Shearing Day/Open House

Here are the girls...they are anxiously awaiting their haircuts.  This year there are about 60 ewes to be shorn. 

Before the shearer arrives we split the girls into two groups.  The white fleece and the colored fleece.  We do this so that we don't get white wool in the natural colored wool, or vice versa.

This is our shearer, David Hinman.  He is from Walpole, NH.  He drives over here early in the morning.  He brings along his shears and his stories.  This job is not for everyone.  He makes it look easy, but its not. 

This fleece is fresh from the sheep.  It is placed on this wire table to be checked for cleanliness, strength, evenness of crimp, second cuts and anything else undesireable (like nasty burdocks). 

  This is the wool off of one sheep, that has been skirted and is now going in a bag.    Once in the bag it goes to the wool room of the barn.  This wool will either be sold to a spinner, washed and carded into roving, or processed into yarn. 

And finally, here are the girls again, with there fresh new haircuts.

These pictures are from last year.  Come join us for shearing day 2010!!  Sunday, January 24th.  We will begin at 10am and continue until all of 60 sheep have been shorn. People are invited to the barn to watch the sheep shearing and watch us skirt fleeces. They are also invited to the farmhouse for a hot drink and to shop.


The farmhouse is full of wool (yarn, roving, washed locks, and fleeces) from Foster Sheep Farm and other local visiting fiber artists. Also, available for sale is local art and local handmade soap.

I hope to see you then...