Shearing Day

It’s a great day for shearing.  Cloudy, but warm and dry.  Don’t worry about the sheep, they won’t be cold without their wool coats.  They only need about an inch of wool to keep them warm in the winter and by the time the really cold weather comes ( remember what humans think of as cold is very different from what a sheep feels) they’ll have enough wool to keep them warm.

It seems to me the sheep are dirtier this year than in the past.  They’re full of Burdock and Begger Ticks (these aren’t actual ticks, but seeds that get caught in anything they come in contact with).  So Jon and I will be very busy skirting (getting the big stuff out of the wool before it goes to the Mill) the fleeces in the days to come.

Now I’m off to get my plastic bags and name tags ready.  I keep the wool separate and when it comes back as yarn, anyone can buy the wool of their favorite sheep.  This batch will probably come back from the mill in April or May as yarn and roving. (Roving is the wool cleaned and ready for spinning for those who hand spin or can be used for felting).

I have another batch of yarn coming back in February or March from last springs shearing.  That was before the lambs came and Ted, the ram, was still at the farm.