wool

Newborn Tigre with her mom, Ping, and her twin brother, Leo.

Among the lovely lambs I had born this past spring there was a unique black ewe lamb born with white stripes! Now as far as I know, there’s no breed of striped sheep, so I was pretty excited.

Newborn Tigre, my striped ewe lamb.

We named her Tigre and made her a permanent part of our flock. I’ll be putting her mother, Ping, on the same ram this year, so you can bet I’ll be watching to see what comes out this spring. Tigre’s twin brother was all black, but if Ping gives me a striped ram next year, I may have a new breed in the making.

Tigre growing into a beautiful ewe.

Tigre’s stripes don’t cover her whole body, but she’s a pretty cool looking ewe none the less. They aren’t symetrical either. Her wool might turn grey like Ping’s, which is common, but I’m hoping she stays the way she is.

Crocheted purse dyed a deep earthy terra cotta color. There's enough subtle color variation throughout to add depth and richness to the color.

I have now dyed the crocheted purse and I’m so happy with the color. I wanted a warm earthy color and that’s what I got. I’m also pleased that the dye is varigated over the whole purse rather than just one solid color. It adds depth and richness to it that emphasizes the handmade nature of the purse.

And just in case you’re wondering, no birds were dyed during the process.

Next will be the lining.