For instance, carpets are made of the very coarsest wool, while fine woolen sweaters are made from the very finest fleeces, such as Merino. For example, wool from Frieslands will range in the 54's, while the Est a Laines will be in the high 70's to 80's. A simple way of looking at raw wool is to look at the distance between the crimps in the fiber. We shear our sheep once a year to remove their wool. It's a bit like giving them a hair cut.
Shearing is a big event here, almost a party.
Our sheep shearer comes and we have helpers, lots of food, and it signals the start of Spring. We shear our sheep about a month before they are due to have their lambs. Like the tulips poking their leaves out from the slowly warming soil, this is another ritual of the burgeoning season. As clothes make the man, so does the fleece make the ram. Once the sheep's overcoat comes off, they need to re-recognize one another.