The Denmark Sheepfest

Lol, so this is long overdue...it's been about a week and a half since I visited the Sheepfest in Denmark, Maine.  I'll just put up a few photos for now, and maybe I'll do individual breed profiles later.  

They had a couple dozen sheep in small temporary pens waiting to be sheared; it was a fun event with a definite small-town, country feel to it - some people knew each other, but everyone seemed happy to chit-chat.  

These sheep were big!  I was told that they're mostly Romney, with a small percentage of a couple other breeds, including Merino.

As I've gone back through the photos, I've found the different wool textures very interesting.  Here are a couple more shots of the Romneys:

Now, compare that to the wool of this Finnsheep:

The Finns are also a much smaller breed than the Romneys.

There was one pen with a few Miniature Cheviots:

Actually, I believe the Miniature Cheviots were the ones being sheared the entire time I stayed...they hadn't gotten to any of the other breeds by the time I left.

After each sheep is shorn, a few people help "skirt" the fleece - pulling off soiled and matted wool and the worst of the stuck vegetation.

Then the fleece is rolled, bagged and weighed.

There were also a few Jacob sheep there, which is cool because they're a rare breed.  Can you guess where they get their name from?

The name comes from the biblical Jacob, who manipulated his father-in-law's herd to produce large numbers of spotted sheep.  If you're not familiar with the Bible, you can read about Jacob and the sheep here.

There was also an indoor area where you could buy supplies and all manner of finished handmade fiber products.  I bought a handwoven towel and a few balls of roving - two from sheep, and one from alpaca.  I may try to get a spinning wheel sometime, but for now, I've ordered a drop spindle so I can see if I even like spinning before I spend the money on a wheel.

Anyway...it was definitely a fun event...maybe someday I'll be taking some Butterscotch Farm sheep over to Denmark, Maine to be sheared!!  :P