Black Sheep Gathering

FLEECE SHOW AND SALE

HELD IN THE EAST SIDE OF THE SANTIAM BUILDING
Click here for entry forms.
  • Entry fee: $6 for each fleece for show or for sale.
  • Entry deadline extended! All entries must be postmarked by June 7, 2024. NO LATE ENTRIES will be accepted.
  • All fleece must be entered in the name of the producer. An agent may enter and retrieve fleece with a letter from the grower. The show clerk will not accept mailed fleece.
  • Intake of fleece from 1-8pm, Thursday, June 27, 2024. All entries must be in place by 9am Friday. NO ENTRY CHANGES permitted after Thursday.
  • Judging begins 10am Friday. The wool sale for Class 00 also begins at 10am Friday.
  • Awards: ribbons will be awarded through 6th place.
  • Prizes will be awarded for Champion and Reserve Champion Natural Colored and White Fleeces. The perennial Black Sheep Cup, sponsored by the Black Sheep Newsletter, will be awarded to the winner of the Five Most Valuable Fleeces for Handspinning from a Single Producer. To be considered, growers must enter Class 34 and pay a separate entry fee of $10 (one fee, not per fleece).
  • • A 10% handling fee will be collected on all fleeces sold at the Fleece Sale.
  • All unsold fleece must be claimed by the producer or agent between 3–5pm Sunday, June 30, 2024. No release of "for sale" fleeces before that time. All unclaimed fleece will be destroyed.

FLEECE SHOW AND SALE RULES:

  1. THE BSG FLEECE SHOW IS A HANDSPINNERS' SHOW. Fleeces will be judged primarily on the basis of handspinning quality and char-acter, stressing cleanliness, strength and uniformity, along with breed characteristics.
  2. A fleece for show must be properly rolled and placed in a clear plastic bag. Clear plastic bags will be available for sale. No tied or washed fleeces. Mohair fleeces do not have to be rolled. Judges reserve the right to carefully unroll fleeces. Fine wool fleeces may be rolled with paper liners to prevent sticking.
  3. No fleeces with mothballs will be allowed in the show. Please air your fleeces well, as some people are very sensitive to these chemi-cals.
  4. Each entry must be tagged with a Black Sheep Gathering sticker at check-in. Sellers must sign the fleece receipt, verifying details are correctly entered.
  5. Participants must check out, picking up unsold fleeces and sign-ing a release Sunday 3-5 pm. If all fleeces have been sold, this may be done earlier as record-keeping allows. Participants will receive a check via mail for their fleece sales, minus 10% han-dling fee, within 30 days.
  6. 6. Fleece Show judging is limited by time and space on a first-come, first-served basis. Please send entry forms as early as possible.
  7. Number of entries: Producers may enter up to 20 fleeces in the FLEECE SHOW. Producers may enter no more than four fleeces per class except for Class 00 which has no limit on entries.
  8. For Sale Only Fleeces: Enter Wool, Mohair and Alpaca fleeces in Class 00: For Sale Only. This class allows unlimited entries. Sales for Class 00 begin Friday at 10 am. Promotional material may be included with fleece.
  9. Promotional materials may be inserted in Show fleeces only after judging, starting approximately 1 pm Saturday.
  10. BSG Fleece Committee Chairs reserve the right to pull fleeces from the show and sale in order to maintain the recognized high stan-dards of quality for handspinning. Fleeces with wool rot, abnormal "vegetation" or other disqualifying issues will be pulled with a note provided as to the cause. Please see the chairperson at the registra-tion table with fleeces that may be questionable.
  11. BSG Fleece Show Committee Chair reserves the right to pull fleeces from the Fleece Show and Sale upon the recommendation of the judge in order to maintain the recognized high standards of quality handspinning fleeces. Fleeces with wool rot, abnormal “vegetation” or other disqualifying issues will be pulled with a note provided as to the cause. Please see the chairperson at the registration table with fleeces that are questionable.

The Wayne Thompson Memorial Trophy will be presented for the Best Natural Colored Fleece. Wayne cared deeply for the Black Sheep Gathering and our mission of promotion and education regarding natural colored sheep. His decades of service are fondly remembered and deeply missed. This award for the Best Natural Colored Fleece honors his spirit and heart, which remain a part of our community. We hope that it inspires our fleece growers to share his passion for natural colored wool.

FLEECE SHOW

Wool and Alpaca Judge: Dr. Geof Ruppert • Fairfield, Pennsylvania

Geof Ruppert has been judging sheep and fleeces since he was fresh out of veterinary school. Inspired in part by his mother's love of fiber arts, Dr. Ruppert began raising Corriedales in the 1970s. Today, the Ruppert flock has transitioned from Midwestern bloodlines to classic Corriedale, thanks to Australian genetics. They've also recently added a commercial merino flock based on Australian bloodlines, with special emphasis on hand spinning fine wool. Geof judges wool shows around the country and abroad, while managing his veterinary practice.

WOOL FLEECE CLASSES

    00.FOR SALE ONLY (see description below)
  1. Primitive/double coated
  2. Solid colored longwool/coarse 36-48 (32-40+ microns)
  3. Solid colored medium 50-62 (23-31 microns)
  4. Solid colored fine 64+ (17-22 microns)
  5. Variegated longwool/coarse 36-48 (32-40+ microns)
  6. Variegated medium 50-62 (23-31 microns)
  7. Variegated fine 64+ (17-22 microns)
  8. Purebred colored longwool/coarse 36-48 (32-40+ microns)
  9. Purebred colored medium 50-62 (23-31 microns)
  10. Purebred colored fine 64+ (17-22 microns)
  11. Colored Romney
  12. Jacob
  13. Icelandic
  14. Gotland
  15. Shetland yearling and younger
  16. Shetland Mature
  17. Colored Corriedale
  18. Colored Merino
  19.  
  20.  
  21. Purebred white longwool/coarse 36-48 (32-40+ microns)
  22. Purebred white medium 50-62 (23-31 microns)
  23. Purebred white fine 64+ (17-22 microns)
  24. White longwool/coarse 36-48 (32-40+ microns)
  25. White medium 50-62 (23-31 microns)
  26. White fine 64+ (17-22 microns)
  27. White Lincoln
  28. White Romney
  29. White Corriedale
  30. White Cormo
  31. White Merino
  32. NCWGA Primitive *
  33. NCWGA Longwool *
  34. NCWGA Medium*
  35. NCWGA Fine*
  1. FIVE MOST VALUABLE FLEECES FOR HANDSPINNING FROM A SINGLE PRODUCER (see description below)

* National Colored Wool Grower's Association

Mohair Judge: Sharon Chestnutt • Monroe, Oregon

Sharon fell in love with Angora goats shortly after graduating with her Animal Science degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is an avid spinner and dyer, and author of Raising Angora Goats for Beautiful Mohair. Sharon will bring her knowledge of fleece production and experience as a fiber artist to the mohair show.

MOHAIR FLEECE CLASSES

    00.FOR SALE ONLY (see description below)
  1. White fall doe kid.
  2. White fall buck kid.
  3. White spring doe kid.
  4. White spring buck kid.
  5. White yearling doe.
  6. White yearling buck.
  7. White aged doe.
  8. White wether.
  9. Colored fall doe kid.
  10. Colored fall buck kid.
  11. Colored spring doe kid.
  12. Colored spring buck kid.
  13. Colored yearling doe.
  14. Colored yearling buck.
  15. Colored aged doe.
  16. Colored wether.
Alpacas

ALPACA FLEECE CLASSES

    00. FOR SALE ONLY (see description below)
    SURI FLEECES
  1. Suri Juvenile (under 1 year) white, beige, light fawn
  2. Suri Juvenile (under 1 year) all other colors
  3. Suri Adult (1-3 years old) white, beige, light fawn
  4. Suri Adult (1-3 years old) all other colors
  5. Suri Mature (3 + years) white, beige, light fawn
  6. Suri Mature (3 + years) all other colors
    HUACAYA FLEECES
  1. Huacaya Juvenile (under 1 year) white, beige, light fawn
  2. Huacaya Juvenile (under 1 year) all other colors
  3. Huacaya Adult (1-3 years) white, beige, light fawn
  4. Huacaya Adult (1-3 years) all other colors
  5. Huacaya Mature (3+ yrs old) white, beige, light fawn
  6. Huacaya Mature (3+ yrs old) all other colors
  1. FIVE MOST VALUABLE FLEECES FOR HANDSPINNING FROM A SINGLE PRODUCER. (see description below)
  1. FIVE MOST VALUABLE FLEECES FOR HANDSPINNING FROM A SINGLE PRODUCER. Each fleece will be judged in strength, elasticity, uniformity, breed characteristics, cleanliness and spinning quality. Exhibitor must preselect and indicate with an * in the class column, the five fleeces to be judged. A one-time fee of $10 is required.
00.FOR SALE ONLY This class is not judged and there is no limit on the number of entries. Fleeces with wool rot or other extensive problems will be pulled by the committee chair.

SHEEP SHOW

Judge: Richard Jacobsen
Le Grand, California

I am a 4th generation sheep producer, primarily as a seed-stock producer. My grandfathers and dad raised competitive sheep here in California, going back to the 1940s.Read More.

ANGORA GOAT SHOW

Judge: Allen Mesick
Huntington Beach, California

Allen Mesick of Eureka! Mohair Farm, has bred and showed white and natural colored Angora goats for over 20 years. His Angora goats have brought home many Champion and overall Grand Champion awards. Read More.

FLEECE SHOW

Wool and Alpaca Judge: Dr. Geof Ruppert
Fairfield, Pennsylvania

Geof Ruppert has been judging sheep and fleeces since he was fresh out of veterinary school. Inspired in part by his mother's love of fiber arts, Dr. Ruppert began raising Corriedales in the 1970s.  Read More.

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FIBER ARTS AND YARN SHOW

Judge: Laura Todd
Neotsu, Oregon

Laura has judged fiber arts for county fairs, taught knitting since 2007, and has been awarded ribbons and multiple best-in-show awards for fiber arts at numerous festivals and fairs nationwide, including three Black Sheep Cups at BSG.Read More.