I'm woolin' it!

[Baymule]

You are so talented!

 

[secuono]

Wow, I can't believe I started spinning 3 years ago!!

Hand sheared my first fiber ewe today, Majin, the Cheviot/BFL/Babydoll mutt. I need to do her mom next, since she's in a jug with lambs. Then try to do the Corriedale ewe after that. Maybe attempt to shear my longer woolled ram, too.

Pro shearer comes on the 24th, so I gotta hurry. Fiber is cleaner when it never touches the ground.

Much easier with the long asian shears (no brand that I could see) I just bought & much easier than trying to get into Babydoll wool!

It took an hour. Ewe objected each time the blade touched her. She was standing quietly for awhile, but then suddenly freaked and I accidentally lobbed off a quarter sized chunk of hide...The new shears are crazy sharp....I hadn't even nicked her at all until then.

Her fleece is fine, crisp white, butter soft & I can't wait to wash & card it!

 

[secuono]

It's so clean & vm free!!
I put her coat right back on after shearing her!

Hard to see, but nakie & with her coat back on. I had to run into the house to sew it back up.

 

[Bruce]

I think I would be pretty nervous using shears that pointed!

 

[Baymule]

You did a good job of shearing! Be proud of yourself. The wool looks fluffy like cotton candy.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

You did good - she looks great and the wool looks good too!

 

[Baymule]

Maybe you could stand them on a sheet of plywood to help keep the wool clean.

 

[secuono]

Maybe you could stand them on a sheet of plywood to help keep the wool clean.

Yes, the shearer requires a sheet of plywood to work on. But they roll the sheep around on the wood as they shear, so the fleece picks up stuff. I sweep it up after each sheep, but there's always bits left behind.
When I hand shear, I cut small sections and then pluck it off. So if the sheep decided to flop around and do The Worm, it won't get the cut fleece all grimy and disheveled.
I'm so tired of bits of junk flicking out from a coated fleece during each processing step. The Babydoll is the worst at it, like a dirt magnet, lol.
Idk, maybe I can try a large rubber horse stall mat and see how that goes.

 

[secuono]

Going to let the pro shear Tatiana from next year onward. Then going to sell the fleece.

Sheared her and it took 40 min! Probably could of shaved off a few more minutes if she didn't wiggle after her lambs so much at the start.
Roughly 2.75"

 

[Bruce]

I've seen videos of alpaca shearing where they put a big tarp down before they shear to keep floor stuff out of the fleece.

No need for hand cream, already well greased!