Getting ready to sell your first fleece? I’m Kerstin Katko, of Ducky’s Sheep Shack, and in this video demonstration, I’ll walk you through all steps of skirting your freshly-sheared fleece and preparing it for sale to hand-spinners and felters.

Video recap: Unroll fleece with cut side down and remove tags, britch fiber, very muddy and really short fibers and large debris. Turn fleece over and pick out second cuts. Pull sample locks to measure, maybe wash one or even spin a tiny sample. Make sure fleece is dry-lay on tarp in sunlight to dry if needed. Fold sides of fleece over the belly and roll fleece up and place in a clear plastic bag, left unsealed. Write out a description card with farm name, sheep name, breed, lock length, weight, price and any other descriptions you might like to add. Staple lock sample to card and place in bag. Store fleeces out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources to prevent condensation.

Things I should have mentioned in the video: It’s best to skirt fleeces outside as it can get messy! If you have a lot of fleeces you may want to rig up a temporary skirting table. You can put wire mesh or a piece of fencing atop some sawhorses. This allows debris to fall away from the fleece and saves your back. When I’m skirting to prep a fleece for washing and carding I’m more diligent and pull out every piece of vm I find and every second cut. Throw the debris pile in the compost.

Hug your sheep and thank them for me! I couldn’t do my work without them and without you. Fiber artist everywhere are grateful and appreciate all you do.