— Guide for our partner farms

Fleece preparation starts well before shearing.

What we ask of our partner farms so every fleece arrives ready to become yarn — and why every step, from pasture to packaging, matters for what comes next.

Checkpoints

11 before shipping

Commitment

Annual partnership

Reference standard

Canadian Wool Growers

Printable version

The complete guide as a PDF

The same protocol, laid out to be printed and kept on the sorting table — zone map, six skirting steps and the pre-shipping checklist.

  • 9 pages
  • A4
  • 1,5 Mo
  • Français
Download the PDF
01

A commitment built together

The partnership between the mill and your farm is part of a long-term vision for valuing wool and local breeds.

Every link in our chain — from land to sheep, from farmer to spinner — has to carry its own weight for the whole to hold up, season after season.

Annual commitment

The producer reserves and prepares the entirety — or a predetermined lot — of their annual production according to the criteria in this guide.

In return, Makeloo Studio guarantees the purchase or custom processing under the agreed terms, offering the farm economic predictability.

Rejection policy

A contaminated fleece is rejected at inspection: heavy felting, excessive vegetable matter, organic matter (urine, droppings), plastic twine, or signs of parasites.

Return or disposal of the rejected fleece is the producer's responsibility.

Additional sorting fee

$25/h

billed or deducted from the final payment, for any batch requiring preparation work beyond normal standards.

02

The skirting protocol

The step that separates textile-grade wool from waste wool. Do it immediately after shearing, on a slatted table (1.5 to 2 cm mesh).

HEAD WOOL NECK — fine, clean SHOULDER SHOULDER BACK — priority inspection L. FLANK R. FLANK HIP HIP BRITCH / HOCK BRITCH / HOCK BELLY TAIL — soiling

Fleece spread out flat, back line at centre — map of the zones to sort before bagging

  1. 01

    Laying it out

    Spread the fleece out, shorn side facing the table and tip side facing you, reconstructing the shape of the sheep.

  2. 02

    Britch, hocks, and belly

    Remove the coarse fibre from the britch and hocks, along with the belly wool — often yellowed, felted, and heavy with suint. Bag it separately.

    Always separate
  3. 03

    Tail and crotch

    Ruthlessly remove tags and any areas soiled by urine.

  4. 04

    Neck and head

    Remove the wool from the head and top of the neck — often too short or full of hay.

  5. 05

    The back line

    Inspect the spine carefully: this is where most of the vegetable matter collects. If the back is too contaminated, separate it completely from the rest.

    Priority attention
  6. 06

    Second cuts

    Shake the fleece gently to knock out the shearer's second cuts. These short snippets create neps during carding and weaken the yarn.

Real example — not acceptable

This level of contamination by vegetable matter or organic matter (urine, droppings) results in automatic rejection at inspection.

Close-up of a contaminated fleece: hay and plant debris tangled deep within the locks
Hay and plant debris deeply tangled in the fibre — impossible to remove without damaging the fibre.
Wool lot laid out on a tarp, loaded with straw and hay across its entire surface
Entire batch loaded with straw across its whole surface — the vegetable-matter rate far exceeds the acceptable threshold for entering the mill.

Why this lot is rejected: the vegetable matter is lodged inside the locks themselves, not just on the surface. Skirting done after shearing can no longer correct contamination of this scale — it has to be prevented at the husbandry stage (feeders, bedding, pasture) and at the sorting table, from the moment the fleece is opened.

Golden rule

A fleece ready for the mill contains no vegetable matter or organic matter (urine, droppings) visible to the naked eye after skirting. It is clean, dry, supple, breathable, with no trace of plastic twine — only cotton twine or storage in a paper or jute bag is accepted.

03

Year-round husbandry

The cleanliness of the wool is decided 365 days a year. Three levers to keep vegetable matter from taking hold in the fibre.

Feeding

Raised hay racks that drop hay, seeds, and straw onto the head, neck, and back.

Feeders where the animal inserts its head under a panel to eat.

Clean hay, low in seeds, thistles, or burdock.

Bedding

Bedding thrown into the air above the animals, or fine wood shavings and sawdust.

Isolate the sheep while bedding down; use clean, long cereal straw.

Pasture

Understory cluttered with brush in the summer resting areas.

Remove hook-seeded plants (burdock, thistles) before they go to seed.

Particular attention to the animal's back is essential: this is where the largest amount of vegetable matter builds up. Avoiding feeding animals over the fence prevents this buildup all year round.

04

Before shipping

A quick grid to run through before final bagging.

  1. Dry wool — never sheared or bagged wet · blocking
  2. Sheep fasted 12 h before shearing
  3. Coloured sheep sheared last
  4. Belly, britch, and tail kept separate from the rest
  5. Back line inspected, vegetable matter removed
  6. No trace of organic matter (urine, droppings) · blocking
  7. Second cuts shaken out of the fleece
  8. Each category bagged separately
  9. Butcher's twine only — no plastic · blocking
  10. Bags labelled by contents
  11. Stored in a dry place
A partnership means recognizing the farmer's time just as much as the mill's.
Become a partner farm Download the PDF contact@makeloo.com — Lavaltrie, Lanaudière