Fondling Fleeces

On Shearing Day I sold over 20 fleeces but I was so busy that I didn't get a change to really look at them.  Today some Farm Club members came to help skirt and sort fleeces. Most of the fleeces that are left will be sorted into white, black, and gray. That's what those barrels in the background are for. However, I'm keeping my eyes open for a couple of fleeces for some special projects that I have in mind. The wool on the table is Donna's fleece.

 This is what Donna's fleece looks like from the cut side. Isn't that a beautiful shade of gray?

Here is Donna.

Here is a sample of Ventura's fleece. This is another that I may spin myself.

Here are some more pretty fleeces.

 Ginseng is a lilac lamb. Notice the change in color in the length of the staple--lightest color near the skin. It will be interesting to see what this fleece is like next year.

This is Ginseng and her spots don't appear light.

Onyx's fleece. I'm keeping this one also.

Lots of fluffy fiber

I spent the day in Sacramento at the annual Open House. I took my new extra wide Ashford drum carder.  Wow, is it a workhorse!

I washed two fleeces last night so that I'd have something to work on and I carded half of each.

I love this new carder and I can't wait until I have time to spin this wool.

Where will you be Feb. 21?

I know where I will be. I just transferred the breeding notes from my clipboard to my 2012 calendar (while learning to use the calendar in my Mac) and look what I discovered. I knew that a lot of sheep were bred all at once, but it's more striking when I see it in this format.

That's 23 ewes due in a 5 day span. I usually aim for March 1 lambs, but I got antsy and thought I'd start breeding a week earlier. After all, my friends will all be lambing and I'll want to have a few of my own before the rush starts in March.  I thought wrong. There are about 30 more in addition to those first 23. I guess I'll be warmed up by the time they lamb.

I've been finishing up registration applications for this year's lambs. It's interesting to look at baby photos of sheep.

This is 11038, now known as Rosie. Notice how her pink nose develops pigment as she gets older.

Rosie was developing very nice horns and I had my eye on her from the start as one I wanted to keep. She got in the ram pen when she was a few months old and, in trying to get back with the ewes, she broke off both horns. They are still stubby, but stout.

Here is another. This is ram lamb 11094, the last ram of 2011, and sired by Sweetgrass Clint.

He is named Clapton and will be the sire of several lambs in 2012.

Clapton doesn't look quite so nice after shearing...

...but his fleece is sure pretty.

Faulkner & Jerry

I haven't had time to sort many fleeces yet. In fact, other than those I've sold I have only skirted the ram  and wether fleeces.  But I'm very happy with those that I've seen.

This is the fleece of a wether, Jerry. He is mostly black, not a good Jacob trait, but he will get to live his life being Faulkner's companion. Faulkner is the BFL ram and I am not going to subject him to living with a group of rams with huge horns.

Faulkner and Jerry

This is what Faulkner's fleece looked like "on the hoof". This photo was taken shortly after I got him so it had grown a lot since then.

This is a lock after shearing.

Less than a minute in hot soapy water.

Silky, white locks!