Baa, baa black sheep

Jacob sheep fleece

Black sheep, white sheep, brown sheep, and variegated sheep - I have them all in my flock. When I talk to little kids about wool, I usually have dyed wool and raw wool on display. Up until about 1st grade, they nod enthusiastically when I ask if they think I have red (or green or blue) sheep at home. After that, they are too wise.

All year we work to keep the fleeces clean. We kill weeds in the pasture, put on coats in the fall, try to keep the pastures healthy so that on windy days, there are no bare spots to to lose dirt and dust into the air and the fleeces.

On shearing day, after the shearer finishes with a sheep, we gather up the fleece and spread it out on a skirting table. Volunteers working under heat lamps in the cold barn, pick off all the dirty bits (manure and straw and weed seeds) and the second cuts where the shearer has gone back over a spot with his shears. Then they label and bag the fleece.

Later I bring the fleeces into the house, skirt them again, and price them. I look at fiber length, crimp (the number of waves in each fiber per inch - due to fiber diameter and sheep breed), and cleanliness. Some like this Jacob fleece almost bring tears to my eyes because they are so beautiful. Others are so full of weeds and hay and manure that I can’t sell them. They are only good for mulching trees. Next year I will do a better job coating in the fall.