Wool Weather

The sheep's wool is finally starting to grow. It's been such a warm summer that I think it has come in a lot more slowly than I have seen it in past years. These sheep do not produce nearly as much wool as I would like - but what they do give me is beautiful. The heaviest fleece that I have had so far was Una's, and it weighed in at 6 lbs, skirted. Usually, they are in the 3.5-4.5 lb. range. Next spring, I will have three lambswool fleeces to enter into the show at Common Ground, and each of them should be closer to 5 lbs, with two natural colored and one white.  I'm excited to enter them and learn more about the judging of fleece - and am motivated to keep their wool as free of veggie matter as I can without covering them. I saw some great canvas feeders at the fair, and I think that I may try one of those to see if it works for them. Seems like it would cut down on waste and also minimize the debris in their coats.

The end of summer graze

Bill, Callie and Bella in April

Paying attention to weather and feed and how these elements, as well as pregnancy and nursing, will affect the fleece is something that I have enjoyed observing. Kind of like watching the grass grow, I guess. A little like Annie Dillard.