I’ve become super excited about this coming season’s shearing!  This week I was out changing up coats on the flock to keep ahead of growing wool and got to see and feel their fleeces – up close and personal.  They so impressed me that I’ve decided to enter a number in the fleece competition at Shepherds’ Harvest fiber festival this May.  If all goes as planned, here is the line-up:

Sheep          Division                  Class                Breed

Olivia           Purebred                 Medium         Babydoll Southdown

Adrien         Purebred                 Medium         Babydoll Southdown

Becka          Colored                   Medium?       Babydoll Southdown X Finnsheep

Bro              White                      Medium?       Babydoll Southdown X Finnsheep

Below are a few close-up images of the wool beneath the coats.  Nina’s fleece is always longer than most, but she was only coated since November, so Olivia’s, who also trends longer, will be entered.  She’s been coated since last shearing.  The Finnsheep crosses may be fine enough that the judges will move them to the fine category.  There they would be up against Merinos who have very fine textured wool.  Since cleanliness is highly weighted, I’m thinking they should do fine anyway.   I am planning – time permitting – to post pictures/ weights of fleeces and offer for sale on this website.  The fleeces exhibited at Shepherds Harvest will be auctioned off there (unless I get an “offer I cannot refuse” 😉 ).  I am also planning a shearing day open house (March 18th) where newly shorn fleeces can be purchased.  My coat provider, Rocky, was telling me that it’s been a good wool growing year with some flocks growing into sizes of coats they’ve never had to use before.  Click on each image for a close up look at their crimp!

Nina’s back wool – luscious and long!

Adrien’s back wool – still nicely dark.

Bro’s back wool – perhaps 4″ long!