Sheep Shearing at a Nearby Farm
One of about 60 sheep being sheared that day.
Last Saturday I went to nearby Border Springs Farm for their annual sheep shearing day. They invite anyone to come watch and hope spinners/crafters will snatch up some fleeces to take home for their fiber projects. And that’s exactly what I did! I picked out two nice fleeces that I will eventually wash, card and spin into yarn.
Trying to get a picture of the little lambs.
I was looking for a fleece that wasn’t too terribly dirty looking, a good length (3-4 inches) and had a nice crimp to it. I am not a wool expert (yet) but Texel wool is a good medium wool that easily felts and is most used for outer garments such as hats, mittens and handbags. Texel sheep are a dual purpose breed for wool and meat.
The sheep being herded into a holding pen prior to shearing. The lambs are just with their mamas, not to be sheared.
The dogs sniffing pieces of wool as I skirt the fleece.
Check out that crimp!
Related posts:
- A Weekend Get-Away to Another Farm & Sheep Care 101
- The Caption Challenge: Butterflies on Donkey Dookie
- Big Mamma Turkey is Laying Again
- A Crazy Cock-Eyed Cock
- Farm Update – May 20-24th
Category: Animals, Arts & Crafts, The Transplants
We believe that humankind has lost some important things in the march toward progress. That is not to say progress and simplicity are mutually exclusive. We believe we can have both, and this site catalogs our journey as we try to do exactly that.
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The Old-Timers
Ahh, you should have called us. This is one of the experiences I still have yet to experience!
Someone told me of another one next month. I will be sure to let you know when I hear details.
nice sheep pictures.
Mark,
This is the first time you’ve commented on our blog in the 13-or-so months we’ve known you. I can’t think of a much better introduction than that… “Nice sheep pictures.”
By the way, congrats on scoring your whole lamb. Let us know if you want to trade some beef for lamb: http://waldeneffect.org/blog/Buying_a_whole_lamb/ . Of course, the logistics of us getting together again and making the trade without anything thawing out could get interesting. I’m sure we could work something out.
[...] [ 0 ] May 20, 2011 | Missy If you remember, a few months ago I went to a nearby farm to observe sheep shearing and to pick up a couple of fleeces. Well, I finally decided to wash a small batch of wool since [...]