It's putting a smile on my face to even think about them. But I'll back up and give a little history. In 1992, I began raising sheep. They were part of my fiber philosophy-I wanted to raise my own wool and process it myself right from the beginning-and I did. My little darlings multiplied like rabbits and soon, I had wool coming out my ears. I sold it, spun it, processed it, dyed it, wove it, felted it and knitted it! Hence my title of "Shepherdess".
Nearly 22 years have passed since then. One by one, due to their age or various illnesses, my sweet sheep have all left me. Lulabelle, my last remaining sheep, passed away over a year ago. Do I miss her! :/ Chip the horse misses her too. They were buddies. But I digress...
Yaks are hauntingly beautiful creatures. Their fiber is fine, soft, quite expensive to purchase and dreamy to spin.. Secretly, I've longed to have my very own Yak. But I imagined they were cumbersome and ornery creatures. A couple years ago, I found an article in Country Woman magazine that lead me to believe none of the above is true! A female Yak is approximately 4 to 4-1/2 feet tall. They are reported to have sweet and gentle personalities. They don't appear to eat much either. This is yet another fine quality in a fiber animal!
Nearly 22 years have passed since then. One by one, due to their age or various illnesses, my sweet sheep have all left me. Lulabelle, my last remaining sheep, passed away over a year ago. Do I miss her! :/ Chip the horse misses her too. They were buddies. But I digress...
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| Ruthie (front) and Lulabelle (rear) |
Yaks are hauntingly beautiful creatures. Their fiber is fine, soft, quite expensive to purchase and dreamy to spin.. Secretly, I've longed to have my very own Yak. But I imagined they were cumbersome and ornery creatures. A couple years ago, I found an article in Country Woman magazine that lead me to believe none of the above is true! A female Yak is approximately 4 to 4-1/2 feet tall. They are reported to have sweet and gentle personalities. They don't appear to eat much either. This is yet another fine quality in a fiber animal!
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| Ohhhh I want her! |
The fiber from this soft and beautiful creature can be gently plucked or combed. They are very bovine-like in their care and feeding. I have read Yaks are efficient at browsing scrubby pasture and basically prefer it. Sounds like a winner to me. I can't wait to have one! Although, I'm sure I'll have to. Yaks are not inexpensive... But when I do have one, think of all the Yak jokes you can send me! :)
I thought it was hilarious to see my friend's horses react to a miniature horse being introduced to their herd. Can you imagine poor Chip's reaction to a YAK?! Oh my head!
ReplyDeleteHe might just think his eyesight is going... :O
ReplyDelete