|
|
If
you see a fleece that you'd like to purchase, but
it's already been sold, I will be glad to reserve
that sheep's next fleece for
you.
Before
you reserve a SkyLines fleece, please read this . .
.
|
|
ONE, here's how it
works
- SkyLines
sheep are shorn every spring, in early
March.
- One or two
weeks before shearing, I email everyone on my
email list with a heads up that fresh fleeces
will be available soon.
- Within a few
weeks of shearing day I email everyone who has
reserved fleeces with an invoice for the balance
due (minus their deposit).
- Once I
receive payment, I try to ship fleeces within 3
business days.
- Lambing
season begins in March and I divide my time
between shipping fleeces and attending to moms
and babies.
- After lambing
season is over, I revise and update the website
with all the current year fleece descriptions,
weights, and photos. Sometime in April or May I
write everyone to let them know that the
website's been updated.
|
|
SkyLines'
Romney-Montadale
ewe Nora, in her lamb fleece
|
The bottom line:
Spring is my busiest time of year, with fresh fleeces and
babies coming thick and fast. If you're interested in a
particular fleece from next year's shearing, you might want
to reserve it as soon as you can. That way, you can be
assured of not only getting the fleece you really want come
shearing time, but also getting it within just days or weeks
of shearing!
At the very least, you may
want to get on the customer list and receive advance notice
each year a few weeks before shearing day. Just write
eileen@ramsteadranch.com
to add your name to the list.
TWO
A non-refundable
$50 per fleece deposit is required to reserve fleeces. After
shearing day, I skirt and weigh each reserved fleece and
calculate the remaining balance due. I'll then write you
with a complete quote for your purchase including shipping
(and minus your deposit).
THREE, a sheep's fleece may
change slightly from year to year
When you view a
fleece photo on this website, remember you're looking at the
wool that sheep grew over the last year. The wool she's
growing this year may be ever-so-slightly different,
particularly in the year between her first (lamb) fleece and
her second fleece. For example:
- It's not a rule, but
natural-colored fleeces sometimes lighten just a bit
every year.
- Variegated fleeces
sometimes become a little less variegated and a
little
more uniform in color as the sheep matures.
- The website shows the weight
of that fleece from the latest shearing. Fleeces may vary in weight
from year to year, sometimes by as much as 2-3 pounds.
- Another quality that
may vary, in white as well as natural-colored fleeces, is
crimp. Most of SkyLines' sheep start out with a
very fine crimp in their first year (lamb) fleece. That
crimp generally softens and loosens a bit as the sheep
matures - a very typical Romney
characteristic.
- My adult fleeces are
generally quite a bit heavier than lamb fleeces, usually
by 3-5 pounds. This is due to in part to the fact that I
skirt lamb fleeces so very heavily, and also because
adult sheep simply grow more wool and produce more
lanolin than lambs. If you reserve a fleece from
this year's lamb listing, plan on her second-year fleece that you
receive next spring being significantly
heavier.
If by any chance there is
an unusual change in a fleece that you've reserved, I will
let you know immediately after shearing (or sooner), and
give you the opportunity to change your reservation. I want
you to be completely happy with your purchase of a SkyLines
fleece!
With these thoughts in
mind, please write eileen@ramsteadranch.com
to
reserve fleeces or to get on the email list.
Return
to Fleeces for Sale.
SkyLines
Farm 4551 Highway 6 Harvard, ID 83834
208.875.8747
Purebred Romney & Romney-Cross
Sheep
|
|
