Fleece to Benefit National History Day Travel

Gulliver is a blue Babydoll Southdown ram. He's a registered yearling and Virginia Harness bought him as a lamb, as a gift for her brother's 4-H sheep project. The first photo shows him in full coat, just after we took off his jacket. 

He was shorn on May 3rd by Daren Withers (an excellent shearer for growers concerned with fleece quality). Today we skirted the wool really well and rolled the fleece for sale. It weighs a mere 1 lb, 13.7 ounces.

The wool will be sold at the Annual Fleece Contest & Sale! through FiberTrain Wool Festival 2015, and the proceeds will go to help the kids travel to National History Day competition in College Park, MD.

More about this fleece type, from mylittlesheep.com:

"Babydoll wool is one of the finest wools of all the British breeds. It is short (about 2 to 3 inches) and springy, soft and bouncy, with a surprisingly strong underlying disposition. The micron count typically ranges from 23 to 29 which means many people can wear it comfortably next to the skin. It is easy to spin and produces yarn with a lot of cushion and elasticity. Since it has more barbs per inch than other wool types, it is also ideal to blend with angora or other slick fibers since it clings so well. Its ability to wet felt is very low, although it is fantastic for needle-felting! Babydoll wool is great for socks, mittens, hats, blankets, and sweaters. You will find it has good durability."

And finally, a link to the kids' fundraiser, should you like to donate, but don't know what you'd do with a fleece: http://www.gofundme.com/idahonhd