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Independence, MO —
It’s called “pioneer aerobics.”
At least that is how professional sheep shearer Danny Smith described his life’s work during a strenuous shearing demonstration Saturday afternoon at Missouri Town 1855 in Jackson County. The annual step-by-step process, which also includes dyeing and weaving, takes place each spring to educate children and families about a time-honored tradition.
THE SHEARING
Smith, a Kingsville, Mo., resident, has sheared sheep at Missouri Town since the late 1980s. He sheared his very first sheep at age 14, and his father and grandfather also were in the profession.
Depending on the sheep, the process can vary in time, Smith said, and he usually averages 20 sheep per hour – about one every three minutes. He also clips their hooves and allows children to turn the hand crank shearer for demonstration purposes.
He starts on the stomach, shears between the animal’s back legs and up the front left leg and on its neck. Smith then lays the sheep on its opposite side and shears the full length of its body. They’re normally comfortable during the process, Smith said, though one sheep on Saturday had trouble breathing.
Smith travels across the country with his sheep shearing, and to ensure the business will stay in the family, he is teaching the craft to his son.
“My kids, growing up, we home-schooled, and they got to see parts of the country that most people just get to read about in books,” Smith said between shearing events. “That’s the reason I come out and do the demos, so that kids can learn.”
THE WASHING
Skirting is the process of removing the dirty, matted material from the raw wool. The fleece is then washed by hand in a lye water-fat mixture. The washing loosens the lanolin and dirt from the fleece. Lanolin, a common product in ointments and cosmetics, is a natural animal oil that comes from wool.
Once cleaned, the wool is placed on tobacco baskets to dry outside in the sunlight, which there was plenty of Saturday afternoon as the temperatures at Missouri Town climbed into the 80s.
THE SPINNING
Before spinning, the wool needs to be “carded,” a combing-like process that puts the fibers in the same direction.
Spinning is a craft that recognizes “everything begins from something,” said Missouri Town volunteer and spinner Cheri McDonald. “It doesn’t matter if you spin it yourself or if a machine does it – if it’s wool, it came from a sheep,” she said before laughing. “That’s the way it goes, and to be part of that process is a connection with people who’ve done it for centuries.”
It’s called “pioneer aerobics.”
At least that is how professional sheep shearer Danny Smith described his life’s work during a strenuous shearing demonstration Saturday afternoon at Missouri Town 1855 in Jackson County. The annual step-by-step process, which also includes dyeing and weaving, takes place each spring to educate children and families about a time-honored tradition.
THE SHEARING
Smith, a Kingsville, Mo., resident, has sheared sheep at Missouri Town since the late 1980s. He sheared his very first sheep at age 14, and his father and grandfather also were in the profession.
Depending on the sheep, the process can vary in time, Smith said, and he usually averages 20 sheep per hour – about one every three minutes. He also clips their hooves and allows children to turn the hand crank shearer for demonstration purposes.
He starts on the stomach, shears between the animal’s back legs and up the front left leg and on its neck. Smith then lays the sheep on its opposite side and shears the full length of its body. They’re normally comfortable during the process, Smith said, though one sheep on Saturday had trouble breathing.
Smith travels across the country with his sheep shearing, and to ensure the business will stay in the family, he is teaching the craft to his son.
“My kids, growing up, we home-schooled, and they got to see parts of the country that most people just get to read about in books,” Smith said between shearing events. “That’s the reason I come out and do the demos, so that kids can learn.”
THE WASHING
Skirting is the process of removing the dirty, matted material from the raw wool. The fleece is then washed by hand in a lye water-fat mixture. The washing loosens the lanolin and dirt from the fleece. Lanolin, a common product in ointments and cosmetics, is a natural animal oil that comes from wool.
Once cleaned, the wool is placed on tobacco baskets to dry outside in the sunlight, which there was plenty of Saturday afternoon as the temperatures at Missouri Town climbed into the 80s.
THE SPINNING
Before spinning, the wool needs to be “carded,” a combing-like process that puts the fibers in the same direction.
Spinning is a craft that recognizes “everything begins from something,” said Missouri Town volunteer and spinner Cheri McDonald. “It doesn’t matter if you spin it yourself or if a machine does it – if it’s wool, it came from a sheep,” she said before laughing. “That’s the way it goes, and to be part of that process is a connection with people who’ve done it for centuries.”
McDonald started her spinning with a “more primitive” drop spindle. On Saturday, she used a brand-new Ashford New Zealand traditional wheel. She spins barefooted because that allows her more control, McDonald said.
“There is something really therapeutic about the spinning process,” said McDonald, who works full-time as a technical documentation coordinator at B/E Aerospace. “It’s an incredibly serene experience. It’s so simple, but it’s not, because I just had to undo a whole bunch of stuff that the kids helped me with.” She laughs. “But they had a ball, and that’s what is important.”
WHY ATTEND?
Christi Walters and her eight home-schooled children traveled more than an hour and a half from Savannah, Mo., for their first sheep shearing experience at Missouri Town. The Walters purchased a bag of raw wool that they plan to clean and spin on their own at home.
At ages 12, 10, 9 and 7, the four oldest Walters girls each have their own drop spindles. They also know how to knit and crochet.
“Nobody teaches it anymore,” Christi Walters said. “My grandmother taught me, so it’s kind of like a passing down, a family tradition.
“Just think how hard they used to have to work to have clothes,” she tells her daughters, “and all we have to do is go to Wal-Mart.”
