Wool - Someone Bought Mine!

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

After eight years of being in wool sheep, I've sold my first fleeces. I'm so tickled I can't stand it. I also found I really, really enjoyed preparing the fleeces and I like dealing with the people who bought them - crafters, such sweet yet knowlegeable people.

 

I sold these for felting so I made them what I know was a serious deal - but these fleeces were right nasty. They were still snatched up (at a crafter's show) so fast that I've caught the bug.

 

Does anyone have some good basic resources on producing quality fleeces, pricing, marketing, etc? I'm interested in books or magazines mostly, though websites would be helpful for my poor husband who is a still bit shellshocked at the news that we've actually made money off those nasty things piled in the corner of the barn.

 

I kept one fleece that had completely felted all over while on the sheep. A couple of my hair/wool crosses do this, which is one reason I've sheared twice a year when possible. I'm going to try to wash it for a craft of my own.

[Maralynn]

Congratulations! If you need some extra let me know - we've got a pile in our barn!

 

Paula Simmons "Turning Wool into a Cottage Industry" has lots of good ideas in it. Sheep! magazine often has wool articles in it. You might also want to check out a issue of Spin-off magizine.

 

If you put coats on your sheep their wool will stay really nice and clean. I've done it in the past, but have given up on it as we have some old barbed wire fences. The sheep would have their coat on for 8-10 months then go and get it all torn up on the wire. It was rather frustrating!

[Deacon Dog]

You should visit Ann & Ron Fay at Rising Meadow Farm in Liberty, NC (www.risingmeadow.com). They have a large spinner flock of Corriedales and Navajo Churros (and a meat flock of commercial Dorsets). We went to one of their shearing days. They had four shearers working, and they were selling fleeces as fast as they could be cut, skirted and weighed.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I'm looking into coating selected ewes, who just earned a new special status. I just washed my project fleece and it was a royal pain getting the bits of hay and stuff out of it. I can see keeping the grass low is a must, too. That's fine since that was in the plan this year anyway.

 

Everyone on the Boards must be hitting Rising Meadow's website. I can't get through. But thanks for the link. I wanted a Dorset ram for these replacements born this year, too, so I ought to talk to them. Of course, Gwen has Dorsets too, right?

[juliepoudrier]

Tony,

Do you know if they sell Navajo Churro breeding stock? In addition to the Scottish blackface, I hope to breed the churro to satisfy my rare breed preservation ideals....

 

Becca,

I couldn't get on the site either.

 

J.

[Bill Fosher]

Hey Tony,

 

Is that the place that Kevin Ford shears?

[Deacon Dog]

Not sure why their web site's not working. Here's a link to their NC Ag page. It has their contact info and says they sell Navajo Churro breeding stock.

 

It's the place Kevin Ford shears. I really enjoy watching him work. If anyone's interested, they're trying to bring him in for a blade shearing clinic in February 2006.