it's all natural

left to right: tan roving, chocolate brown roving

This past spring my mother and I worked really hard dying over some of our creamy white top. We came up with vibrant color combinations and gave our creations inspiring names like Mermaids in the Basement (after a poem by Emily Dickinson), One Red Hen (after one of our crazy red hens) and Spring Fling (after all of the colors we were seeing in our woods.)

But at Shepherd's Harvest this year, none of those colorways seemed to sell. Everyone was after the CVM romeldale natural colored top and skirted, but unwashed fleeces. Crosby Hill Farm sold out of our skirted fleeces, but we still have a few pounds left of the top that we colored so prettily.

I'm not complaining. I guess that leaves more for me to spin this summer. I'm planning on making some pretty crazy socks.

left to right: white top, 80% wool 20% mohair chocolate brown top, and gray top

And looking at these beautiful bundles of fiber now, I halfway wonder what we were thinking when we dyed over some of it. I can imagine how these earthy tones will look spun up and knit into cables or seed stitches.

This is what you can expect out of the fiber of our lambs. They come in many shades and tones.

spring lambs for sale

Crosby Hill Farm has been around for awhile, but we've only been in the business (or should I say lifestyle) of raising sheep for the past three years. These last two years my mom has been growing her flock, but this year we're ready to sell some of our stock of registered CVM romeldale sheep.

To the right of this post, in the handy selection panel, you'll find a link to all of the photos of the lambs that we have up for sale this season, a selection of ewe and ram lambs with a variety of natural colors to their fleeces. Also to the right, is a link to the National CVM Conservatory's website, of which Crosby Hill Farm is a member under the web address tendrilandtwine.com.


In this post I'm sharing a few of my favorite pictures of our lambs.

Those of you who follow this blog know that I'm Jillian. I try to post an entry every few weeks and I live in the city. It's my mother, Julie, and my dad, Wayne, who raise the sheep on the farm that I grew up on miles north of the city here in Minnesota. I try to get home as often as possible to visit my folks and also take some fresh produce in the form of eggs, fiber, veggies and meat back to the city.

Please feel free to contact us here at the blog's email address tendrilandtwine@gmail.com if you have questions about our breeding stock or fiber. More likely than not it will be my mother, Julie, who answers your inquiries.


There's nothing like a small flock of friendly lambs to change your perspective on life.

The world, through a sheep's eyes, can be a very enjoyable place . . . if its a sunny day and there's a large grass pasture in sight!

this year's lambs

It's unusual for us to capture one of our lambs in a pretty pose--they're usually tossing their tails and running away.

But here Capri and Gem are, mugging for the camera.

This year's lambs are racing up and down the barnyard at Crosby Hill farm and we're very pleased with their fleeces--we can already imagine next winter's sweaters.

shepherd's harvest goodies

barn raising CVM romeldale painted top 40z

My mom and I are getting excited for Shepherd's Harvest Festival this year. It's coming up next weekend at the fairgrounds on Lake Elmo, near Stillwater, MN. All winter long we've been dying fiber--both wool and mohair. My mom also has a luxurious wool/mohair blend that has been washed and combed and made into top.

morning glory CVM romeldale painted top 4oz

Please stop by the Crosby Hill Farm booth, as well as the Winterwind Farm booth--we are happy to be collaborating with Sandy again this year. It should be a great time.

hillbilly harvest CVM romeldale painted top 4oz

The images in this post are a preview of the painted and naturally colored top we will have available for sale at the festival. CVM romeldale wool is known for its next-to-the-skin softness. We hope we can share some of our wonderful wool with you.

prairie mix CVM romeldale painted top 4oz

In another post I'll preview our dyed and naturally colored mohair as well as our naturally colored wool that we've had made into top. We will also have skirted, unwashed wool available for purchase at the festival. Please inquire at our booth, we'll be happy to set you up!

zinnia CVM romeldale painted top 4oz