Dyer’s Rants

I took a break from my dyeing activities to learn how to shear sheep. For some reason-I have it in my head that before I die (I mean really die-not dye,) that I should be able to take fiber from growing it, harvesting it, dying it, spinning it, knitting it or weaving it. Now I have done just about all of that-even getting good enough to teach some of it. I have raised cashmere goats, angora rabbits, even cotton. I have spun on wheels, spindles and charkhas. I have taught knitting, even designed and published patterns. I have harvested fiber from the goats and the rabbits. But now that I have started raising sheep-the one task-the one skill set that has eluded me….shearing.

Now I knew my window to learn to shear-and I mean really learn to shear-the way they do it in Australia and New Zealand-was running out. You see-I turn 50 this year and my body-the one I used to run with, do body building with, row with, play soccer with…well let’s just be honest and say that I have never been in worse shape-other than being pregnant.

Ok-onto sheep shearing school in Maryland-where they have been teaching this stuff for decades. I drove up the 4 and a half hours Thursday so I could be ready for 9AM the next day. There were 20 fellow novices and 4-5 teachers on this large sheep farm in Westminster on a cold blustery day. (I say 4-5 because this cool shearer from New Zealand showed up the next day.) Well after a short lecture we headed to the barn where there were 4 stations set up and in one corner-were about 30 sheep-who were soon to feel the cold weather more fully. We got about 2 demo’s then we were thrown off the deep end. We divided into our groups-I was in the left handed group with a long bearded 60 year old guy and a 20 year old hot shot. I was the last to take a sheep-the instructor talked us through as we nervously held equally nervous sheep and tried to shear around the getitals, moving ourselves and the sheep as we worked around the body. Doing this while holding the sheep was like running a 2 mile race. My forearms gave out before my back-much to my surprise-and my wind-let’s say my mouth was as dry as cotton when I finally was able to stand up and let my sheep go. I think my 1st sheep took at least 20 minutes. We broke for lunch and kept at it until late afternoon. Our group’s instructor did not want the left handers any more-so we had a new guy after lunch. I was sooo tired-that I slept the rest of the day. And I got up and did it again-with a break to learn about equipment. I managed to shear 3 more that day-I think I am down to about 12 minutes. One part that is a challenge is learning intimately-the contours of a sheep’s body so that you know when to crank the shears over on a blow (or stroke.) I also learned that Oster shears are not for me-they weigh 4.5 pounds. I like the Premier-weighing only half as much.

While I need to work on my endurance-including muscle endurance-I think I can hack it. I might be able to do about 5 in a day. Maybe. We’ll see-I am scheduled to help a friend with her 10 sheep. My back did hold up-barely. I have muscle soreness, but I did not pull anything. I say that shearing is not for wimps. In fact, I think we should start a movement to make it an Olympic sport. John-the guy from New Zealand, told a story of a shearer in competition who, while shearing, cut a sheep’s mammory gland. He stopped to suture the wound and still finished shearing in just 2 minutes. I’d like to see Michael Phelps pull that one off.

Head Instructor demonstrates