Month: June 2022

This afternoon I sorted through the ewe lamb fleeces from yesterday’s shearing. I would love to keep all of the wool, but I’m just a one woman operation and so it would be impossible for me to process it all.

I pick out the best parts of the ewe lamb fleeces and a few of the best from the older ewes. As with most breeds of sheep, the best quality wool will be from the first clip and will generally be of a lesser quality as the ewes get older.

I will spin the wool from the eight month old lambs to weave scarves and shawls and for other knitted accessories. The fleece from the older ewes will be used to weave seat pads and rugs on my peg loom.

The photo above shows the fleece from the ewe lambs that I will process and will become beautiful woollen scarves, shawls etc. The fleece in the photo below will be sold to wool buyers for the measly sum of 20p per kilogram!

Shearing is the beginning of the process here at Ewe to Yarn…

Shearing is an essential part of sheep husbandry and is done annually in spring or early summer. Most sheep breeds do not shed their fleece naturally and so have to be shorn to prevent overheating in warm weather and to reduce the risk of flystrike. We employ a professional shearer who is highly skilled to do the job in a quick and efficient manner that causes as little stress as possible to the sheep.

Today our 8 month old Poll Dorset ewe lambs had their first hair cut. This fleece will be processed here on the farm…from ewe to yarn…fleece to fabric.