The local spinning guild (no website, sorry) had a meeting at a member’s house who has sheep.

This is Cherry Baby, who is a Jacob’s Ewe.  She costs about $300.  I was told to expect stinky sheep, but honestly, they didn’t smell any worse than any other livestock.  Gee whiz – moderns are wimpy.

You start under the chin, and run the clippers in little strokes down the belly, and then up the sides to the back.

It looks like unzippering a jacket.

And here she is getting cleaned up.

The fleece on the skirting table.  It probably weighs 2 pounds.  It was very greasy with lanolin.

See that pile in the back?  That’s the longer belly and leg fleece, which our hostess said makes good rug wool.

Then it was the goat’s turn – who does better in the milking stand.  Horns, you know.

You run the clippers with the grain of the goat’s hair, otherwise the goat gets razorburn.  The tufts of mohair tend to blow away in the wind, they don’t stick together.

I was told how to clean a fleece.  All through the process, you are to be careful not to agitate wet wool, nor to thermally shock it.  Start with hot water in a basin.  Add fleece and soak.  Remove fleece – exchange water.  Soak again.  I’ve forgotten if any soap is involved.  At any rate, when you think you’re done, you spread the fleece on a sheet in a sunny place to dry – it may take a while in humid Florida.

Come November, our hostess volunteered to show us fleecewashing.  Maybe I’ll come to that.