All
of our fleeces which were sheared in 2009 have been sold. Our
2010 fleeces should be available in April 2010.
We
sell
both white and naturally colored Corriedale fleeces. Our fleeces are
especially desirable for handspinning and for felting. All of our sheep
are purebred Corriedales. Our adult sheep wear jackets year round to
assure absolutely clean wool and, in the case of the colored sheep,
that there is little or no sun bleaching. The lambs which we will be
keeping for our flock are also jacketed, usually at about three months
of age. The jackets do not cause the Corriedale wool to felt or fray.
Our sheep spend the time from early May to late November on pasture.
They rotate to a new section of pasture each day, which assures that
the forage is always fresh, green and free of seeds and stickers which
would otherwise contaminate the wool. It is a healthful and clean
environment which aids in the production of quality wool, especially
suited for handspinning.
One of the major criteria we use
in selecting our breeding stock is the quality of the sheep's wool. We
breed our Corriedales for a soft fleece, with good crimp and wonderful
color and brightness. We skirt the fleeces heavily, so that the wool
for sale is only that from under the jackets. Our fleeces have a staple
length of 3 inches to 5 inches. We have the fleeces from all of
our
adult sheep micron tested by Yocum-McCall.
The wool from the adult rams that we currently use for breeding test
from 24.6 to 32.42 microns. Our adult ewes' wool is generally in the
range of 19.9 to 30.6 microns. We can provide specific
information about a fleece if desired.
Due to our location and time
constraints, we do not enter our fleeces in competition.
However, in 2001 one of our loyal customers entered the fleece from
one
of our rams in the Michigan Fiber Festival Wool Competition. His fleece
was awarded the 1st Place natural colored extra fine/fine
purebred class, Grand Champion natural colored purebred and Best
of Show for all fleeces (colored and white). The fleece received a
perfect 100 score.
Our
fleeces have been sold to customers in nearly every state in the United
States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. Many of these customers
have ordered fleeces from us year after year. The geographic range of
our customers and their continued loyalty to the wool that our sheep
produce is a compliment to our efforts for which we are humbly proud.
Our fleeces are priced according
to our personal evaluation. The prices vary based on color, staple
length, fineness, crimp, etc. We have used our own set of descriptive
terms to categorize our fleeces. Classic: a typical Corriedale
fleece with standard Corriedale fiber diameter, good crimp and
elasticity. Fine: a Corriedale fleece with a lower fiber
diameter, greater crimp and more elasticity. Very Fine and Extra
Fine: a Corriedale fleece with a very low fiber diameter, extra
crimp and elasticity. We also have a few fleeces that we feel are truly
exceptional in color, consistency, and character. Our prices start
at $10.00 per pound and range up to $15.00 per pound for the truly
exceptional fleeces.
Individual descriptions of all
of our 2009 fleeces can
be found on either our Colored Fleece Page
or our White Fleece Page . If you were
unable
to
purchase fleeces from us in 2009 but wish to be notified when our next
shearing is available in 2010, let us know by using our Fleece
Contact Form . We try to shear in late February, which is
immediately prior to lambing. During lulls in our lambing schedule we
process the individual fleeces, skirting them a second time, weighing
and evaluating each fleece and preparing them for sale. Because of the
time constraints placed on us by lambing, the fleeces are usually ready
for sale sometime between the end of March and mid April.
How to Order:
When available, fleeces can be
ordered either by
Payment must be received within
five days of the order. We will hold a fleece for a longer time period
only under special circumstances and when we receive a 50% down payment
within five days. Any such down payment is non-refundable. We will ship
once we receive your payment either by check, by money order or by
using Visa, MasterCard or Discover.
We ship the fleeces UPS or U.S.
Mail as specified by the customer. Shipping cost is not
included with the prices listed for each fleece.
To view a complete listing of
our fleeces click either:
