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sheknewitwasgorgeous.Again,
oohsandahhssoundedthrough
thegroupofspectators,largely
spinnersandweavers,which
sentDowdhustlingthroughthe
crowdtoMackinnon-Loopto
askifshecouldbuythefleece.
Beforeanybiddingwarsbroke
out,Dowdwastheproudowner
ofYureka’ssilkenwhitecoat.
Woolisshornfrommostsheep
oncea yeartoallowa generous
growthperiod.Theprimitive,
long-hairedbreedssuchas
Icelandicareanexception,
astheycaneasilybesheared
twicea year.Yureka,too,was
anexception,beingbornin
Februaryandshornthefollowing
Septemberespeciallyforthe
fair.Herfleecewasalready
outstanding.Mackinnon-Loop
attributesthefleece’sfine
crimp,orcurl,andplushnessto
crossinga long-woolRomney
withthedesirablecrimpiness
oftheEastFriesian.Thetime
ofyeartoshearhasmany
variables,thelocationwhere
youlivebeingmostimportant
inregardstoweather.Many
farmersprefertoshearright
beforelambingseasonsotheir
ewes’rumpswillbefreeof
mattedandsoiledwoolwhen
theygivebirth.Anearly-in-the-
yearshearingalsoencourages
ewestokeepoutofthewindand
rain,therebyprotectingtheir
lambsfromharshweather—not
quiteasimportantonsouthern
VancouverIslandasinfar-
flungsheepregionssuchasthe
ScottishHebrides.
Theshearersatthefair
demonstratedthreewaysof
gettinga fleeceoff.First,the“old-
fashioned”way,withinexpensive
handshears,whichispreferred
bymanyfarmers,sincetheycan
beusedoutina fieldanddonot
shaveclose.Thislattercanbe
advantageous,again,depending
onclimate,asthesheepareleft
withsomeinsulationagainst
theweather.Thedemonstration
includedantiquehand-crank
shears,andelectricalshears,TRAVEL & CULTURE: FROM SHEEP TO SHAWL
An early-in-the-year shearing also encourages ewes
to keep out of the wind and rain, thereby protecting
their lambs from harsh weather—not quite as
important on southern Vancouver Island as in far-
flung sheep regions such as the Scottish Hebrides.CYNARA DE GOUTIERE