More on WSWF

This is going to take awhile.  So much happened this past weekend that I'm sure that I'll be in a daze for quite some time.  It was just phenomenal.  The two UK judges are well versed in Shetland sheep.  Kate Sharp has raised purebred registered Shetland sheep for 25 years and is a breeder judge and a Shetland ram/ewe inspector.  She has also been to the Shetland Islands, has judged at the Voe show, and is an ex-board member of the SSS.  She has the credentials.  Alan Hill has been raising sheep and Shetland sheep for much longer than that (he wouldn't say exactly as he didn't want to give his age away!) and is also a breeder judge and a Shetland ram/ewe inspector.  He is an ex-Chairman of the SSS board so he definitely has the credentials as well.  Shetland breeders at WSWF were very privileged to these two very knowledgeable people judging the MSSBA show.

Rich gave a very good overview of the inspection process but I'll also give my perspective.  It was simply wonderful.   I put forward two Shetlands for inspection, UTS Gunpowder (yearling ram)  and UTS Tralee (2005 ewe).  Only sheep with 2 fully erupted teeth (usually around 16+ months) are allowed to be inspected for "real" but Kate and Alan inspected anything put before them at this show.  To have the full credentials, there must be a total of 3 inspectors that agree on a passing sheep so that means that no sheep here could be fully inspected and receive full credentials.  Kate and Alan split the job and each inspected several sheep individually.  Both Gunpowder and Tralee passed the inspection no problem.  Not that I was worried with these two as I thought they should have no problems, but that it was confirmed to me that they are well within the 1927 standard. 

I was with Kate's group and learned/had confirmed or cleared up several issues, especially the shoulders.  Shoulders on Shetland sheep should be good  . . . . according to Shetland sheep, not meat sheep.  Shetlands should never have flat meat sheep shoulders (or backs for that matter). You should be able to feel the backbone between the shoulder blades or, in other words, they should have withers.  Shetlands have to climb seaside cliffs in their native land and flat shoulders are not condusive to that type of terrain.  Think of it this way (my take on it):  Flat shoulders = flat ground breeds, withers = hill breeds. 

Eyes should always be bright and alert - unless you are looking at a dead sheep.

Wool on the poll/forehead/cheeks is important. 

Rumps should be rounded, not straight or too steep. 

Tails should be checked underneath if there is a question about flukeness.  You should see a fluke shape on the underside.  Tail set is at a slight angle (see rump).  Wool should cover the tail/rump area.  Wool should be "tight" and the tail fit in. 

There should be some britch for protection as well as the place for the water runoff.

Fleece is graded fine (unless it is a coarse fleece, which is a disqualification), never extra fine, unless there is micron data to back it up.  Even then inspectors are hesitant to grade a sheep as extra fine in case it falls off the next year to the fine category.

Crimp is considered either wavy (undulating about 4-6 crimps/") or crimpy (higher crimps/inch).  Either is acceptable and gives a range of diversity within the fleeces.  It should never be straight.

Denseness means full in the hand.  This is the same as well closed.  Fleece should never be open because of the wet, cold, windy conditions on Shetland. 

Longish means 3-5/6" in full fleece.  Fleece should never be longer than 7" because of the wet, cold, windy conditions.  Long fleece that blows in the wet wind penetrates to the skin and chills the animals (remember, no part of Shetland is greater than 3 miles from the sea).  Long fleece gets mucky from dragging in the peat bogs.  This would endanger the health of the animals.  It also gets caught in the heath.  I guess if you look at it the following way, then it would make more sense.  Icelandics, yaks, and musk oxen all have a long outer coat and they all live in a very cold but not necessarily wet climate so a double coat with a fine undercoat is perfect for them.  Shetland sheep, on the other hand, DO live in a wet climate, but not anywhere near as cold as those animals (because of the warm Gulf stream), and therefore need a shorter fleece to quickly wick off the constant rain/wetness. 

White sheep are pure white.  White sheep with a mirkface or pheo on the legs or head is to be shown in the colored class (over there).

Balance and moderation is the overall key. 


For the judge's training, Lori put together a packet that including the NASSA judge's manuel, and several drawings that included the head, ram profile, ewe profile, and rear with names of parts.  It also included showmanship information and the SSS inspection process and SSS judge's training process.  Alan and Kate spent a good deal of time going over the judging process and what it entailed.

The Sunday morning seminar was absolutely great.  Alan talked extensively on the SSS and its formation.  Many questions were brought up.  Fleece was a hot topic, of course.  They reiterated what was said in the inspections about fleece length, elaborating on the "springiness" and bounce that is required of good Shetland wool, and hence good crimp.  Kate again stressed that Shetland fleece, when extended/stretched should not be over 7" in length.  The crimp is essential for good garments. 

Education
I just looked up some definitions that need to be brought forth for better understanding of wool properties as there was at least one person who was very confused at the seminar. 

Abrasion Resistance - The degree by which a fabric is able to withstand loss of appearance through surface wear, rubbing, chafing, and other frictional actions. 

This term, to me, is related to the fineness of the fleece as finer fleeces are softer fleeces.  This in turn is related to exactly where a fiber is used in an end product.  High resistance is needed for strong outer garments or rugs (which is also is the same as saying a high micron/coarse wool).  Lower resistance is for softer garments, next to skin garments and undergarments, of which Shetlands were famous for.  Alan and Kate both talked about Shetland wool being used to make the undergarments for the WW1 soldiers.  This means that Shetland wool, just prior to the writing of the standard was SOFT with a low CV, otherwise most people can't wear it next to their skins. 

Resiliency - The ability of a fabric to spring back to its original shape after being twisted, crushed, wrinkled, or distorted in any way. 

Crimp is necessary for resiliency.  No crimp, no resiliency.  Period.  Crimp is considered to be like spring coils.  This was brought up in the Sunday talk.  A biochemist described the chemical bonds in crimpy wool and how they perform (thank you whoever you are).  A former Shetland breeder (who has been to Shetland to take spinning classes from the master Shetland spinners) and who also judges knitwear, described the resilience of wool garments made with crimpy wool.  Wool that is not resilient, meaning wool with little to no crimp, is used for draping garments.  Long wools are known for this type of usage.  Actually, a more correct term for the occasion (which I was trying to think of when all the talk was going on) is resistance to compression.  This means that when you feel the wool and compress it in your hand there should be spring back or bounce.  This is what Kate was referring to when she said springiness. Shetland wool should feel full in the hand and spring back.  Wool that does not spring back is used for worsted yarns and goods - items that are drapable.  Not bouncy sweaters.

Here is a good link for a description of crimp, curvature, and microns:  http://www.elitealpacabreedingsystems.com/library/curve.pdf

This article is very good. 
http://www.elitealpacabreedingsystems.com/library/crimp2.pdf

Here is one of the most important things to remember: 
It has been shown in sheep that wools with crimp allow the processor to spin a yarn that is lighter due to its bulking properties.
It is a well known fact that Shetland wool is warm and lightweight.  This is due to the crimpiness and fineness of the wool.

On page 4, it describes the micron counts coupled with the crimps/inch and what systems they are used in (worsted, woolen, or both). 
On page 6 of that article is a photo of superior Alpaca fleece.  My Shetland has been mistaken for good alpaca - soft and lightweight.  This is the goal.

On page 7. If it's crimpless with no fiber alignment, it is usually an open fleece.

On page 9.  Crimp is the expression of the excellence of breeding.

 Wow.  I could go on, but you need to read the article in its entirety.


Anyway, here are more results of the show.
Senior rams:  None shown.
Yrling rams:  Gunpowder was 4th.
Ram lambs: 
1st place and Reserve Champion Ram:  Velour (Apache/Viva)
2nd place:  Tarlatan (white,  Cleg/Morel, Tori showed him)
3rd place:  Dungaree (white, B2/Dakota)
Ram lamb pair:  1st place
Senior ewe:  3rd place, Tralee
Ewe lamb:  5th place, Sateen
Yrling ewe: 
1st place, White Lilac
2nd place, (Tori's ewe) S'More Samba
3rd place, Assam
Best Fleece on Hoof:  3rd place, Velour

I think that is the way it went.  I might have a couple confused.  (Note:  changed the placings after talking with Lori.  Fading memories . . . ) 

Tori also won Reserve Champion Shetland fleece with a white fleece.  She also took 2nd place in the white class.  I only entered colored fleeces, 6 of them.  Of the 6, 5 of them placed in the top 10 with WS Black's fleece coming in 5th behind Karen, Meghan, and Garrett's fleeces. 

Kate and Alan judging WS Black's fleece.

Tori also showed a Shetland ewe in the Open show and took Champion Shetland ewe there.  She also won the intermediate skillathon in the Junior show.  She had to miss Kate and Alan's talk to compete in those.

Wonderful show.  Wonderful week-end.  Great people and great company.  Can't wait for the DVD to come out to see it again.