Storing and Processing Wool

Once you become a shepherd for sheep, goats, or other fiber animals, you’ll have a renewable source of raw product every year. However, the fleece shorn from the animals will stack up if you don’t process it.

Thankfully, you don’t need to process fleece every year. You may only raise three animals and not meet the minimum weight requirement for incoming fleece at the mill. In that case, storing fleece for up to two years and then processing it is a good option. If stored correctly, fleece can be kept for years and still process nicely.

Cloth, paper, and canvas bags — even pillowcases — are all preferable over