From the Pastures: Sheep showmanship

Hot August days bring fair time. Our county fair is underway and my granddaughter has three of her Shetlands at the 4-H and junior shows. She has two ewe lambs and a ram lamb. The shows have some pair classes, which give her extra classes to participate in. She has been working on teaching them to lead with a halter. All did really well at walking.

Her highlight was winning champion all other wool breeds ewe lamb and then being able to show in the overall champion ewe lamb class. She also went in the showmanship class for the first time and learned a lot. The Shetlands are favorites of people walking through the barn. I think they are the most photographed.

August also means that the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival is creeping up fast. Sept. 5-7 will be here fast. I have a lot of plans for roving, batts and yarn I want to make. I have started dying a lot of fiber — just need to process it into roving and batts.

This year I have mixed mohair and Shetland. The mohair gives the fiber a bit of a silky element to the wool and it spins to a nice texture. I will try some new and different color combinations. This is the fun part about working with wool.

The Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival is at the fairgrounds in Jefferson in south-central Wisconsin. They always have a lot of educational opportunities and a lot of sheep. Hope to see you there.