Shearing at the Timm Ranch

Here is where Colleen (Fiber Confections) and I spent last Sunday. I first got fleece from the Timm Ranch, just a few miles from here, last year in preparation for my show at the Artery. Here is a blog post with info about the ranch and photos of the blankets I wove with the wool. This is a view to the northwest taken while driving through the ranch.Much of the 2700 acres is leased for cattle grazing.The last gate before the ranch headquarters.There were about 90 ewes, several lambs, and five rams to shear. One group of sheep was already in the barn when we got there but I helped with the second group. These are a "ranch mix" developed many years ago and are a blend of Rambouillet, Targhee, and Polypay. The sheep are brought into the barn (on the left)......move along a lane in the north side of the barn......and end up in the pens in the middle where they are visually contained by burlap drapes.  The shearer pulls the next sheep to shear through the drape and when he is finished the sheep is released and...

  ...it walks out the door to the back.The wool is pushed through the window of the barn into a pile where it is later loaded into a wool press that compresses the wool into bales.These bales can weigh 300-400 pounds.

  In this case Colleen and I diverted many fleeces to our piles and inspected, bagged, and weighed them. I had bagged up my predetermined amount of 200 pounds and was ready to leave (having been battling a cold for days and at this point in the day had completely lost my voice). But then it was time to shear the five rams.I figured that I'd been there this long. What's another half hour?

I'm glad that I stayed.

  The ram fleeces were gorgeous. Whereas the ewe fleeces weighed 5+ to 8 pounds the ram fleeces I bought weighed 12 pounds (two mature rams) and 8 pounds (the yearling ram with the horns).

Last year I had the wool spun into yarn and put on cones (easy for weaving).  I think that I'll have this year's fiber put into skeins because of the appeal to knitters. Last year's fiber tested at an average of 23.5 microns. I think I'll send some more samples in from this year's wool.  Be looking for this yarn in a few (several?) months.

Another View of Shearing

I wrote a post about Shearing right afterwards but now I have Farm Club member, Dona's photos to round it out a bit more or just to give a different perspective. All of these photos are hers. Farm Club members getting organized on a chilly morning. Sheep getting organized. There was a lot of Farm Club help and lots of visitors. A wonderful thing about Jacob sheep is the variety of fleeces from mostly black... ...to mostly white... ...to some of each.  Gynna was one of our sheep wranglers, feeding sheep to the pen where Stephany had them ready for the shearer. Alison was at the skirting table all morning teaching FC members and other visitors about evaluating and skirting fleeces. An important part of any fiber gathering is the food. We wouldn't want to starve in the three hours it took to shear the sheep. This is the pot of vegetable chili I made and everyone else brought wonderful side dishes. After shearing we could enjoy lunch. That's our fabulous shearer, John, on the right. And everyone else are FC members. We missed getting Kathleen and Jackie in the photo.  It's hard to corral this group. (And somehow we missed Rusty. I think he was lying in the sun after a long morning of watching sheep crouched on the concrete floor.)

Amaryllis was grateful to NOT be part of the action. After shearing there was still time for FC members to do additional fleece shopping......and other shopping.  Lisa was one of many FC members who helped in the shop so that I could spend time in the barn.

. "Is it over?"  

Shearing 2015

Although we had a cold start the weather for Shearing Day turned out great and a lot of people came out to watch and to buy fleeces. Ewes before shearing.  Farm Club members handled all the jobs. I don't have photos of all of them but FC photographer, Dona, will probably have some for me to add to another post. That's Stephany and Gynna who wrangled sheep all morning.  Alison and others helped skirt fleeces that people purchased.  Here is a view from above. Carol and Amy are in place to sweep between sheep and to let the shorn sheep out the gate.  John Sanchez has been our shearer for several years. The fleeces are always beautiful and the sheep look great too. He's prompt and he's fast too. He finished everything in 3 hours.Looking at this photo I wish that I'd done a series of photos of footwear. There are a lot of stylish boots in our Farm Club.

 Jackie kept track of names and cards...

...while Mary scooped the fleeces into bags. All Farm Club members rotated tasks and helped all day--answering dozens of questions from visitors and also helping in the shop. Thanks to everyone: Alene, Alison, Amy, Betty, Carol, Dona, Gynna, Jackie, Janis, Joy, Kathleen, Lisa, Mary, Peggy, Polly, and Stephany (and to Judy for joining us).Jimmy is one of two wethers (castrated male) who was well marked so that the shearer would be told to watch for different parts while shearing off the belly wool.

 Amaryllis was probably glad that she wasn't on the shearing list.

This is what Dan made out of the pressure tank we had to replace a couple of months ago. It provided a welcome place to warm hands. Maggie behaved admirably all day.Rusty kept watch.Ginny was in the barn with us but had her own pen to keep her out of trouble.

  Bags of fleeces for me to sort through. 

This is how I felt at the end of the day.