
Skirting Wool: The Essential First Step to Beautiful Fiber
Imagine a fluffy, freshly shorn fleece. Beautiful, right? But before you can transform it there's a crucial step: skirting. It's not just about removing the obvious bits of hay; it's about revealing the true potential of your wool. In our latest blog post, we dive into the art of skirting, sharing tips from 'if in doubt, pull it out' to gaining the confidence to create a truly exceptional fiber. Learn why this often-overlooked step is essential for quality, and how to master it yourself! #woolskirting #shepherding #fiberarts #rawfleece #smallfarm"
Skirting Wool at our homemade skirting table
So, your sheep have been sheared, and you've got a beautiful fleece in front of you.
Now what?
Or, maybe you’re just curious about the process. wool goes through.
Before you can spin, felt, or even sell that wool, you need to "skirt" it. Skirting is the crucial first step in preparing raw fleece for processing, and it makes a world of difference in the quality of your finished product.
Let's dive into what skirting is, why it's important, and how to do it effectively.
What is Skirting?
Skirting involves removing the undesirable portions of a raw fleece. This includes:
Vegetable Matter (VM): Hay, straw, burrs, and other plant material.
Manure and Dirt: Any soiled or heavily contaminated areas.
Short Cuts: Fibers that were cut too short during shearing.
Cotted or Matted Wool: Tangled or felted sections that are difficult to process.
Second Cuts: Fibers that were cut twice during shearing, resulting in short, undesirable pieces.
Stained or Discolored Wool: Areas that are heavily discolored or stained.
Fleece Tips: The very ends of the fleece, which may be weathered or weak.
Why is Skirting Important?
Improved Fiber Quality: Skirting removes impurities that can weaken or damage the wool, resulting in a cleaner, stronger, and more consistent fiber.
Easier Processing: Clean fleece is much easier to wash, card, spin, and felt.
Enhanced Finished Product: Skirting leads to a more beautiful and high-quality finished product, whether it's yarn, felt, or another wool craft.
Increased Value: A well-skirted fleece is more valuable to buyers and processors.
Protecting Equipment: Vegetable matter and dirt can damage spinning wheels and other fiber processing equipment.
How to Skirt a Fleece:
Prepare Your Space:
You'll need a large, clean surface. A dedicated skirting table with a mesh top is ideal, as it allows dirt and debris to fall through. You can also use a clean tarp or a large table. Here’s a design for one from our friends at Bide a Wee Farm
Good lighting is essential. Natural light is best, but bright artificial light will also work.
Have a large container or bag for your skirtings. Here’s a LINK to our favorite “bag holder”. We keep several in use. One for the wool discard and one for the skirted fleece
Lay Out the Fleece:
Carefully lay the fleece out on your skirting surface, with the fleece's "outside" facing down.
Spread it out so you can see all areas clearly.
Remove Obvious Debris:
Start by removing any large pieces of vegetable matter or manure by hand.
Work Around the Edges:
Begin at the edges of the fleece and work your way inward.
Carefully examine each section and remove any undesirable portions.
Tear off heavily contaminated or matted areas.
Check the Main Body:
Once you've skirted the edges, carefully examine the main body of the fleece.
Look for any remaining vegetable matter, short cuts, or other imperfections.
Flip the fleece over and repeat the process on the other side.
Bag Your Skirtings:
Dispose of your skirtings in a designated container.
Bag Your Skirted Fleece:
Place the clean fleece into a breathable bag, such as a burlap or paper bag, for storage. Avoid plastic bags, as they can trap moisture and lead to mold.
Tips for Effective Skirting:
Skirt in a well-lit area.
Take your time and be thorough. Often I hear anxiety from a new “skirter” worried about doing it right. Just know you’ll become more and more confident. I remember being very aggressive in the beginning. I felt it was better to throw away a bit of good wool then to sell a bit of trashy wool!
Practice makes perfect: Like any skill, skirting improves with practice. The more fleeces you skirt, the better you'll become at identifying and removing undesirable portions. You'll develop an eye for quality.
Don't be afraid to remove a significant amount of wool if necessary. It's better to have a smaller, high-quality fleece than a large, low-quality one. I am a member of the “if in doubt, pull it out” camp!
Practice makes perfect. The more you skirt, the better you'll become at identifying and removing undesirable portions.
If you are unsure of the quality of some wool, set it aside in a seperate area. You can then evaluate it later.
After 15 to 20 minutes we have a well skirted fleece! You could be faster but then you might miss the zen of it all !
Skirting wool is an essential step in preparing raw fleece for processing. By taking the time to properly skirt your fleece, you'll ensure a higher quality finished product and a more enjoyable fiber experience. If your sending your wool to a mill to be processed they will be particularly Happy with you and if your selling your fleece directly to the end user they will be left with hopefully nothing but compliments for you and your farms standards!
Happy skirting!
Do you have some favorite skirting tips you’d like to share? Maybe you have a particular skirting challenge you’ve faced? Maybe you have a question about skirting you’d like “like minded” folk to help you decipher?
Please share in the comments below!
Wool Pellets
A smart way to use leftover wool! It's packed with nutrients and can be added to your gardening.
From Fleece to Garden: Introducing Sustainable Wool Pellets
As sheep farmers, we know the joy and hard work that goes into producing quality wool. But at the end of each year, we're often left with fleeces that don't quite meet the grade for one reason or another. Instead of seeing this wool go to waste, we've found a sustainable and beneficial solution:
Wool for your garden!
freshly shorn wool in our raised beds
For years, we've been passionate about finding ways to utilize all of our wool. We've always sold or processed the premium fleeces, but the remaining often presented a challenge. Our philosophy is and always has been to use everything we produce, no waste…otherwise we could not be a sustainable farm! We experimented with raw wool in our own garden – in raised beds, around trees, even as mulch (as you can see from our blueberry bush!). We knew the nutrients were there (studies have proven it!), but raw wool had its drawbacks. It could be messy, and while it suppressed some weeds, others thrived in it. We needed a better solution."
We even considered pelletizing the wool ourselves, but never quite figured out the how. So, kudos to those who cracked the code! We're now able to offer pelletized wool – the perfect solution for using our ‘less-than-perfect’ fleeces!"
PELLETIZED WOOL!
pelletized wool
These aren't just any garden amendment; they're a powerhouse of natural goodness for your plants.
Why Choose Wool Pellets?
Sustainable Solution: We're repurposing a byproduct of sheep farming, reducing waste and creating a closed-loop system. This is good for the environment and your garden.
Natural & Organic: Our wool pellets are a natural and organic alternative to synthetic fertilizers, so you can feel good about what you're putting into your soil.
Slow-Release Powerhouse: Unlike chemical fertilizers that can leach away quickly, wool pellets provide a steady supply of nutrients and moisture, feeding your plants consistently over time.
Water-Wise Gardening: Wool's incredible water-retention ability (up to 30% of its weight!) means less watering for you, and healthier, more drought-resistant plants.
Easy to Use: Simply incorporate the pellets into your soil or potting mix – it couldn't be easier!
Our wool pellets are packed with essential nutrients:
Nitrogen: Promotes healthy leaf growth and vibrant green foliage.
Potassium: Strengthens stems, improves fruit and flower development, and enhances disease resistance.
Phosphorus: Essential for root growth, blooming, and overall plant vigor.
How to Use Wool Pellets:
Wool pellets can be used in a variety of gardening applications:
Vegetable Gardens: Give your tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables a boost of nutrients.
Flower Beds: Promote vibrant blooms and healthy growth in your flower gardens.
Potted Plants: Improve drainage and water retention in container gardens.
Seed Starting: Provide essential nutrients for seedlings and promote strong root development.
We're excited to offer this sustainable and effective gardening solution to our community. By choosing our wool pellets, you're not only giving your plants the nutrients they need, but you're also supporting sustainable farming practices and reducing waste.
Ready to give your garden the natural boost it deserves?
Try our wool pellets today and experience the difference! Visit our website [link] or contact us to learn more.
#woolpellets #sustainablegardening #organicgardening #sheepfarming #ecofriendly #gardeningtips #naturalfertilizer #slowreleasefertilizer #waterwise #growyourownfood
-
March 2025
- Mar 31, 2025 Skirting Wool: The Essential First Step to Beautiful Fiber Mar 31, 2025
- Mar 17, 2025 Do Sheep Need a Barn? The Answer is in Their Wool! Mar 17, 2025
-
February 2025
- Feb 23, 2025 Cherishing Culinary Heirlooms: My favorite Kitchen Utensil Feb 23, 2025
- Feb 11, 2025 Wool Pellets Feb 11, 2025
- Feb 6, 2025 Fresh from the dirt: Horseradish Sauce Feb 6, 2025
- Feb 3, 2025 Lamb Fagioli Feb 3, 2025
-
January 2025
- Jan 15, 2025 Woven Together: How wool changed my life Jan 15, 2025
-
December 2024
- Dec 5, 2024 Seventeen Years of Sheep, Sweat, and Manchego: A Love Story Dec 5, 2024
-
September 2024
- Sep 10, 2024 Back to basics with sheep healthcare Sep 10, 2024
- Sep 10, 2024 Mac and Cheese Bites Sep 10, 2024
-
August 2024
- Aug 12, 2024 Tales of a female farmer Aug 12, 2024
-
July 2024
- Jul 12, 2024 Caring for sheep hides Jul 12, 2024
- Jul 11, 2024 Cucumber Lemonade Jul 11, 2024
- Jul 1, 2024 Cucumber Gazpacho Jul 1, 2024
-
May 2024
- May 23, 2024 Almonds, Sweet and Spicy May 23, 2024
-
January 2024
- Jan 17, 2024 Sheep Fencing Gone Wrong: A Comedy of Errors Jan 17, 2024
- Jan 17, 2024 In the beginning :Tales from the shepherd Jan 17, 2024
-
April 2023
- Apr 3, 2023 The journey to vegetarian, or not? Apr 3, 2023
-
March 2023
- Mar 20, 2023 Making sense of scents, or not... Mar 20, 2023
-
February 2023
- Feb 26, 2023 Lamb Sliders Feb 26, 2023
-
March 2022
- Mar 15, 2022 HOW TO BE THE BEST SHEPHERD: Lessons from a sheep Mar 15, 2022
-
January 2022
- Jan 17, 2022 Lamb Bone Broth /Stock Jan 17, 2022
-
April 2021
- Apr 26, 2021 Farming through Covid Apr 26, 2021
-
June 2020
- Jun 19, 2020 Turning 60 Jun 19, 2020
-
January 2020
- Jan 12, 2020 wool dryer ball transparency Jan 12, 2020
-
September 2019
- Sep 10, 2019 The Shepherd's Lesson: Sometimes, the Sheep Know Best Sep 10, 2019
-
June 2019
- Jun 21, 2019 Weaning: A Shepherd's Reflection on Loss Jun 21, 2019
- Jun 17, 2019 Strawberry Balsamic Basil Pops Jun 17, 2019
- Jun 10, 2019 Collard Salad Jun 10, 2019
-
February 2019
- Feb 28, 2019 Not a Washout After All: Shearing Day Success Feb 28, 2019
- Feb 5, 2019 The life of a sheep! Feb 5, 2019
-
January 2019
- Jan 25, 2019 Lamb Liver Paté Jan 25, 2019
-
August 2018
- Aug 23, 2018 Pokeweed, Friend or Foe? Aug 23, 2018
-
July 2018
- Jul 20, 2018 Cucumbers Galore Jul 20, 2018
-
September 2016
- Sep 5, 2016 Mother Nature's Lessons Sep 5, 2016
-
August 2016
- Aug 23, 2016 Walking the Walk Aug 23, 2016
-
July 2015
- Jul 2, 2015 To Wean or not to Wean Jul 2, 2015
-
February 2015
- Feb 1, 2015 Sustainability & Our Precious Soil Feb 1, 2015
-
July 2014
- Jul 24, 2014 Squash Lasagna Jul 24, 2014
- Jul 24, 2014 Squash Squares Jul 24, 2014
-
June 2014
- Jun 2, 2014 Sustainability...What's it all about! Jun 2, 2014
-
May 2014
- May 29, 2014 What I know now.... May 29, 2014
-
April 2014
- Apr 4, 2014 Is the boss the farmer or the sheep? Apr 4, 2014
- Apr 3, 2014 Felted Chicks Apr 3, 2014
-
January 2014
- Jan 28, 2014 Lamb Ribs Jan 28, 2014
- Jan 26, 2014 DIY Wool Dryer Balls Jan 26, 2014
- Jan 15, 2014 Let the New Year Begin Jan 15, 2014
- Jan 13, 2014 DIY Heat Jan 13, 2014
-
October 2013
- Oct 30, 2013 WHOLEsome Food: EGGS Oct 30, 2013
- Oct 7, 2013 Cinnamon Pickles Oct 7, 2013
- Oct 7, 2013 Dog Biscuits Oct 7, 2013
-
September 2013
- Sep 18, 2013 Peaches, Peaches everywhere Sep 18, 2013
-
August 2013
- Aug 14, 2013 The Spider and the Butterfly Aug 14, 2013
-
July 2013
- Jul 30, 2013 They don't wear galoshes Jul 30, 2013
- Jul 21, 2013 Blackberry Lime Jam Jul 21, 2013
- Jul 11, 2013 Lamb Sliders Jul 11, 2013
- Jul 9, 2013 Our Little Orchard Jul 9, 2013
- Jul 2, 2013 The Hay Bale Fiasco Jul 2, 2013
-
May 2013
- May 17, 2013 My Secret Place May 17, 2013
- May 2, 2013 April. Did I miss it? May 2, 2013
-
March 2013
- Mar 28, 2013 Prada to Carhart Mar 28, 2013
-
February 2013
- Feb 21, 2013 Puttin Up the Fence Feb 21, 2013
- Feb 7, 2013 Lovely Cup of Chai Feb 7, 2013
- Feb 5, 2013 Looking for Llama's Feb 5, 2013
-
January 2013
- Jan 29, 2013 Winter Garden Jan 29, 2013
- Jan 24, 2013 Breeding season on the farm: Sheep Thrills and A farmers imagination Jan 24, 2013
-
September 2012
- Sep 7, 2012 Pickles! Sep 7, 2012
-
June 2012
- Jun 13, 2012 Morning Gifts Jun 13, 2012
- Jun 5, 2012 Finding the Words Jun 5, 2012
-
April 2012
- Apr 13, 2012 The girls and a few token boys! Apr 13, 2012
-
March 2012
- Mar 30, 2012 Flavor! Mar 30, 2012
-
October 2011
- Oct 9, 2011 Hay. A little three letter word that packs a PUNCH! Oct 9, 2011
-
July 2011
- Jul 22, 2011 The Glorious Tomato Jul 22, 2011
-
February 2011
- Feb 10, 2011 Shearing Day 2011 Feb 10, 2011
-
November 2010
- Nov 30, 2010 This farm gives me Goose Bumps Nov 30, 2010
-
July 2010
- Jul 23, 2010 Another aHaa Moment in Farming Jul 23, 2010
-
February 2010
- Feb 24, 2010 Farmers Wearing Lace? Feb 24, 2010
- Feb 16, 2010 Girls with no Coats Feb 16, 2010
-
January 2010
- Jan 4, 2010 Midnite on the farm Jan 4, 2010
-
April 2009
- Apr 22, 2009 Hard Day on the Farm Apr 22, 2009
- Apr 15, 2009 Lamb Meatballs Apr 15, 2009
- Apr 14, 2009 Spring Apr 14, 2009
- Apr 14, 2009 Roasted Coffee Marinated Leg of Lamb Apr 14, 2009
- Apr 13, 2009 In the Beginning Apr 13, 2009