Sheep Shearing

Last Friday our sheep and goat shearer came to the farm to remove the winter fleeces from our flock.  We really like her; she can work with all of the fiber animals people regularly keep (sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas), she knows tons about general livestock health, and she is willing to come to small farms and shear even as few as one animal at a fair price.

The two Leicester Longwool ewes each gave us five pounds of really beautiful fleece.  After shearing, it was clear that one girl (Clementine) was bred, her nipples were quite enlarged and her vulva was starting to get full.  Our other girl Clarabelle *might* be bred, she had a few signs, but not as conclusive as her sister.  It could be that she is not quite as far along, or that her body just reacts differently.  Last year, our cows gave birth three full weeks apart despite being bred at the same time with the same bull, so we will wait and see what happens with our two girls.  They were with the ram from 12/15-1/15, so they are due any time between 5/15 and 6/15.

Our new CVM/Romeldale ewe Francis also gave us five pounds of beautiful fleece, the color of fog or smoke, very lovely.  Her fleece is so different than the longwool.  The CVM fleece has a super fine crimp, while the longwool fleece makes spirals.  Both wools are perfect in their own right.  The CVM fleece is incredibly soft and good for items worn close to the skin.  The longwool fleece is incredibly strong and lustrous, good for outerwear, rugs, and lace.

Clem, our angora goat, gave us seven pounds of fleece, but his was a bit dirtier and yolkier (sheep grease is called lanolin, goat grease is called yolk) so when clean it will likely yield the same amount of fiber as the girls.  Clem and the two longwool ewes get shorn twice/year, while the CVM ewe only gets shorn once/year.

I skirted each fleece, discarded any vegetable matter and really yucky bits, then kept about half a pound each of CVM and longwool to clean and do some hand felting projects.  I set aside some raw fleece to use in a trade for some lovely prints by an artist friend of ours.  We took the rest of the raw fleece (about 16 pounds) plus about four pounds of cleaned mohair from the fall shearing to our local mill, Still River Mill in Eastford, CT.  It is run by an amazing couple who abandoned their previous lives to become farmers and run a fiber processing mill in eastern CT.

Here is what I LOVE about fiber.  Each different fleece is perfect, all you have to do is know what the right use is for it.  Our mohair is on the course end of the spectrum, but this also makes it very strong and lustrous.  You wouldn’t want it in a hat or scarf, but it is PERFECT for making rugs, so it will be turned into rug yarn.  Then, once life has returned to something resembling normal after this baby is born, I will put my new loom to good use weaving rugs for our home.  The CVM and longwool will be turned into roving that I can spin into yarn, dye, and knit into wonderful garments for my family.  Just like the key to cooking meat is all about knowing what cut you have and what the best method for cooking it is, the key to working with fiber is understanding the inherent qualities of the type you have and using it in a way that maximizes those qualities.