Shearing day happens twice a year at Bedlam Farm, and both are big days here. Our friend Ian McRae has been shearing our sheep for years now, and he has grown with confidence, patience, and skill. He’s learned how to confuse the sheep long enough to grab them and wrestle them to the ground while taking care not to harm them.
The more competent the shearer, the calmer the sheep. Our sheep were very quiet around Ian.
He’s also become a good friend. He’s coming on Tuesday for our weekly chess match.
Ian is also a poet, and our friendship has evolved steadily and warmly. He is a lovely person with a big heart and solid and easy with sheep. Maria is his assistant here. She scoops up the wool and places it in marked bags. Both of them work hard and get tired.
(Above, Asher loves Maria and tries to hide behind her when Ian comes in. No luck.)
In a few weeks, we will take the wool to our new knitting mill, a few hours south of the farm. As always, Maria is selling it as yarn.
It took Ian about two-and-a-half hours to shear the sheep; some were co-op-rated, and some wanted no part of it. He knows how to handle all of them. He came early this morning, and we are worn out, as he must be. He said the biggest flock he had herded so far was 48 sheep; it took him a full day. He likes to work alone and said he didn’t want to get paid for it here because we feed him so many dinners.
We paid no mind to that and paid him as he deserved. One has nothing to do with the other. If he feels bad about it, I suggest he bring the food on Tuesday.
I love Ian; he is a great friend and a worthy chess player (I will kick his butt on Tuesday, I told him, and he laughed.) We are pretty equal in chess skills; Ian is moving up fast; you know the story, the young overtaking the old.
I took the pictures in black and white and color; I think each presents a different feel for what shearing is luck. Maria has photos and videos she is putting up today on her blog, fullmoonfiberart.com.
Shearing the sheep reminds me of how special it is to live on a farm for ours.
It reminds us why we are here, and it is always enchanting to see the ancient art of sheep shearing practiced so well. The sheep must be shorn to be healthy and avoid disease and discomfort.
The animal rights movement whines about shearing; they think it is exploitative, but then they whine all of the time about almost anything that brings animals and people together.
That’s one reason why working animals are vanishing from America and will only exist for future generations on YouTube. I hope you enjoy the photos.
A lot of wool came off of Kim.
Shearers know how to hold a sheep, still using their hands and knees. The sheep go limp and stay limp until the shearing is over. And no, it does not harm them. They shed a heavy coat and are lighter and more comfortable.
Beautiful wool from Mericat.
When Ian arrived, her sheep rushed over to try and hide with her. It didn’t work. Soon, all of them were shorn and dancing happily in the heat without their heavy coats.
Maria is ready with her pre-marked bags to pick up the wool and stuff it into bags for the knitting mill. It takes six months for the word to be processed and ready to return to Maria.
The wool comes off in smooth rolls. The good shears like Ian know how to protect it, especially if it is going to be yarn.
After.
Cleaning up. Heading to the farmhouse to take a nap.
