[Brucklay]

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

[SallyintNorth]

What colours you got?

Are they skirted?  'Raw' or washed? 

(Happy to pre-book one or two, just would like to know whatcha got!)

[Brucklay]

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!!

[SallyintNorth]

Bags I a grey and a black, please!     

Will text you so you have my mobile # in your phone too 

[Fleecewife]

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  ) the fleeces if he likes them too - is this ok?

[HappyHippy]

I know there are people coming who want to buy fleece 
So if you've got any left after the TAS team are finished with you, bring them along 

Same goes for anyone else coming 
Ooooooooh 

[Brucklay]

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 

[SallyintNorth]

I know there are people coming who want to buy fleece 
So if you've got any left after the TAS team are finished with you, bring them along 

Same goes for anyone else coming 
Ooooooooh 

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... 

  Me too!   

[smiley bucket]

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
 

[SallyintNorth]

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.   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! 

[Brucklay]

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. 

[HappyHippy]

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. 

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  He'll be more than happy to tell you all about it and might even know people in stick clubs up your way.

[milly molly]

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.
 
Mandy

[Brucklay]

After mine have been inspected you may find more than you want coming your way Milly Molly 

[Fleecewife]

Hi MillyMolly     I have bags and bags of older fleece you can choose from when you are over this way (black of course)    - no ferret emoticon