and her other full siblings that have had this trait have grown out of it. The lambs out of her full sister have excellent bites, so I feel it is an easily corrected weakness.

$200

Clennam

Grey ram lamb. Carries Moorit and Solid pattern.

Excellent top line, conformation, tail, bite and presence. Will have 4 inch long crimpy, soft fleece. The most uniformly crimpy birthcoat I have ever seen. I feel Clennam is a half poll with slow-growing scurs. I would keep him as his sire's replacement if he wasn't already related to so many of my younger ewes. Clennam's weakness is his ear-set: his ears are horizontal rather than set above the horizontal. (They do not droop as the photo angle suggests.) His full-sister has lambs with excellent ear-set so I also think this trait can be corrected.

$200

For more info please contact Sabrina Wille Erickson

Thank You!

Jchen: Notice

Note: Please be aware that I have sent Jchen's fleece in for a micron report. I will hold him until that info comes back. If it is as good as I hope, I will post his numbers and he will be available for a limited time before I send him to the processor. Thank you.

Boston Lake Jchen is still available for sale. I would love to see this fine young ram go to a breeding home. If anyone has even the slightest interest in this boy, please contact me. I am willing to be flexible with arrangements. My contact info is at the bottom of this site.

Fleece sample from last rib taken 10/09.
Micron info on sire, Sheltering Pines Bombarde. This sample was gathered Spring '09 from Bombarde's RUMP. I know the numbers are difficult to compare to last rib numbers in other flocks. But this is the info I have to offer. And I think these are nice numbers from a rump sample. Anything in front of that sample will be finer.

Micron info on dam, Boston Lake Sian. This sample was also gathered Spring '09 from behind Sian's HIP. Again, it is not exactly comparable to last rib microns, but it is what I have at this time for info. Sian is a glossy black, with iset showing up on her rump not until three years of age. Her sire and dam were uniform, crimpy, soft, and well conformed with tiny tails and good lambing history of twins.

Jchen carries moorit and spots. He is wide and straight in the hind quarters, with a tiny tail. Jchen is also well behaved and reserved with people.

Fleece Samples

My new sheep are out of isolation now and have joined the ram and ewe flocks. Surprisingly, there wasn't much tussle in the ram pen when I added Courante and Ash. Distracted with a new plot of clover, there wasn't much fuss in the ewe pen either when we added January and her companion Qdy. I'm thankful for small mercies. :)

With Clancy's help, I caught some of the rams today and took fleece samples from their last ribs. I am pleased with the handle and style of these fleeces. I will send them off for micron testing as soon as I can.

S'more Courante.

I know it's a lambs fleece...but ooh-la-la! This boy is NICE. I feel so lucky to have him. And he's polled! Yippeeee!

Little Red Oak Ash

I wanted Ash for his bare little head. I had no idea how beautiful his fleece was going to be.

Boston Lake Jchen

Jchen is for sale. He is soft and gorgeous. His conformation is just spectacular, with a long loin and wide straight hindquarters. He carries moorit and spots under his black katmoget. Jchen is exactly the type of lamb I'm trying to produce-except he has full wide-spread horns. I'd hate to send him to the freezer. I am willing to consider offers for this lamb to go to a breeding home.

White Pine Arvada

Consistent and soft from head to tail.

Boston Lake Roux

Decided to sample this boy on a whim. This photo shows a sample from his shoulder, last rib, and rump. Roux is way softer than I expected. I'm going to micron him and if the result is terrific, I may have to rethink his trip to the freezer. My main interest in him would be retaining a Bomby son that is obviously carrying polled.

Little Red Oak January

Well, she isn't a ram. But since we were moving her to the ewe pen I decided to get a sample. Her fleece is not exactly my favorite type, but everything else about her is superb. And she should be carrying some influential polled genes. I think the rams I have should help her throw lambs with my favored fleece type and carry my breeding program forward. She is turning out to be a little dear, and I love having a moorit kat ewe for once!

Must Sell...

...all my extra rams.

I did not anticipate how incredibly busy my work and the boys' school activities were going to become this fall. I need to lighten my load. I need to sell most of my ram flock. On and off I had been thinking of this, but I was waiting to see Courante in person before I made any decision. With Courante and Ash being as promising as they are, I feel I can part with many of the others.

All the '09 ram lambs are for sale except for Dan-reserved white lamb. Three are available as butcher lambs: musket Roux, grey Rigg, and white Bence. These lambs are grass fed, and have not had de-wormer or CD&T shots yet. $50 each, delivered to Headwaters Meats in Bagley, MN. Headwaters does an excellent job of processing.

Katmoget Jchen is the best lamb I've ever produced and I would like to see him go to a breeding home. He is excellent in every way. A full-horned Sheltering Pines Bombarde son out of a non-fading black ewe named Boston Lake Sian. I do not have space to winter him over here. Nor do I have any need of a horned ram. Please inquire if you need an excellent single-coated ram. He will go for butcher if there is no other demand for him.

And now for the hard part: I am ready to sell Sheltering Pines Bombarde. I have four of his daughters and they will serve me well. I'd like 4 more but I do not have the room or the energy to keep more than 2 rams this winter.

Bombarde is simply an exceptional, half-polled ram. He should be given the opportunity to sire as many offspring as possible in other folks' flocks. I will only allow this gentleman to go to an excellent home.

And what about White Pine Arvada? Well...I haven't quite decided yet. I want to capture his genetics, yet I want to move out the horned rams. Stay tuned for his story.

As always, my contact information is at the bottom of this page. I'd be happy to send fleece samples and extra photos on request. Thank you.

Two Good Ram Lambs

Boston Lake Farm is offering for sale it's two best ram lambs of the season.

Bence
Windswept Unicorn x Boston Lake Delyth
Bence is four square, he has a perfect tail, and lovely widespread horns. He carries one white pattern gene. He may carry moorit, and spots as well. He is reserved with people; very well mannered. Bence has lovely long intermediate wool with beautiful lustre.
Registered $200

Jchen
Sheltrgpines Bombarde x Boston Lake Sian
Jchen is also four square with a perfect tail and good horns. He would be my keeper replacement for Bombarde if he was not fully horned. This is someones great chance to own a fully horned Bombarde son. Bombarde has amazing fleece! Jchen's dam is the best black ewe I have here. Jchen is exactly the type of Shetland I am breeding for. He has gorgeous soft, blue, crimpy fleece. I'm very proud of him. He carries moorit and has a significant krunet, so he also carries spots.
Registered $300

More photos and fleece samples available on request. Contact info at bottom of page. Thank you.

Two Rams

Not much time lately for blogging. Summertime busy, I guess. Just a small photo of White Pine Arvada and Windswept Unicorn.

Unicorn is for sale or trade. He's three years old and has proved to be a fantastic ram. We hate to see him go and would love to find a home for him that would appreciate his amazing strengths.

My contact info is at the bottom of the page. Please inquire if you are interested in Unicorn. Sold. Thank you to Stan and Jill for giving Unicorn a wonderful home as flock sire.

Ram Lambs for Sale

Two ram lambs I'm offering for sale:
Bence &
Jchen

Both have beautiful conformation, tails, heads and proper bites & testes. Wide, straight hindquarters. Both have full, widespread horns. Both are reserved and respectful. They do not seek attention.

Bence can throw the white pattern and the solid pattern. He will be a large sized Shetland with chunky build. Unicorn son. He will have a longer intermediate staple. His wool has brilliant lustre.
$200

Jchen can throw katmoget and solid pattern. Carries moorit & spotting. He will have about a 4 inch staple. His wool is very crimpy and soft. Bombarde son. His dam did not start to iset until 3 years old.
$350

The Lamb That Won't Pose...

Jchen!

I filled the memory card on my camera yesterday trying to get photos of certain sheep. That's 192 pictures. And Jchen didn't cooperate for any of them. Naughty lamb.

Jchen is the youngest lamb in the flock, born 5/1/09. I knew he was special the day he was born. Even at the young age of 2 months, he is already stunning.

Jchen is for sale. Fuzzy though they may be, here are some snapshots of this full horned black katmoget ram lamb:

With his dam, Boston Lake Sian. Sian is three years old now and just this spring developed iset on her rump. She is shiny black with crimp and nice softness. Sian is the only black ewe I am retaining after this summer's cull. Jchen is a Bombarde lamb. Micron reports on Jchen's parents can be found here.

A bird's-eye view of Jchen's head. He was born with a significant krunet and carries spotting and moorit genetics.

Blurry as it is, this photo shows off Jchen's wide, straight hind-quarters and perfect Shetland tail.

The Unicorn Lambs

Dan
My top ram, Unicorn, has been for sale for a couple of months now. I knew the day I chose to get him that I would have a very hard time reselling a homozygous white ram. Such is Shetland life.

I, myself, want more color in my flock. I'm also moving toward fine fleece and polled genetics. The handle and brilliance of Unicorn's fleece is lovely. It has sold with "oohs and aahs" each year. But it is not "fine" fleece by definition.

Bence
Unicorn is also just plain big. Big fleece, big body, big horns, big bones, big presence, big offspring. Big everything. I meant to use him to produce freezer lambs. But I've discovered that I like to have a single goal rather than multiple goals. So I'm letting him go.

If Unicorn does not sell, he will be turned into highly seasoned sausage. And I think I will miss him. He's been a very good boy here. Such is life as a farmer.

Darla Gay
To relieve me of my melancholy thoughts about Unicorn, I decided to feature his spring lambs:

Qdy
Qdy and Darla Gay are staying at Boston Lake to hopefully bring some of that Unicorn pizazz to a new line of polled Shetlands.

Dan & Darla
Dan and Bence are available for sale. I do realize even heterozygous white ram lambs are not in demand. But these are boys with some excellent qualities for certain flock needs and requirements (such as heavier/longer size, excellent conformation, good bites, small tails, long staple, dense fleece, impressive horn genetics) so I am offering them for sale-even if they are likely to spend the winter here being fattened for a spring trip to the freezer.

Bence
Both Unicorn sons are as square as can be and have tiny tails with proper covering. Dan is a monster chunk of testosterone, with what I suspect is heavy spotting potential under that white coat. Bence has the brilliant white fleece of his sire-it looks like I added "bluing" to him. He also has the best uniformly crimpy fleece of any of the 6 Unicorn offspring born here. Both boys can throw solid offspring, and Dan carries modified. For more information please call 218-556-0862 or contact me by email: sabrinalea19@yahoo.com Thank you.

Willing to Trade Sheep

I thought up a list of items that I would love to have for my home, yard, farm, and family. I am willing to trade my top ram, Windswept Unicorn, for something(s) of relatively equal value. Only interested in working, good-shape equipment. Willing to consider other suggestions as well. I also have a few ewes/lambs I could perhaps add to the deal. Please take a look...

(3) 26" men's bikes (all-terrain tires)
cymbals for drum set
acoustic guitar
bass amp
small boat trailer
canoe or kayak
hay rake
Rocky brand sheep coats (Shetland sized)
cattle panels
electronet fencing
pedestal round oak dining table
6-8 wood dining chairs
raw honey
drum carder or spinning equipment

Email me at sabrinalea19@yahoo.com or leave a comment here.
Thank you for looking.

For Sale-Windswept Unicorn

This is the year I must part with Unicorn. He has given me two gorgeous keeper ewe lambs that I am eager to use next year-Darla & Qdy. He has produced my heaviest ram lamb of the season-Dan. And his son Bence has all of his best qualities-especially his blue/white color-with even more uniform fleece and strength and width to his hindquarters.

I am trying to move closer to breeding polled Shetlands. While I can work with his female offspring, I can no longer use Unicorn. His strengths include adding size, shoulder, presence, length, and horn genetics. His fleece is huge and has a wonderful silky handle. He has been a great ram for me. And though I will miss him-my husband will miss him more. Like the expression says-this guy is truly a "man's man."

Please call 218.556.0862 or 218.243.2126. Leave a message at either number. Or email me at sabrinalea19@yahoo.com for more information.

Windswept Unicorn
3/26/06
F2 Drum Jings
$300
Masculinity to the extreme.
Magnificent horns.
Wide chest.
Silky, dense, heavy fleece.
Long staple-single coated.
Brilliant white lustre described by buyer as "fiber-optic".
Homozygous for white with major face speckling.
Tiny tail.
Proven-produced 3 rams and 3 ewes-all significantly chunky lambs.
Respects humans.
Does NOT head-butt fencing/structures just for fun.
Respects electronet fencing.
Has not been injured in any way through fighting, shearing, or management.
Quickly covers his ewes.

'09 lambs shown are Qdy & Dan. Unicorn has a very tiny tail. It does grow some extra hair at the tip and the shearer did not take it off. There is two inches of hair past the tip of his tail in the last photo. This has never created a soiling problem for him and his lambs have improved tail covering out of good ewes.