The Skirting Workshop: Every Fleece Contains Multitudes of Possibilities

All wool has value and separating it out helps you to be able to use it to its best potential. What happens before washing, carding, spinning, felting, or dyeing can make all the difference in the final product.

In this hands-on class, you'll learn how to properly skirt a sheep fleece, remove unwanted fibers and debris, and prepare wool for processing. We'll explore how to read the fleece, cleanliness, and fiber quality affect the finished product.

Whether you're raising sheep, processing your own wool, scouting out a fleece at SAFF, or purchasing fleeces from local farmers, this class will give you the confidence to do so with greater ease and efficiency.

You'll learn:

• What skirting is and why it matters
• How to identify prime, secondary, and discard wool
• Removing vegetable matter and contamination
• Sorting fleece by use
• Preparing wool for washing, spinning, felting, or sale
• Common mistakes that reduce fleece value
• Leave with practical skills that save time, improve wool quality, and help you get more value from every fleece.

Level: Beginner

Instructor: Kirsten Bonanza (Read Kirsten's bio)

Members: $55

Non Members: $66

Materials fee: No materials fee for this workshop

Materials provided by instructor:  Fleece to practice on. Additional fleece may be available for purchase for student use outside of class. 

Students should bring: N/A

Interested in applying for a scholarship? Apply here!

Learn about our COVID policy here: Workshop Policies