The sheep are getting their spring haircuts, and that means it’s time for one of the most satisfying jobs on the farm: skirting fleece. We’d love your help!

What is skirting? After each sheep is shorn, the fleece comes off in one big sheet. Before that wool can become beautiful yarn, it needs to be cleaned up. Skirting is the process of picking through the fleece and removing anything that doesn’t belong — stained edges, manure tags, short snips of wool called “second cuts,” and bits of hay, seeds, or other vegetable matter the sheep picked up out in the pasture.

What will you actually be doing? You’ll be standing around a big table with the fleece spread out in front of you, working your way around the edges and pulling away the parts that need to go. It’s hands-on, a little messy, and genuinely fun — especially with good company. Once a fleece is skirted, we’ll sort it by quality, give it a quick inspection, and grade it so we know exactly what we’re working with before it heads toward the spinning wheel.

No experience needed. We’ll walk you through everything when you arrive. Gloves will be provided, and there’s no wrong way to ask questions.

Your help turns a raw fleece into something ready for yarn — and that’s no small thing. We hope to see you there!

No registration necessary, just show up!