I raise fine fleeced Shetland sheep, which is a breed of primitive short-tailed sheep from the Shetland Isles. My ewes are colorful and (mostly) friendly. I shear them each spring, and occasionally I shear lambs in early fall.

Each spring this breed of sheep starts to “rise,” which is a natural release of their fleece. However, the fleeces do not actually release, and the process leaves a layer of wool close to the skin that is tough to shear through. So, I’ve been experimenting with shearing earlier in the year. I see that farmers in Montana routinely shear in mid-late February, and their climate is much colder than mine.

This year I sheared earlier than ever, and I could tell that some of the fleeces were just starting to rise, but mostly they were easy to shear, and I think I caught it in time. The other option is to wait until late spring and after the rise, which I like, and tried last year, but it can cause some confusion between lambs and ewes, and that’s a risk that I’d rather not take. So, I prefer to shear earlier if possible, before the ewes have lambed.

I was happy with this year’s fleeces. I loved the dark coming from Blackberry’s lambs, but also found it to be a little tough to shear. The light fleeces were mostly really light soft and easy to shear, and I might move more in that direction in years to come.

Someday I’d love to learn to weave, but until then, I love seeing what others create with these lovely fleeces!