Sorting and Skirting

It adds value to the fleece and ensures quality fiber consistency which carries forward to the end product. The importance of good sorting and skirting practices cannot be stressed enough. The information below will save you both time and money in addition to giving you the best possible product.

It is recommend that you always keep the length as uniform as possible. It is important for the person "bagging" the fleece to recognize the differences between blanket (or saddle), neck, legs, belly, apron and "leg pits".

Excessive vegetable matter, fecal and urine stains, hairy sections (lots of guard hair) such as legpits, second cuts and other objects (like twine), affect processing. These need to be removed to ensure a clean fleece and to make processing as cost effective as possible.

Tips for Sorting and Skirting.

Vegetable Matter:

While a bit of vegetation is expected, some fleeces are so matted with seeds, thistles, burrs, etc., that no amount of skirting will make the fleece usable. Take the excessive amounts out.

Some producers use a shop vac to get rid of excessive vegetation prior to shearing. Avoid using a blower. Shaking the blanket lightly after shearing over a meshed table will help remove some of contaminates as well.

Tenderness in the Staple:

Tenderness in the staple is characterized by a weakness in a portion of the staple. Illness, stress, changes in feeding, birthing, even weather can contribute to an overall weakness in the fiber.

To check for tenderness, tightly stretch a staple between two fingers, put it up close to your ear and try to break it. If the staple breaks easily with a "crackling noise" then the fiber is tender. It must be equally strong along the whole staple. During carding and other processes, weakened fibers have a tendency to break and could create uneven yarns.

Tenderness in the Tips:

Cria fleece (first shearing) is the most vulnerable to tender tips. This tenderness is caused by the amniotic fluid that has gathered at the tips of the fleece causing fiber weakness at the end of the staple. When dealing with a cria fleece the handler needs to be alert for tender tips.

The most evident trade mark of tender tips is appearance. The end of the staple will appear as if bleached. Tender tips are easily detected in all colours but white. While this is not an "x-factor", it is an indicator to look more closely.

The strength test for tender tips is similar to that for testing tenderness in the staple. To avoid the problem of tender tips in newborns, you can hand-shear the animal's blanket after four (4) weeks of growth.

Cotting:

When a fleece is matted and staples are difficult to separate, the fleece is cotted. This is usually due to long, wet springs and poor weather, causing the fleece to felt near the skin of the animal. When cotting is present the fleece may be used for felting.

Arable:

This applies mostly to sheep and angora goats with long, white fleece that are bred on crop-growing fields, poor sandy soil, or red-earth districts. The ends may become caked in mud or sandy soil blown into the fleece. This can be corrected by soaking the fleece in cold water overnight.

Yolk:

Most often found in sheep's wool, yolk is the yellowish portions of fleece near the skin. Yolk is suint, natural grease formed from dry perspiration and lanolin. The presence of yolk is normal and can be dissolved in water and detergent.

If fleece is left unwashed, yolk can harden into tiny fragments which bind fibers together.

Second or Double Cuts:

During shearing, the shears may pass twice over the same area creating short cuts. It is necessary to remove second cuts from the fleece as they can create unevenness and slubs in yarn. Second cuts can be avoided with best use practices but some are inevitable.

Remove second cuts because they will create noils in the yarn. These noils produce a slubby or inconsistent product. To check for second cuts turn the blanket shorn side up and pick the second cuts off by skimming fingers across the surface. Shaking the fleece over the sorting table can also help alleviate missed second cuts.

Stains:

Stains that should be removed from fleece include tattoo ink, paint brands, grass, manure and urine.

Canary Stain or Canary Yellow:

Canary stain is a bright yellow, unscourable stain or band of staining in the fleece or on the skin of sheep and is caused by a parasite. The parasite feeds on the wool wax and then on the protein in the wool itself, causing the wool to weaken and eventually disintegrate.

Fleeces with canary stain are not usable for yarn or spinning as the bacteria will continue to eat the fiber over a period of time. It's important not to confuse canary stain with yolk or lanolin. The fleece will also have a strong yeasty smell.

Weathered Tips:

While this applies to both white and coloured fleeces, it is mainly seen in coloured fleeces. Tips become tender due to sun bleaching or harsh conditions. While unwanted in some circumstances, they may be welcomed in others for special designs of yarn.

Insect Infestation:

If a fleece contains lice, mites or moths, discard it immediately. Insect infestation can contaminate your other fleeces.

Never send insect infested fleece to the mill as moths are of particular concern.

Fleece Rot:

Fleece rot is an unscourable colouration of sheep's wool caused by bacteria known as pseudomonas aeruginosa. After prolonged wetting of the skin, the bacteria multiply and produce a pigment which is typically green, but can also be blue, orange, brown or pink. Weather stain is a yellow discolouration caused by bacterial products and pigment. These fleeces should be avoided altogether.

Harvesting Fleece

The Fleece Handler

The job of "fleece handler" is focused on the bagging and labeling/recording of what fleece comes from what part of the animal. Shearing can be a frenzied activity.

It is imperative not to interfere with the person doing the shearing. Talk with the shearer in advance, understand how that person works and devise a strategy for working with and around the shearer.

Must Haves for the Sorting and Skirting Team

• A one inch wire mesh table is easy to make yourself by stretching wire mesh over a wooden frame and secure. Watch out for sharp edges that will easily snag the fleece. Make sure table is at a comfortable height and large enough (4ft x 6ft) to comfortably hold at least 3 sections of fiber.
• Good lighting.
• Bags for fleece should be clear.
• Poke holes in the bag for fleece to breath.
• Use a permanent marker to mark each bag according to section of animal fleece is removed from and the name of animal.
• A log book for fleece harvests. Record information such as staple length, dust and dirt content, pasture conditions, recent stresses etc. This information is extremely useful to the mill in their effort to deliver a high quality product for you.
• Small zip lock baggies for taking any fiber samples.
• Baby Wipes for your hands as this work is grimy and you may handle unfavorable substances.
• Dust mask and protective eye wear for health and safety.