Cilantro's Awesome Fleece

Cilantro is a handful. If you're a regular here, I'm not telling you anything you haven't heard before. Although he was wethered at an early age, he is just as combative as any ram. The bad boy of the big boys, we give him plenty of room. One of the things I like about shearing day is working closely with each animal. In the confines of the holding pen, there's no room for a ram to draw a bead on you. I enjoyed wrapping my arms around Cilantro's wooly head to extract him from the pen, and he didn't give me half the  fight I'd expected.

His fleece is a crazy patchwork of swirls and spots. We see this pattern on rare occasion in lambs of Cocoa's lineage. I view them as unique and special gifts. Cilantro, Comet, and Helena are the only other patchwork sheep in the flock. It's exciting to watch their fleeces peel off like speckled robes.

 

Cilantro was well mannered for Andy on the shearing board. In this photo I am holding the neck and head wool away from the rest of the fleece. The neck area is full of chaff, especially right at the line where the elastic from the sheep coat creates a bit of a channel in the wool. If you let that dirty section flop backwards onto the rest of the fleece, it shakes a year's worth of dirt onto the clean blanket of wool that you've worked so hard to maintain all year. I separate the neck and head wool as soon as Andy finishes his last blow (pass of the shears) at the neck. It's a pound or more of fleece. If there's good wool there, we'll make use of it - but not for yarn or handspinning fiber.

Big drama when Andy threw Cilantro's fleece on the skirting table declaring, "Now that's a show fleece." The fleece held together beautifully and was so large it draped over the edge of the table, spilling onto the floor. My skirting pros took extra time arranging the fleece and carefully rolling it in paper for storage. It's a gold medal handspinning fleece, for sure.

 

For comparison, here's Cocoa's fleece (below) shorn earlier the same day. She's about 100 pounds lighter than Cilantro (her grandson, standing near the fleece in the holding pen in this shot) and her fleece fit neatly on the table. Her staple is not as long as his and her fleece is not nearly as dense.

 

I've just realized that I haven't said a word about the moorits. That was another exciting moment, watching the velvety brown fleeces come off the merino-cross yearlings I purchased from Alice Field last summer. Delectable. Here's Cognac's fleece. Amazing color and length. Her sister Bailey was the finest. Latte is still waiting for shearing in the group that's yet to be done. I'll post some closeups of the moorit fleeces later this week. 

 
 

Tomorrow is going to be an exceptionally busy day. We start with shearing round two - the rest of the boys and the bred ewes. Stay tuned. . . .

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Comments

[Torre in MD]

How interesting to see this process - it sure looks like a lot of work! Thanks for taking the time to share pictures during what sounds like a busy, exhausting time, especially after dealing with that snow. The fleeces look so cozy. Cilantro's fleece looks so interesting with the blend of color; it's just gorgeous!

[Mary Lou]

Will the shorn sheep stay warm enough until spring? Their fleeces look so lovely! Good work, shepherdess.

[Mary Lou]

My friend raises alpacas. I was able to assist to a small degree while they were shorn last spring. We live in Florida so it was hot, sweaty work. Their fleece is very soft and velvety. Your sheep shearer must be very strong and proficient to be able to do so many sheep in a day. Those fleeces look lovely.

[megacrafty]

Wow- simply gorgeous! Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Since the sheep mostly have their jackets on- even though I read on a regular basis it's hard to get the full effect of their colors. Cilantro's fleece is just amazing.

[Lori]

I can almost feel and smell the fleece with those pics - thanks for sharing and hope you're well rested for the next round!!

[Manise]

Cilantro's fleece is to die for! It'll be interesting to see what Helena's looks like this year. Their patchwork markings are so interesting.

[elizabeth girolamo]

Where will you show and sell your fleeces? Cilantro's fleece looks hugh and warm!

[melissaknits]

Cilantro's fleece looks to die for. Show fleece indeed, although I just want to grab cards and a wheel and start spinning it just as it is.

[bmom/Joan]

How long does it take Andy to shear a sheep? Do their jackets go right back on? Do they have to be kept warm till some wool grows back?

[Lynn]

Thank you for sharing so much of your farm with us, Barb! I can't believe you do all that work AND sit down to write to us almost every day - thanks!

[Valerie]

Absolutely stunning fleece and I love the colours! What a joy it would be to spin. Maybe Cilantro will be rivalling Teaberry to be the atar of the show at this year's fairs. Do you think there could be any sort of genetic connection between his feisty nature and the abundance of his fleece?

[Robin Bromley]

Oh my word, nothing will bring on a very bad case of spring fever faster than shearing. My fingers are just twitching to handle and work with those fleeces. I have to leave now and get a fix. Off I go to play with some fiber.

[sue]

Gorgeous fleeces! This city girl loves to read your posts and see what's happening!
Just curious, but what DO you do with the head and neck wool since you don't use it for yarn or handspinning fiber?

[Konna]

Cilantro's fleece is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

[Andrea]

You just send that little ole fleece to me out here in Ohio!!
It's stunningly beautiful. Hope you win many a blue ribbon.

[Lora Welt]

Lanolin, fleece, sheep, hay and cool weather, what a wonderful, sensual combination for a spinner.

The fleeces look very good. I can hardly wait to see the moorit ones.

[Thea]

What lovely fleeces! Gorgeous, in fact.

[Amy]

oh gracious!!! I'm drooling on my keyboard. Those are some GORGEOUS fleeces!

[Marcia]

Quite amazing....Cognac's has me breathing hard, I tell you!

[Breeze Hill Farm - MaLinda]

Oh my gracious! What an incredible fleece..what an incredible animal..what an incredible Shepherdess you are!! Congrats on the huge, awesome fleeces!