The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Marketplace => Topic started by: Brucklay on September 25, 2012, 01:18:58 pm

Title: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Brucklay on September 25, 2012, 01:18:58 pm
I have a few lovely shetland fleeces left - perfect for spinning, a selection of colours - I'll bring them to the Scottish Smallerholder Show if anyone is interested - would like £10 per fleece but open to offers
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: SallyintNorth on September 25, 2012, 02:41:03 pm
What colours you got?

Are they skirted?  'Raw' or washed? 

(Happy to pre-book one or two, just would like to know whatcha got!)
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Brucklay on September 25, 2012, 04:23:17 pm
Hi Sally - I took off all the dirty bits (but it was my first go so I couldn't say for sure 100% perfectly skirted) but unwashed - there is the odd bit of dried grass in them, they are stored in cotton pillow cases in the dry hay store.


Should have (2 or 3 grey, 2 black, 1 moorit, 1 white, 1 fawn) all first shear - I'll pm my mobile no Sally so you can find me on the day - most likely I'll be by the goats or the sheep!!
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: SallyintNorth on September 25, 2012, 04:37:50 pm
Bags I a grey and a black, please!  :excited: :excited:   

Will text you so you have my mobile # in your phone too  :)
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Fleecewife on September 25, 2012, 05:08:19 pm
Hi Brucklay, when you say 'grey', do you mean grey katmoget, or grey all over?  If grey all over then I would like one of those please and maybe the moorit if it's fine.
 
I won't be at the show  :(  but my OH will be judging the 'best horns' class so can check and collect (and pay for  ;D ) the fleeces if he likes them too - is this ok?
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: HappyHippy on September 25, 2012, 05:11:44 pm
I know there are people coming who want to buy fleece  :thumbsup:
So if you've got any left after the TAS team are finished with you, bring them along  ;D

Same goes for anyone else coming  ;)
Ooooooooh  :excited:
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Brucklay on September 25, 2012, 05:30:35 pm
As there is interest I'll bring them all and anyone interested can see if they are up to your expectations - may be a bit 'Arthur Daley' out of the back of my van  :)
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: SallyintNorth on September 25, 2012, 06:25:07 pm
I know there are people coming who want to buy fleece  :thumbsup:
So if you've got any left after the TAS team are finished with you, bring them along  ;D

Same goes for anyone else coming  ;)
Ooooooooh  :excited:

1.  And that's why I didn't bags the fawn, too - didn't want to be too greedy!
2.  Yes there certainly are more people coming for fleeces and spinning-related stuff, some are bringing wheels hoping to Spin-along with us in Spinners' Corner - so I hope you've got us enough room there for a few visitors, Karen...  ;)

 :excited: Me too!   :excited:
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: smiley bucket on September 25, 2012, 07:42:05 pm
I'm not asking for one to be reserved but i'm amazed that a fleece can be worth ten pounds! What makes the Shetland fleece so valuable? Do you shear your lambs too? This isn't a cheeky post, i'm really pleased to see wool being taken seriously :)
 
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: SallyintNorth on September 25, 2012, 07:52:59 pm
Good fleece for spinners and other handcrafters has a value, yes.

Here's an example.

Someone on Ravelry was destashing some fleece; she just wanted postal costs, needed to make some space and wanted to know her collection was going to be put to some use.

I bought a scoured (washed) Shetland, cost me £3.40 for the postage plus the PayPal charge, so about £3.65 or thereabouts.

The fleece is pretty colours, beautifully crimped, well washed - but brittle as heck and completely useless. (Except to demonstrate brittle fleece to spinners - I'll have a sample with me at the Festival for exactly that reason.  ;))

So I can get useless fleece for £3.65/each.  (Yes I'm sure she'd refund the postage - but it was clearly a mistake through ignorance and she hadn't profited by it, so I spared her blushes.) 

Or I could buy fleeces off eBay for £5/each plus postage - and find them also not good for spinning.  Or I could pay a friend a tenner for a fleece I can use. :thumbsup:  Bargain!

Price, cost and value. 

Fleeces at Woolfest were priced mostly in the £10 - £20 bracket.  I was very tempted by a £20 Portland - beautiful condition, lovely fawn colour, gorgeous soft fleece. But didn't as we were en route on holiday and I thought it a bit antisocial to carry an unwashed fleece all round Wiltshire and Devon with us!  :D
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Brucklay on September 25, 2012, 08:04:59 pm
Thank you for posting the spinners point of view Sally - I have only been going off a post earlier in the year which I can't find now that Fleecewife said a fleece that was worth spinning was worth £10 - so some of mine may be no good but I am going to bring all so I can learn what I have done wrong.


Peronally I think I have to make the most of the little I have to sustain my very little croft - hoping to have a go at making crooks as the Castlemilks have such lovely horns but that will be for another post in the future and another learning curve.  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: HappyHippy on September 26, 2012, 10:23:04 am
Peronally I think I have to make the most of the little I have to sustain my very little croft - hoping to have a go at making crooks as the Castlemilks have such lovely horns but that will be for another post in the future and another learning curve.  :thumbsup:

Oooooh, make a point of looking for Tom Stewart at the festival  ;) He's the stick section judge and part of the Scottish Crookmakers - he's also made (and won with) a fair few sticks  :thumbsup: He'll be more than happy to tell you all about it and might even know people in stick clubs up your way.
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: milly molly on September 26, 2012, 12:00:50 pm
On a different note, if anybody has a spare fleece or 2 not suitable for spinning i would be interested in them as a nice warm bed for the ferrets this winter. ;D
 
Mandy
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Brucklay on September 26, 2012, 12:02:35 pm
After mine have been inspected you may find more than you want coming your way Milly Molly  :innocent:
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Fleecewife on September 26, 2012, 01:20:30 pm
Hi MillyMolly  :wave:   I have bags and bags of older fleece you can choose from when you are over this way (black of course)  :sheep: :sheep: :sheep:  - no ferret emoticon  ::)
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: milly molly on September 26, 2012, 11:12:02 pm
That's brilliant Juliet  :excited:  happy toasty ferrets this winter  :hug:  ta much


I see Gordon's going up, he traveling that morning or going the night before?


Mandy
Title: Re: Shetland Fleeces - will bring to Smallholder Show
Post by: Fleecewife on September 27, 2012, 12:04:22 am
That morning Mandy but by bike  :raining:   :cold:   ;D    Sorry - not much help