The day started with a demonstration of shearing. While I've seen shearing before, I was more than pleased to watch as the instructor showed how to get the crud out of the way so that what winds up on the board when the sheep is done, is good useable fleece. Some folks I know don't skirt fleeces at all, and I hope that now the shearers and the producers will be clearer about the value of skirting everything obnoxious instead of rolling it into the fleece.
See, not a sheep turd in sight. And while I do appreciate the free manure washing a dirty fleece provides for the garden, I don't like the price I have to pay for it, ie. premium wool prices.
We learned to look for breaks, cotting, inconsistent staples, how to estimate clean yield, how to evaluate what was appropriate for the breed. And the instructor was clear (we needed someone with his experience to say this a number of times) that vegetable matter (VM), shit and pizzel stains were not wanted in a 'crafter's fleece' and producers should not expect to get spinning grade prices for fleeces that were dirty and full of VM. Bless you Morris says I. I've picked too much crud and VM out of too many otherwise lovely fibre to want to do that ever again. A little care by the producer and all will be well and I'll happily pay top dollar for their fleeces.
Here are the participants learning to judge fleeces laid out on long tables.
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