The weather was gr-r-r-eat, the company was too...and I came home with about 5 lb. of Shetland fleece, too boot. Here are the photos:
These wee guys (gals?) were excited to be watching the action in the shearing area. I think they're Cotswolds, or CotswoldXes. Aren't they cute?!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKYzllf4tmLyvjGMk_yj-GV0o1VGE4nCsrAN-e1gdITb82OFMca46aBAiQ25H133981h90NGjxA0XUXwt-REZWkB7LjPEnw7nIMFJT0Ll0cJeXbD7EIQxw_5YD6bK_J73zy3n/s200/Cotswold+Lambs.jpg)
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Here's my buddy, B, getting ready to teach me how to 'skirt' a fleece. This means we're going to go around it, pulling off and throwing away the 'nasty bits' -- dirt, poop etc. -- that collect around the butt, legs etc. This is done prior to the fleece being weight and priced, so that the buyer doesn't pay for this waste.
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All hands on deck as fleece is checked for any last bit of unwanted materials.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL2vjrCopkEpCoNBDwXKovETTv9Io79_69rcitEgG0C2VkVNjjpx30IsnAgoI53UwEV0d62Jzi79HzwFRk_HimMRomyl6TiSDRdQLSKyKIcIXz3D9HonTX823xDxx_waVVxY4/s200/Looking+for+what.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTeqZHnR-TySioKFA8kRsMrCSfI6oBiTdm4YMWjE3Kd7Zq69MuOB05p-WnSz974AWEPdV92J2m-aCsh_6pWVCYtzBtxIUJqxxtlrf44EH7TKMfLQL9iSsAjBTrtx8DJXpU99r5/s200/Shorn&nekkid!.jpg)
These sheep were shorn the day before we got there. Although the sun was warm, I thought they looked pretty disgruntled in there 'nekked' state! LOL!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtSYf4YuTgOloKtuGrHEdArSwpFByqwE5QoeSDBG5dCiAIk4aZTrwqi-_IBa0VDSBiFsNwvGRT7M7Tur21wJYUhYHF6ZMX_l0YCn7FpqDtwLaNYCc74tHSIffEgeaQOPlEbjv/s200/Smile+for+the+birdie!.jpg)
There are alpaca and lamas on the farm, too. The black and white one seemed to ask, "You lookin' at me?!"
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Here's the smaller of my two fleece, about 1.5 lbs, from a fellow named 'Ulrick'. He's an 'intermediate' Shetland. Very pretty!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Z8T_Ike6tmfatyWitMG_GYU5KXaFLEUQ8mB9wHb3t3b23hb1FDLd7E5pm6yp8FAwkaJFbl-gbfwPEzps_CZ0AQsfeIMGo3Bn2mjEUgkBxewnurP-m3bkf2p4SiPuk3Geagl1/s200/Rebecka+2009.jpg)
My goal is to have at least some of the fleece ready to take to the Twisted Sisters' retreat in mid-June, so I can learn to used the drum carder with it. Next year, I'd like to be ready to spin a slightly trickier fleece -- such as the shorter-haired South African Meat Merino (SAMS). It's going to be a real learning curve -- but fun -- and that's not a ba-a-a-ad combination! ;-)
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