By Nadine Chounet

Hello again to everyone. Over the course of this series of articles I have had several people ask me:“Yeah, but what do all of those terms mean when my fleece is judged?”

It seems that people get their form back after they have had a fleece judged -whether at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival or another venue -they read it,try to enjoy it and get some insight from it,but they just aren ʼt sure about the terms often used when talking about a raw fleece in a judged competition.

I will refer to the form used at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival,but a very similar form is used throughout the industry.To begin with,we are talking about the evaluation of a raw fleece.That means the fleece has been handled enough to skirt and pick through it and roll it for show – but it has not been washed or carded or had anything of that sort done to it. Simply raw,like a carrot before you cook it. Maybe you have cut the tip and end off,but it isn ʼt peeled yet – it is just lying there waiting for someone to fall in love with it.We do not allow micron counts etc.to be displayed with the judging,so don ʼt expect me to discuss them here.We are only going to talk about the subjective-type terms used in most judging.

We will start with your rolled fleece.I have talked in other articles about rolling fleeces so will not address that here - just suf fice it to say it is rolled perfectly and exhibited in the clear bag that the N.H.festival requires.It is placed on the skirting table that we use for judging,a hush falls over the crowd as the judge approaches your fleece.He takes a breath and simply looks,maybe lightly runs a hand over the top of the roll ...and smiles.Wow!You have just passed the first part of the test.Did your fleece just “speak ” to the judge?? When a judge approaches a fleece he expects it to grab him, to excite him,to make him want to dump it out of the bag and look further.Remember this moment for later in the judging.

The first critique that most judges will perform is Condition of Fleece.He will look for the strength of the fiber.You will see him unroll your fleece and take a good hard look at it.It doesn ʼt hurt any if,when your fleece hits the table,the crowd gasps and offers a collective OOOOOoooooh!

In the back of his mind the judge realizes that this fleece is also speaking to the crowd!He will then pluck a lock from several locations.He will hold that lock by both the cut end and the tip and snap it near his ear.He is listening for the sound of health.The sound of a ping,almost like a tuning fork.If he hears the snap,crackle and pop of a breakfast cereal,he will frown and heavily penalize that fleece.It means it is weak,whether from the animal be- ing ill,a change in diet,lambing or simply a horrid year of weather.This fleece is not in prime condition.He has pulled locks from various parts of the fleece looking for uniformity.It is just weak along the top line or throughout the entire fleece?In a moment or two he will know.He will look at the fleece and run his hands over it,checking to see if the feel,or hand,of it is the same across the en- tire expanse.Are the britches especially harsh?Are they reasonable for that fleece?All of these are things he will look at for uniformity. He also will check to see if there is matting or felting. This is more common on certain breeds and he will check for it.Is the fleece tippy?That means the weather has worn and dried out the tips so they are slightly felted or crunchy even though the rest of the lock is still doing fine. Many a colored fleece will bleach in the sun,but that does not mean it is tippy.That is a color change which is com- mon on many animals.He is looking for bad tips that a spinner would not want in her/his work. The judge also will flip over the fleece and look for second cuts.Did the producer do a good job shearing?Or did the shearer they hired do a good job?A second cut is when there is a small hesitation in the blow of the blades that causes a small second cut near the base of the lock. This tiny piece will infuriate any hand spinner.A hand spinner will demand no second cuts.If there are any,they should be removed from the fleece before it is sold or judged.

The judge usually then backtracks slightly and judges the presentation.Remember that first moment of ooooohhhhh the judge experienced when he looked at your fleece? Now that comes back into play.The first category on Presentation is the Overall Appearance of the fleece.The judge will think back to his first look at it,and then will think back to his first look at your fleece as he unrolled it.

Did it sing to him?Or make him want to stuff it back into the bag and go on to the next fleece.Does your fleece shine and have a healthy glow? Or does it smell of mildew and mold? Eek!

The judge will also look at the degree of skirting.Are there any second cuts?How about that skirting? He will check for tags (manure/urine clotted onto a lock),belly wool,and general scruf finess.All of that should have been skirted off. He also will check for general cleanliness.You,I,and the judge all know that these animals have not been living in your house. They are farm animals and live outdoors or in a barn with dirt and dust and other animals.He will however be looking for things like excessive VM (vegetable matter/hay chaff)or burrs tangled into the fleece.He will be aware of barn dirt,but will penalize you for caked mud or bits of baling twine.Your fleece should de finitely be picked through before you even think about showing it.They all will have occasional VM,but can you take it out by the handful?If so,then maybe this fleece would be better used as compost,or maybe you could have skirted off that section.Necks are tough places – I think many of my girls purposely place hay in their neck wool for snack- ing later after a hard day of being a sheep.

The next thing the judge will look at is Quality of Fleece.He will look at the crimp and lock formation.He again is check- ing for uniformity of crimp and lock formation – not the exact number of crimps or little waves – that varies by breed of sheep.Some fine breeds have a crimp that is almost invisible as it is so tiny and fine.Some of my more primitive Shet- lands have a very slow wave that can appear almost straight and stiff!So the judge has to know which breed is expected to have what type of crimp and take it from there.The lock formation is also one of those breed things.A Shetland should look “feathered ” or have a very distinct lock formation,,but many sheep have a more dense,closed solid-looking fleece which counts just as importantly in the lock formation part of its judging if that is what is expected of the breed.

Staple length also is examined. This does not mean that if you have the longest fleece you win.I t means that the staple length in your fleece should be what is expected from your breed. Do you have a Dorset cross that is expected to have a 4-5 inch staple and instead has a 12-inch staple? You will be marked down.Do you have a Leicester Longwool that is expected to have a very long staple and yet yours is only 2 inches? My breed,which is Shetland,is an especially tough one for an inexperienced judge.There are now,through imported semen, a couple of varieties of Shetland wool.It is all purebred Shetland,but one is much shorter,at only 3-4 inches,and crimpier, almost in ringlets,while the other is longer,silkier and flowing, often up to 10 inches long!Both are correct.This category is a hard call for a judge.

The final thing he looks at is the Correct Wool Characteristics for Breed. That is an overall look at the fleece.Is the fleece the right size for the breed?Is it a 12-pound fleece coming off a 45-pound Shetland lamb?Or is it a 2-pound fleece coming off of a huge Montadale?Is it a fleece which screams that it be- longs to a certain breed – or can ʼt the judge tell?How usable is the fleece?If it is a fleece from a breed that is bred to grow a rug yarn – is it appropriate??Is it too soft and fine? Above all,your fleeces must match the breed that grew it, in both appearance and purpose.One of the other and final things the judge will look at in a fleece is how much use can one get out of it?Is half the fleece worth saving and the other half destined for the compost pile?Again,using my breed of Shetland as an example,the original sheep were used for all things in life – the undercoat of the neck and upper saddle of the fleece were used for the very famous wedding ring shawls and the fine hose that,at one time,could only be owned by royalty.The combined sides and lower back area were used for sweaters and such items that needed to be warm and heavy and weatherproof. The britches were used for long wearing socks. The Shetland is an all-purpose sheep and makes for a judge ʼs worst nightmare by the fact that it is less than “uniform ” but is correct for the breed!

That brings me to my final comment.The judge is doing the best he can do,with the experience and knowledge that he brings to the judging table.If you have an unusual breed,try to get some breed information to the judge prior to the event. I know that the judge we use is always thrilled to get that type of thing in the mail.He is constantly striving to increase his knowledge of sheep breeds and their requirements.Judging is an art learned over many years.It is subjective in nature,and if your fleece wins at one venue,that does not mean it will win at another venue.On one day your fleece just stood out as “the one ” and on another day maybe another fleece stood out as perfect.Thank the judge and go home happy that you bred, raised and presented the very best fleece you could produce for that year.Take the judge ʼs comments,go home and lecture your sheep about their cleanliness and then come back next year with an even better fleece.See you in May!

(Nadine Chounet can be contacted via her website: www.paintedknollfarm.net )