First day of fall 2010 - Sheep shearing in New England

A sure sign of the autumnal equinox, September 22nd will be a crisp and cool day here in the Northeast, perfect weather for harvesting fleeces from the animals: alpaca, goats, and sheep, that provide the luxurious organic, green, natural fibers to be spun into yarn for knitting and crocheting. It is when nights are the same length as the days of autumn, shepherds and farmers throughout these northern states work the hardest to shear and clip their herds' summer-grown ‘crop’ for consumers of the green natural products used by knitters and weavers in hand-worked fabrics. It's harvest time in New England.

The Farm at Morrison Corner, "the last hill farm in Mansfield, Vermont," dates back to the 1700's.  "First day of fall" sheep shearing duties for the farm's owner, New England shepherdess, Tamara, are not exactly finished on September 22nd. In 2010, Tamara uses a pair of Fiskars shears to hand-clip the summer fleeces from her Icelandic sheep in the cooler months of fall. It takes about an hour to shear a sheep and she can clip two a day, but finds this hand-shearing method to be the most economical for her sheep farm in today's market where out-sourced professional shearing can be more costly than the fleece is worth on the natural fiber market.

"We separate the rams from the ewes so there isn't an accidental breeding if one of the ewes comes into season early... and shear off the summer fleeces."

Read about Icelandic Sheep and how cost productive they are for New England farmers on WoolandFeathers.com.  For more information, you can contact The Farm at Morrison Corner via email.

Harmony Homestead Farm, in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, is where Elaine Deegan raises strictly fiber animals, no milking her Pygora goats. Elaine only harvests female and wether goat fleeces, as the bucks are kept purely for breeding.

"The wethers, or neutered males, actually produce the best fleeces, as that is their only purpose."

The goat fiber may be spun and then knitted, woven, or crocheted. Pygora feels just like cashmere, very fine to the touch, and spins into a lovely yarn, soft enough to be worn next to the skin.

In the slideshow is a beautiful "exotic" blend of alpaca, mohair, camel, Yak, buffalo, angora, and of course, pygora yarn, spun from a previous fall shearing from Elaine's goats. Elaine will be visiting the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival in Canby, Oregon, home of the largest Pygora Goat Show this weekend. You can find Pygora fleeces and yarn at her Etsy shop.  Read more about Harmony Homestead Farm.

Glen Ridge Alpaca Farm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is home to an elite herd of 110 colored hucaya alpacas, owned and farmed by Kevin and Ann Tarsagian, who invite you to visit their alpaca farm this fall.

"Soft as cashmere and warmer, lighter and stronger than wool, Alpaca fiber comes in more colors than any other fiber producing animal 22 colors...alpacas are shorn for their wonderful fleece each year, which will produce an average yield of 5 pounds...cashmere-like fleece, once reserved for Incan royalty, is now enjoyed by spinners and weavers around the world."

Alpaca fleeces are not harvested in the fall, but are shorn only in the spring. Plan a visit to the Glen Ridge Alpaca Farm on the Sakonnet River in Portsmouth, RI, this fall 2010. 

Each of these farms raising Icelandic sheep, Pygora goats, and Hucaya alpacas sell certified healthy animals for breeding, farming, fiber, and pets.

Copyright 2010, Sharon Watterson.