Fleece

This past Wednesday the ewes were sheared.  I've started to skirt the fleece and am super impressed by the quality of what I'm finding. I pulled a section of Lobelia's fleece and it is very fine and about five inches long with wonderful crimp. I'm a "beginner" at being able to grade fleece quality, but I'm learning fast. Attending shows and listening carefully to the judge's grading and discussing the "tests" to determine quality with other shepherds, helps a lot.

 

Many factors determine the quality (and value) of wool. These include fiber diameter, crimp, yield, color, purity, and staple length and strength.  In the hand spinner market (my customer base), colored fibers are very desirable, as many hand spinners and weavers prefer natural colors. Fiber diameter, also called "fineness", is the actual measurement of the thickness of the wool fiber. It is measured in microns. The diameter of the fiber determines the thickness of the yarns that can be made of it. Uniformity of fiber diameter is also very important.

"Crimp" is the natural waviness or bend of the wool fiber. It varies with the diameter of the fiber and can be used as a predictor of fineness. Fine wools have more crimp per unit of length than coarser wools. "Staple length" is measured from the base to the tip of the unstretched fiber. Longer-stapled wools are more valuable. Length also adds more weight to the fleece than any other single characteristic. Strength is another important aspect of staple length.

 

When looking at all of the factors, Lobelia's fleece would be graded as a very high quality wool.  As a Romeldale CVM breeder, I am learning that the breed, in general, meets all of the necessary criteria for a high quality fine fleece. I'm planning to enter some at the Adel Lamb and Wool Festival again this year, and will also enter some at the Iowa State Fair, for the first time.  After winning first place in Adel last year with Kismet's fleece, and getting an amazing per-pound-price at auction, I've also learned that showing the fleece at competitions is the way to get the best market price-per-pound.  As my flock grows, I need my customer base to grow as well. How cool would it be if raising sheep for fleece was my primary income source?