norseofcourse's journal - spring and show update

[Roving Jacobs]

Norseofcourse told me you were there but I totally forgot to say hi, @ohiogoatgirl You probably met my mom checking in our fleeces though, mine won first in natural colored and white finewool. Next year we should all meet up for lamb dogs or something if we're all going to be at Great Lakes again.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

I saw your farm name on a couple fleeces. I bought one of them. Really lovely. I was bummed that it was already there before I had come over to help. darn. we will have to meet up next year @Roving Jacobs

 

[norseofcourse]

You haven't bragged about it but I just wanted to say congrats again for coming first in white double coated and second in natural color double coated at the Great Lakes Fiber Show fleece show! It sounded like you got some great comments and advice from the judge too and I saw a couple people walking around with pelts they bought from you so hopefully you had a good weekend!

Thanks You did awesome yourself, taking first in both white and colored in the Fine class! It was interesting watching the judging, and talking to the judge the next day. I did learn a lot. And I had a really good weekend for my first time selling stuff. I sold some roving, raw fleeces, and all three lambskins. Some sheeps-milk soap. And I had so many comments about my fleece sorting/drying rack I'd brought and set up, I am definitely making some to sell next year.

WHOA... Norse!! You never said anything!! Congrats!! That's awesome!

Thank you I would have said something sooner, but @Roving Jacobs beat me to it - she is younger and doesn't need as much sleep

Congrats!!

Thanks

Congrats (again) from me
I am happy to say I was helping with sign in and got to chat with her (talk her ear off lol) and am the happy owner of the white first place fleece. It called to me, I just couldn't let it go home with someone else!

Thanks, and it was great chatting with you, too! I am looking forward to what you create with the fleece, you'll have to post pics!

Woah congratulations! That's awesome!

Thank you

 

[Latestarter]

And of course Roving mentioned YOUR wins and said nothing about her own! Congrats to you as well Roving!

 

[Roving Jacobs]

Thanks! My hard working cormos got some cheerios to celebrate. Next year I'm definitely going to have to stay to watch the judging because the comments on the cards were very brief. I heard from a jacob breeder friend that the judge wasn't impressed with anyone's jacob fleeces but I hope you enjoy working with mine, @ohiogoatgirl

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Congrats @Roving Jacobs!!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Thanks! My hard working cormos got some cheerios to celebrate. Next year I'm definitely going to have to stay to watch the judging because the comments on the cards were very brief. I heard from a jacob breeder friend that the judge wasn't impressed with anyone's jacob fleeces but I hope you enjoy working with mine, @ohiogoatgirl

I know the guy who was the judge and he knows his stuff. I think to get the most out of it you had to be there to hear all the comments.

I talked to the person who brought in like ten Jacob fleeces and she was very unhappy with the comments she got. As a handspinner I liked the one of her fleeces a lot, but as I already had my eye on four (which I bought) I didn't have the money to buy one of hers as well.
In my opinion it didn't seem like she was going to be happy about anything that wasn't positive. Which is a shame because the comments are supposed to be constructive criticism. You cant fix a problem if you don't know you have it. If she wants to sell good quality handspinner fleeces then this is the things people are going to look for.

there was one fleece that was felted in the middle of the staple and I was surprised was even in the show. but for someone new to sheep and fiber might not understand that. and some people who felt might not mind the felting. it's all in what the buyer wants and is looking for.
A felter won't mind wool break so much. to a spinner wool break could make a fleece completely unusable.

@Roving Jacobs I washed the fleece the other day and got it carded yesterday. Today I am spinning it and it's looking lovely Later I will try and get a thread going and post pics and more about it and the other fleeces.

 

[norseofcourse]

I heard from a jacob breeder friend that the judge wasn't impressed with anyone's jacob fleeces...

I'm not too familiar yet with very many different breeds and their fleeces. Is there something about Jacobs that makes it harder to produce a good handspinning fleece? What can you tell me about the characteristics of their fleece and what to look for?

 

[Roving Jacobs]

That's just what she said and she may have just been a sore loser I got my score card from the jacob fleece I sold this week and it had lovely, encouraging comments on it.

They can be variable or "quilted" where the black and white areas have a different length or character which can make them harder to spin if you combine the colors instead of separating. That quality is frowned on and you will fail inspection if you try to register animals with quilted fleeces like that. The fleeces can also be fairly small, being that jacobs are a pretty small sheep. Britchiness is pretty common too but you can skirt that out before showing, although it will make your small fleece even smaller. Their lock structure is very open so it tends to collect bits of hay and things but if you pay attention its easy to skirt out.

Here's some examples of locks, I think from the same sheep as the fleece we entered this year. You can see it has a tendency to be a bit tippy and the crimp isn't consistent throughout the lock or throughout the fleece. I cull pretty hard for quilting but the overall evenness of the fleece needs work. Still a good fleece for beginner spinners though. Jacob is very forgiving and plays nicely with drop spindles.





The person who won both medium wool categories and best in show raises romneys with her granddaughters and her sheep cleaned house at Maryland Sheep and Wool so I had no problem losing to her. Her fleeces were spotlessly clean and very consistent throughout the fleece. Plus they were very large and had good staple. Hard to compete with a romney bred for excellent wool when you have a jacob bred to be primitive and a little bit weird

 

[norseofcourse]

I haven't posted in awhile, things have been busy! (as usual, lol)

The sheep and lambs have been doing well. The lambs are growing fast! Most of them are getting lighter as their undercoats come in - all except the 'tuxedo' lamb - she will stay solid black and white, as her undercoat is coming in black.

Elding is in with the ponies for now, instead of in a smaller paddock. He was in a smaller paddock for awhile, but he started going through the fence (into the main pasture), so I need to redo some fencing. The other small paddock is too eaten down for him. So, he gets plenty of browse and shares the ponies hay:

He is behaving, but I still keep my eye on him. His favorite pony is Flekka, the bay and white beside him. The minis tend to chase him sometimes. The ewes and lambs go out into the main pasture every day, but since no one's in heat or even remotely interested, Elding doesn't hang around them as much right now.

As I said, the lambs are growing fast. This is why I need to build another feeder:

It's taken so long to get things cleared and get the garden in (along with all the normal house/work/etc stuff), that I haven't had time to work on a second feeder yet. The sheep are in no danger of starving, but it's not good for their wool! But I admit it makes for an unusual picture...