Shearing and rooing are done, and it's almost time for the 2025 Fleece Auction to begin! I wanted to share a look behind the scenes of how I prepare our Shetland wool for sale — from skirting and sorting to the auction process and what makes each fleece special.
Whether you've purchased from us before or are just discovering our flock, I hope this preview gives you a sense of how much care goes into each fleece — and why I’m so proud of the wool our sheep produce.
The Process: Shearing, Rooing, and Skirting
Our fleeces are either roo’d (pulled by hand when the wool naturally loosens) or sheared. The wool in this auction is only the clean, protected wool from under the coats, which keep it free from VM (vegetative matter) like hay and seeds that are difficult to remove.
Everything outside the coat is skirted off. If it’s still usable, I sort it into color groups for processing by a mill. My mill's minimum inbound weight is 35 pounds per color for combed top. I may need to combine similar colors like fawn and moorit, and I’ve also added about 50 pounds of wool from sheep born here but raised by other farmers, which will join the combed top pool.
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| Closeup of the tips on a fleece |
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| rooing in action — pulling wool by hand |
A New Adventure in Processing
This year, I’m sending wool to a new mill — one of the few I’ve found that still makes true combed top. That’s a process where the wool is first turned into roving, then combed again to remove short fibers and align it perfectly. This prep is ideal for our soft, crimpy wool with its shorter staple length.
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| Addriana's nice crimpy lock |
📊 Tracking Every Fleece
Each fleece is carefully evaluated and logged in a spreadsheet. I track many things including:
- Fleece weight
- Staple length
- Roo’d or sheared?
- Temperament or shearing quality notes
This helps me make decisions each year about who to roo, and gives buyers insight into the wool’s qualities.
Snippet from my 2025 fleece Spreadsheet
Every sheep has a card made
This Year's Fleeces
Here’s the breakdown of what’s going into the auction:
- 65 fleeces total
- 6 ram fleeces went to combed top
- 2 I’m processing myself (Musetta’s white fleece and Lakshmi’s grey katmoget fleece for lockspun yarn)
- In the auction:
- 8 black fleeces
- 12 fawn
- 12 grey
- 10 moorit
- 15 white
- 3 spotted fleeces (Mabel, Lucianna, Belinda)
Of those, 29 are roo’d, 21 are sheared, and the rest are hybrids or half-and-half.
Glorious Tree of Skirted Fleeces
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| The Back of Lucianna's Fleece Shows Her White Spots |
What to Expect from the Auction
Each fleece will have a listing in the shop with:
- Weight
- Staple length
- Spinning fineness
- Photos of the ewe, the fleece, a lock closeup
- The full micron report
This year’s flock average spinning fineness is 22.0 microns.
Tags
The auction will run from:
Sunday, July 27 at 6 PM (ET) to Sunday, August 3 at 6 PM (ET)
I’ll be uploading preview listings ahead of time so you can browse, compare, and bookmark your favorites.
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| CioCio's standout fleece! |
Data collection - recording fleece weight
💬 Final Thoughts
I work hard all year to give my sheep what they need — from nutrition to low-stress care — but ultimately, the fleece reflects each ewe's own nature. I’m proud of what they’ve grown this year, and I hope these fleeces find their way to spinners who truly value what this wool represents.
Very Special Sheep
📌 Key Dates:
- Preview Listings Begin: Rolling out soon
- Auction Opens: Sunday, July 27 at 6 PM (ET)
- Auction Ends: Sunday, August 3 at 6 PM (ET)
Sign up for fleece auction updates by subscribing to my newsletter on my homepage (scroll to bottom right):Our Website
Browse the fleece listings here: Fleece Auction
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