The Gulf Islands Spinning Mill

Finished Yarns, Retail Products, Spinning

SORTING A FLEECE

(Adapted from In Sheep’s Clothing, by Nola Fournier and Jane Fournier)

Why Sort Your fleece?

Skirting generally removes bellies, necks, eye pieces, topknots, and stained areas around the outside of the fleece. However, a single sheep may have as many as fourteen different types of wool covering it, depending on the breed, the individual and its age.

Careful sorting can prevent a number of problems: uneven yarn, different rates of shrinkage, and uneven results from dyeing (different parts of the fleece may absorb dye at differing rates).

How to Sort Fleeces

Spread an old sheet out on the floor or grass. Tip your fleece on to it and spread it out with the tips uppermost, trying to keep it as near to its original ‘sheep’ shape as possible. This will be quite easy if the fleece has been rolled into a compact parcel by the shearer. If it hasn’t, do the best you can. Use natural dividing lines when separating portions of the fleece to make life easy and minimize waste. Use your hands and fingertips to tell where the quality changes; when you detect a change, separate the portion off.

Remove any dirty, stained or otherwise unusable wool from around the edges.

Locate the centre back of the fleece and set aside any mushy or unsound wool caused by weathering.

Separate the rump wool, which will be similar in character to the back wool but coarse and more sound because it is less weathered.

Separate the britch (the outside of the hind leg) which will provide the coarsest (‘strongest’) wool in the fleece.

For garment making, the shoulder wool is usually the most desirable portion; the upper sides will be the next best. The centre of the back is likely to show the most weathering.

Using the Different Sections of Sorted Fleeces

Every section of the fleece can be used, but probably not for the same project. For example, the best fleece can be used for garment yarns, while the strong, sometimes hairy britch pieces can be used for rugs or for stuffing toys or cushions.