May 2026 Happenings at Withers Wool and Farm

Farm and Animals

A big event on the farm this month was shearing the Angora goats. I shear the goats every six months - May and November. In May so the goats enter summer with little fleece as we hit the hotter and more humid days; and in November since that is six months after May. And it is every six months as the fleece on a normal Angora goat will grow to the optimum 3-4 inches staple length in six months. Right now there are 15 Adult goats that needed to be sheared. I started shearing on 17 May and finished shearing on 24 May. Typically I shear 2 goats a day on the days I shear and it generally takes me about 30 minutes to shear a goat. I also trim their hooves at the same time. I am happy to say there were no issues and I now have 15 more mohair fleeces to process. I posted a video about shearing Cutie Pie and as I process her fleece in the coming weeks, I will continue to post on that process.

The two baby Angora goats - Willow, the doe, and Ash, the buck - are both doing well and growing extremely fast. They get a lot of milk since they are not competing with anyone for their mom’s milk, the conditions for grazing are good, and I suppose they have an optimum set of genetics. Anyway, they are bouncy, plump babies with lots of energy and enjoy meeting and interacting with visitors.

Weather conditions have been great for the pastures with plenty of rain followed by sunshine. The pastures are very lush, and the grass/vegetation is growing fast - with stalks in some fields close to three feet. I have been mowing fields so the vegetation will grow back leafy (versus stalky) and figuring out the most beneficial schedule to mow the fields and rotate the sheep and goats across the various pastures. And regarding the weather, we had a few damp, cool days as I was finishing up the shearing and a few of the Angora goats started shivering, even inside the closed barn, and I had to turn on a heater for them for two days.

I had a raccoon problem with the chickens and ended up losing three chickens. I put them up every night in an enclosed area. However, one evening I came back late and when I went out to close the gate to their enclosed area, I found one dead chicken and one chicken missing. My assumption was a fox or raccoon had come into their area before I had closed it. The next night I made sure I closed their area early. I was out and came back late and decided to check on them. I found a raccoon coming out of the chicken enclosure where the gate/door closes against the frame; there was just enough room for a raccoon to squeeze through. And found another dead chicken. So I then closed the door to the coop they go up in at night. The next morning I did work on the door/gate and frame so there were no cracks that would allow a raccoon to go through and that solved the problem. You have to have constant vigilance on a farm.

Cutie Pie eating grain after being sheared

Fiber and Shop

The first half of May for the shop involved setting up for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (MDSW), being a vendor at the show, and then setting back up in the shop and recovering. (The topic of the previous blog.)

There has been some production for the shop this month: a few hand spun yarns; felting cat mats; some dyeing of mill spun yarns; and making some small, finished goods - such as dryer balls. I try to keep my personal life and my business life separate - but of course they intertwine. If you follow my personal accounts on Facebook or instagram, you might have seen that I am engaged and will get married in August. My fiancee will then be moving into the farmhouse with me. So we are busy planning for the wedding, figuring out how to integrate our two households, and, if that was not enough, redoing the kitchen. (The one room in the farm house that was old - I estimate at least 30-40 years since any meaningful work had been done.) I am helping with some of the work for the kitchen renovation - which has taken up a bunch of time. Anyway, all to say I have been very busy with many non-farm/fiber activities.

Events

My next external show is the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival in Berryville, VA on 26-27 September.

There was a needle felting class on 23 May to make an enchanting Highland cow. On 13 June, there will be a needle felting class to make a crafty fox. After that there will be break before any more needle felting classes to make animals are offered. If you are interested in taking the class to make the fox, sign up using the form at the bottom of the page on the Classes and Workshops tab at www.witherswool.com. Other classes in May included several Beginning Spinning classes.

In July, Tour de Fleece commences. Tour de Fleece is an annual, three-week spin-along where fiber artists and handspinners challenge themselves to spin yarn daily. It runs concurrently with the Tour de France cycling race, with spinners using the cycling stages as their timeline, resting when the cyclists rest, and spinning along. The event is designed for personal growth, creativity, and community building rather than strict competition. Withers Wool and Farm and Avalon Springs Farm will be sponsoring a team and offering some “goodies” for participation. More info on this to come.

Getting ready for set up at MDSW 2026