Skirting wool is one of the most cherished rituals here on the farm. It is the last and most crucial step in preparing a raw sheep fleece for washing and spinning.

It involves spreading out the sheared fleece and removing the “skirt” – the unwanted, damaged, or soiled outer edges (belly wool, short fibers, vegetable matter, thorns, and dirt.

Maria loves this ritual; it is hard work and requires attention and detail. In a few weeks, the wool, stored in plastic bags, goes to the mill. The wool comes home finished in roughly six months, hopefully before Christmas.

Above: out of the barn.

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Setting up the Skirting table.

Laurie’s wool. Checking them for dirt or tree limbs. They are packed in bags and stored until they go to the mill in a week or so. We won’t see them again until November or December. Five done today, four more to go.