Last Friday was the 13th but it was a lucky day for White Barn Farm, New Paltz, NY. It was a cool, clear and most importantly, dry day, Perfect for shearing the Cormo and Cormo-cross (with California Red) sheep that the farm raises.

One by one each sheep is led to Aaron, the shearer where their coats of wool are sheared (shaved) off, sort of like getting a buzz cut.

When the fleece is entirely off the sheep, it’s picked up by Paula or one of her helpers, carried out of the barn and tossed onto a tarp outside. The shearing area in the barn is swept out, and another helper brings in another sheep for Aaron to shear.

If well-shorn, and these fleeces were, a fleece comes off the sheep in what looks like one piece, as the ends of the locks of wool tend to stick together. This makes it easy to spread out on a tarp to take out the dirty parts around the perimeter of the fleece which corresponds to the lower body, belly, and legs of the sheep.  The fiber that’s skirted went on a pile on the blue tarp. Paula will use it later for mulch.

Once sheep are shorn, they look so much different without all their wool, even to the other sheep. They may not recognize each other at first by sight, but they do by smell. Once each sheep is shorn, it’s let out to another section of the barn that leads outside to a treat of hay.

Paula was very pleased with the fleeces that day. She will send them to be scoured (washed) and spun into a custom yarn for her yarn shop at the White Barn Farm.