Leigh Tate

Goat Tales weaves entertaining but honest stories with the challenges of sustainable goat keeping. Beginning with the author's preparations for her first goats, she discusses types of fencing for goats, basic fence installation, choosing a breed, and dual-purpose goats for the homestead. Tales include adventures in pasture rotation, goat antics, feed and health challenges kidding, and various ways to deter goats with water. Also discusses  stewardship, the environmental ethics of eating meat, thoughts on pricing extra kids to sell, and working toward sustainable goat keeping.

Contents

Preface
But First, Fencing
Beginner Goats
Surprise
Jasmine
Little Chipper & Old McGruff
The Storm
The Goats Versus the Blueberry Bush
The Game Changers
It Was Time for Elvis to Go
Hooper's Close Call
Goat Buster
Goat Midwifery: Learning the Hard Way
Solved: Mystery of the Dying Kids
Stewardship, Balance, and Market Mindset
Kinders at Last
Toward Sustainable Goat Keeping
About the Author

I've been sampling.



After correcting a ton of threading mistakes, I discovered that the leaf draft I wanted to use didn't work on my countermarch loom. That's because it requires pressing two treadles at a time, but the mechanics of the countermarch loom is that each shaft is tied to each treadle to go either up or down, depending on the tie-up pattern. In my original leaf draft, the treadling pattern requires using treadles simultaneously that have shafts tied opposite. I can't raise and lower a shaft at the same time!  It would work on a jack loom, I think, but for some reason my brain did not catch this for my loom.

So I had to find a new draft.



I've been playing with it, experimenting with picks-per-inch and trying different weft yarns. I like the colors I chose for the winter leaves, but wonder if the leaf pattern is distinct and easy to identify. A few more experiments might be in order.

This made me really curious because I'd not heard of banana bark fiber before. I did some exploring on youtube and found some interesting videos of the process.

The first one features is large scale and uses machinery to help with the process.



This one is how to hand process on a small scale.



Here's one on making paper from banana fibers



And this one is done by someone who started a business in Belize selling crafts made from banana fibers.



Quite interesting, although not yarn I'd use for garments!

Ellen Morrow wrote:Things change . . .  In the end it is what you are willing to tolerate.

I think this is why I will continue to buy paper patterns. I've gotten good feedback in this thread, and would use a PDF if there was no other choice. But I still prefer paper. I hope that as long as there is demand for paper patterns, they will continue to make them.

Something to aspire to . . .

Christine Handmaker wrote:Would like to process tomato’s in olive oil, is there a way!

Christine, firstly, welcome to permies!

Yes, it works very well. Just follow the instructions in the first post of this thread. The tomatoes get a little shriveled looking over time, but they taste great on salads or sandwiches.

There's a really interesting book that lists important Native American plants and which tribes used them.



Native American Food Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary Hardcover by Daniel E. Moerman.
Trouble is, it's not an easy book to find anymore.

He also wrote a companion volume, Native American Medicinal Plants, which is still available in paperback.

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