Shearing time - not skirting the issue, just the fleece

This wasn't going to be my next topic, but since we have been shearing several days over the past couple weeks, it is timely.

I belong to several Facebook groups that have a varied interest base with a common factor of sheep and/or wool and associated practices.  After following for several months, I have become aware that a good many of the fellow members are new to the wooly scene, or at least limited in their experience of the beginning stages of the process of many of the steps in moving the wool from the sheep to the finished product.

So I decided to put together a blog on one of the segments of the process. Please keep in mind that we here at Ewe And Us have been doing this for many years, made many adjustments along the way, and still seem to be making small changes every year. (This year being no exception, explanation will follow) While we follow the guidelines of the ASI wool handling guidelines, because we are a small specialty business, we most likely do things the way we do for a very practical reason - it works for us. In no way would we imply it is the proper or only way. In fact, if someone out there has a better idea for some step in the process, we would gladly take it under consideration. It's hard work.

We prefer to shear the ewes about a month before they are due to lamb. Yes, even though that is in February, and its often cold. It was this year. Not as bad for us as some parts of the county. We got the shearing done on some of the nicer days, and then made some adjustments. A few covers on the smaller ewes who looked cold, a nicely bedded barn, doors shut when needed to keep out the cold and snow, and a little more feed for all, and they made it through nicely.

Why shear now?  Because they will have their lambs in the barn, easier nursing for the lambs, more of them fit in a smaller space, their condition and signs of lambing are easier to assess. And, I admit it, dealing with a problematic ewe or baby lamb is a whole lot easier without that 4 in thick coat to get in the way.

Because we market fleeces to hand spinners, extra care goes into the shearing and preparation of fleeces for sale. And this is what we do.


Here the girls are brought close to the shearing board. Note the covers, which are an invaluable tool (although much added work) in keeping that wool clean.

Here a Corriedale yearling ewe has her cover removed, and is ready for shearing.

 

Ok - so I wanted a shearing picture here, but the ones I took this year were all blurry, so this is one of Don shearing the ram last spring.  Only difference is Bucky was a whole lot bigger.

Its not clear in this picture, but shearing is done on a board that is constantly swept clean to avoid contamination of bedding and dirt.

Impressive pile of wool though.




Once the fleece is off the sheep, it is rolled into a ball, and in our case, dropped into a large tub, and weighed. The total fleece weight is recorded with the ewes number, and can be used as part of her total production record. The belly wool is not included, as it was thrown off into a separate pile off the shearing board.

 Then the fleece is dumped out onto the skirting table. The fleece is spread out, 'outside' up. Yes, this is really the outside of a very nice fleece. Unfortunately, they aren't all this nice, but we try.



This year, I had to skirt after shearing day, and it was so cold the wool was set up into hard balls. Plan B - move all the fleeces (bagged and numbered) up to the heated shop. The table and all the fleece made it a little cramped, but it turned out ok.
 

Here is a fleece laid out on the table. This one is not as clean on the outside, but there is no vegetable matter.

Skirting means taking the less or un-desirable parts from the fleece, leaving only the best wool. Usually this includes the wool from the head, legs, and rear, and sometimes from the chest. Not only are these parts dirtier, but they may vary in length and character from the main body of the fleece. Note the pile in back of the table.

I sort the fleece into 3 types - here seen from left to right - the really nasty - head and neck are full of hay, the good stuff in back, and on the right, the 'salvageable' wool, which is nice wool, but just not quite good enough to be included in the good fleece. This I keep to use myself, or send to a mill.

I like using this plastic coated mesh for a table. Bits and pieces of VM and second cuts fall through, especially during the next step, which is to pick up the fleece and shake it thoroughly. Most fleeces hold together, but a few loose ones fall apart.



 Here the fleece is laid out flesh side up.

And for the issue of second cuts - they happen. For a variety of reasons I won't get into. They raise tempers. Sometimes the shearer gets blamed, sometimes the skirter. We do our best, and I hate them as much as any other spinner, but they still happen.

I try to pick them off, when I can see them.

I took this picture, anticipating bringing up the issue. Can you spot the second cuts? Other than the cluster of ones already at the bottom?

Only thing I can recommend is for buyers to always check the underside of the fleece before you put it in to wash.






Each fleece is evaluated for spinning qualities - color, condition, crimp, length or staple, and any other characteristics worth noting, and given a score based on my own standards. The fleece is then rolled, flesh side out, and put into a clear plastic bag. (yes, plastic, just don't close it up tight, except for shipping) The bag is marked with the ewe's number and score. The bag of marketable fleece is then weighed again, and all is recorded.



Wonder if that grated table really works?

Those are second cuts after skirting a few fleeces.

After all the fleeces are bagged, they are shelved in the 'wool' room (that once was the garage).

We try to keep them sorted into groups of type and the score they received.

It doesn't always look this good. This was done for 'Flock to the Farm' last year. The spinners had a great time choosing fleeces, and everyone got to watch a shearing a skirting demo, and see the baby lambs.

 For those fleeces I list for sale, I then resort the fleece, add to my notes, and take pictures.

This is one of the 'kinky' type fleeces we have been breeding for.

 

And here are the girls, a few days after shearing.  Looking a little naked, and very pregnant, but keeping each other warm.

Covers will go back on as soon as their babies are old enough to not get their heads caught in the leg straps. Safety first for the babies.




The shelves are stuffed to over flowing, and our hands are well lanolin-ed. The weather may be breaking, and just in time. The countdown has begun - 10 days or so to Baby Lambs.

A shepherds work is never done.

Ewe've been asking for it.....

Welcome to 'Practically'


Here it is!    - a side bar blog from Ewe And Us created for some of the 'informational' type posts I have been getting requests for. It just didn't seem right to include fiber art and other possible how-to blogs in with the farm news.

Of course, the 'regular' Ewe And Us blog readers are welcome to read and share these practical posts, but need not feel like they are missing out of the field notes by not signing up.

Several topics have been tossed around, but this first one is for the Facebook friends who have been asking and patiently waiting for the promised plans for my version of a home-made Triangle Loom.

Building a Triangle Loom

There has been a flurry of chatter all across the internet lately about plans for building a triangle loom. I had seen them, and thought the concept was interesting. If I could build my own it would not cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, and would be at least a taste of understanding the process. Hopefully enough to see if it was something I would want to invest more money and the time to truly learn about the function and uses for a loom. 

I looked on line, and there was a number of plans as well as finished looms I could purchase. I read a number, then combined the info with my experience in construction and came up with my own.

The first expectation I crossed off the list was that the loom itself be a work of art. No fancy woods or finishes, I only wanted utilitarian. No fancy wooden pegs. Nails are good enough. Neither did it need to be shipped, so size didn’t matter, but I did want it to be big enough that the end result could be used as a shawl. So I made a 6 ft. first.

In my research, the info that seemed to be missing was exact measurements. There was a good deal of talk about the hypotenuse side being the ‘size’ measurement, and somewhere I got that the nails on that side were ½ in apart. The only other numbers I could find was the statement that the exact same number of nails must be on each of the three sides. I admit this didn’t make a lot of sense until I actually was using it, but now I understand. This fact is the underlying basis of the construction of the loom.

So – how do you know what length the 3 sides need to be? Well, it partly doesn’t matter. Crazy talk? Not really.

Here I re- called Geometry class.  Triangle formula for a right triangle is    a2 + b2= c2 with C being the hypotenuse, or the long side.  Forgotten that?  Well, it doesn’t matter. At least not if you don’t need it to be an exact size.  I used a more practical approach, which I have outlined here. Useful personal experience hints appear like this.

1.      Get out a tape measure, and determine what length you want the long side.  Write it down. Use the formula if it works for you. If not, -

2.      Go for a walk and find a right angle on the ground. Parking lots and sidewalks or possibly a garage floor are possibilities.  (If you have a large square, you can draw your own ) This will be the ‘point’ of the triangle. Use chalk, string, or boards to lay down longer lines if necessary. Lay the tape measure across the angle and move out until it reaches the measurement you want. – the key is that both sides of the right angle must be the same. A second pair of hands is very helpful here, especially if you want a size more than 4 ft or so.   ( short cut – if you want one ABOUT 6 ft, the sides will work out to be approx. 4.5 ft. So you will need to buy a 10 ft. and a 6 ft. board)

A few basic skills are highly desirable, and a few necessary for you to master before attempting to build your loom.  Some will find the process highly frustrating, so my best suggestion is to plan on working in small segments (i.e while drilling holes) so you don’t burn out.

Tools and materials needed:

1.      Lumber for the frame – I bought plain ‘select’ grade pine 1 X 2’s .  Carefully inspect, and get the straightest ones you can find.

2.      Wood for corner braces. Plywood scraps are handy, or you can use other scraps.

3.      Nails. Lots of nails.  I choose finish nails, size 3D. Go ahead a get the 1 lb. box. I found that one box, although the same size on the package, were actually a bit smaller.

4.      Extra drill bits.  Size 1/16 works well for the 3D nails. It is very probably you will break at least one, possibly more.

5.      A few screws to fasten the corner brace boards. Size needed will be determined by the thickness of the wood selected for the corner braces.

Tools:

Tape measure, pencil, saw (chop saw that does the angles is nice, but a hand saw will work), hammer, a T square (artist or drywall) or other square, the longer the better.

Highly important – a good quality power drill. (does not have to be powerful, just easy to use.)

Building The Loom

Cutting the brace boards -

Cut boards and braces

See pictures for hints, but mine in the picture are fancy in that some corners are squared (just because that was the piece I had to work with  – a square piece of plywood will serve as braces for all 3 corners. Cut once, use the right triangle for the bottom right angle. Divide the remaining triangle from the point to the center of the longest side, and use on the 45 degree corners. As long as it is secure at the corners, it doesn’t really matter. Looks matter only to you.

Measure the boards for the short sides, and secure the ends in a right angle.

Measure and mark the same distance from the point of the right angle to where the long side will cross. Lay the long board across, check to make sure the sides are equal, and mark across the ends of the side boards.  Cut boards to length. These are the only angle cuts you will need to make.

Match up the outer corners, and secure using the boards and a few screws.  Always best if you drill pilot holes. (This will be practice for drilling to come)

Turn the loom frame over. (yes, you have been working on the back side. Think ahead on this in case it matters to you if there is a mark or something on the ‘good’ side)

Finished front side of frame

Measure the long side, and clearly mark the mid point. This will be the starting mark for measuring for the nails.  Carefully measure and mark the nail spacing (1/2 in. is a good one to start) FROM THE CENTER Mark both ways. Count when you reach the ends. It is very important that you have the same number on both sides of the center mark! You will end up with an odd number total, counting the center.

mark the mid point of long side

Continue to mark along side rail

Now get the square and align the center mark on the head rail with the center of the point (right angle) and mark. (This MUST be in line, as it will be your last time through the weaving, and will be the bottom point of your finished piece.) Now continue to mark points on the lower side rails, using the square as a guide, each according to the square with the mark on the head rail. Yes, there are a lot of them. However, this assures you will have the correct number of nails on the lower rails, and you don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out the spacing.

-        Except, with all the marks made, you still only have ½ the number as the head rail!  Make it simple – as you drill the pilot holes, on the side rails, put one in between every mark.

Note here – this is the feature which limits the spacing of the nails on the head rail. – Remember they will be twice as close on the bottom rails, and they will only go so close together.

Now count the holes on all three sides again. And again, and adjust if necessary. If they are not the same, it will still work, but you have to adjust as you go, and it gets very confusing without a good deal of experience.  Yes, we are talking about approx. 144 per side for a 6 ft loom.

Now you are ready to drill the 432 pilot holes for the nails. How deep?  Only about ½ way through the board. But if you try to skip this part, the board is likely to split while pounding them in, and you have wasted your time and boards.  Don’t feel bad if you break a bit. Or two or three. They get soft when hot from drilling that much.

When holes are ready, you can tap in the nails. Straighten the rows with gentle taps when done.

And its done.  Start gathering your yarn.

Finished

I will not attempt to include instructions on how to begin weaving. There are plenty of videos on Utube by people with a lot more experience.  That’s how I learned. My thanks to ‘Plied and Dyed’. I watched her video about 15 times, then set up the loom next to the computer and watched it one step at a time until I got it. Sort of. Then about half done one my first try, it stuck, and it all made sense.

beginning to weave

Here are a few things I learned that may have been helpful if someone had just told me.

For a ½ in spaced top rail, a heavy worsted or bulky yarn may work best. Avoid a single ply, at least at first.

Keep the loom at eye level. It’s very easy to miss a strand while weaving back through. AND – if you make a mistake on one side, it transfers to the other side.  You will also learn to un-weave because of this.

And finally, why the nails seem to be doubled on the side rails – Look at a partially done weaving. Each top nail actually holds 2 vertical strands, while the side ones each hold one. Yeah, it’s just that simple.

Ready for fringe

Fresh off the loom

I now have 3 – a 6 ft, a 2 ft, and an 8 ft., each with variations in their construction design. They all work, and as expected each has their own ‘best’ uses.

Please keep in mind this information is offered as observational personal experience, and its only intention is to pass along to interested fiber enthusiasts. Comments and criticism are welcome if of a constructive nature.

I would be happy to answer questions by email     eweandus@gmail.com