Inspiration
Filling a Niche, for Sheep
Lindsey Spoor never planned on learning to shear sheep. She also never planned to own a yarn shop. She didn’t really even intend to learn to knit until a suitemate at Middlebury College years ago suggested they learn how before they signed the pledge to immerse themselves in the French language for the duration.
“And as we say here at the shop,” Spoor explains, “it escalated quickly.”
Twelve years ago, after a career teaching high school French, Spoor and her family moved out to northwestern Washington. She saw a need for Stilly River Yarns, which is a yarn shop, yes, but also a resource and community hub for folks who want to spin and weave as well.
A few years ago, Spoor ran into an acquaintance who asked if she knew anyone who could shear his sheep.
“I know people who have sheep, clearly they get them shorn,” Spoor thought. She asked around.
“It became this months-long ordeal, trying to get him hooked up with a shearer.”
Then she started getting calls three or four times a month from folks looking for a shearer. Near as she can figure out, they were folks who’d moved out to this more rural area during the pandemic, got a few sheep, and now needed to shear them. But there didn’t seem to be anyone who would.
Spoor called Anna Hosick-Kalahan and Jess Schwab at Skagit Woolen Works. “‘Is it a ridiculous thing for me to think about going to shearing school?’ And before I really even finished the question, they said, ‘No, we need more shearers. There’s no question, if you feel like you’re physically capable of it.’”
It escalated quickly.
Early in 2024, Spoor, who is 43 and had no previous experience with livestock, started shearing school.
“I had always intended to document my experience for my community. I am a trained classroom teacher, and education is baked into everything that I do here at the shop,” Spoor said.
“It was going to be more of a ‘Here is a look at what has to happen to have my shelves stocked, so you can come in and you can pick a skein in the color you want and take it home and make it into something beautiful—but that’s only the very tail end of the story.’”
What also happened was that her posts about her experience went a little bit viral on the internet. But that was easy for Spoor. What was hard was the physicality of the job.
When the Columbia Basin Sheep Producers are holding a class, they reach out to their members to see who has sheep who need a haircut. The students work with the animals who show up.
“I have a friend who went in 2018, and they had modestly-sized sheep. The ones that we saw…
“There was one day in particular, it was Thursday, and we came back after lunch, and one of the really good students said, ‘Oh, man, these are big.’
“I thought ‘they’ve all been big, whatever.’ So they let them in and the ewes were eye level with my shoulder and probably 250 pounds.
“I had struggled earlier that day anyway, and so I just looked at them and I said, ‘This is not a smart idea. Either we’re going to get hurt or the sheep is going to get hurt, and that’s not why we’re here.’
“A few of us self-selected out and went to watch a demonstration outside. Theoretically, as I get better, they won’t be as difficult. And that was the hardest part of shearing school—the physicality. And if you don’t have any livestock experience, the learning curve is vertical,” Spoor says.
“I already had a hearty appreciation for all the work that goes into the process of spinning fiber and yarn, but to be hands-on with the animal and learn about all the little things that you have to do to get the wool off and get it to a place where you can then turn it into a processor…well,” she trails off.
“I think the elevator speech version is it’s really hard physical work, and once you go through it, you have a greater appreciation for the farmers who are raising the animals, the people who are getting the wool off of it, all that work that happens before it even gets sent to the mill.
“It is a completely different world, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be the ambassador or an ambassador who can work between those two worlds.”
Spoor has continued to document her shearing journey on social media. Who knows where it will escalate next?
That was fascinating. In cycling we say ‘Chapeau’ (hats off) to applaud outstanding effort, so SHEEPEAU to you Lindsey
Wow, what a fascinating story, thanks for sharing it with us and kudos to Lindsey (and all sheep shearers and farmers) for doing what they do! I’ve been knitting for a long time, and my favourite yarns to knit with are still wool – the sheepier they are, the better!
There are some amazing people in this world! Wow!
I guess I’m not surprised that you are a reacher.
Chapeau, I say.
Lindsay, you area remarkable person! Having been a lifelong teacher, I loved that you are a teacher. Once a teacher, always a teacher. I will be following you on social media. What a challenge to learn this skill. Adrienne, thank you for writing about such a remarkable person.
I just reviewed a book called “knitting with dog hair: better a sweater from a dog you know and love than a sheep you’ll never meet” and it was so interesting learning about spinning dog hair. It’s usually spun along with wool. I think the book is being released in Nov.
What a great story! Lindsay, I bow to you, you’re awesome❤️
What a great story! But if Stilly River Yarns are in Stanwood, that’s NorthWESTERN Washington state, not NE.
D’oh! Looked at a map, thought northwestern in my head, then typed northeastern. The change has been made. Apologies.
A woman who was shearing sheep at Texas Wool Week last spring said a shearer can always find work and she could do as much or as little as she wants. She recommended it as a good weekend gig for college students after a month of shearing school.
Adrienne, great article! (And Lindsey, great accomplishment! Amazing.)
Yes we need more shearers! It is a hard, hot, messy job but oh, to see a lovely fleece come off a sheep…nothing like it. I have just a few animals and am lucky to have a wonderful shearer, probably the only one in NM who does it with hand shears instead of electric. And he’s not a young guy. What a great story about an adventurous woman!
Thanks for the insight into the fascinating world of a shearer. Great article, love getting greater insight to all things yarn related.
I’ve been facinated and charmed for a long time knowing about these beautiful young women who’ve made it a calling to shear sheep… kudos, hugs, respect!
It’s fascinating and (important) to think about all the time and work that goes into the lovely yarns before we get to make it into something! Lots of behind the scenes hard work!! Thank you for sharing this story!
What an accomplishment! I love the part about the room upgrade!
Loved this!
I’ve been facinated and charmed for a long time knowing about these beautiful young women who’ve made it a calling to shear sheep… kudos, hugs, respect!
An additional good read is Stephany Wilkes’s book Raw Material: Working Wool in the West. It’s her journey of learning to shear, and lots of other information.
THANK you for this!
Thank you Adrienne! Thank you MDK! And, thank you Anne & Kay for launching your personal passion project, i.e. the source (MDK), growing & assembling the team, finding the deliciously interesting writers/teachers/contributors, and then, most magical of all, SHARING all of this wonderful magic with everybody!
You have no idea what you have done to & for my life, but I’ll share when the time is right (perhaps maybe even when the time is “write”?).
Suffice it all to say, for right now, THANK YOU all so very very much!
I love reading about this aspect of the wool fiber process. I think the farmers, veterinarians, shearers, harvesters, etc. all need to be celebrated at the national level. Bringing food to the table and fiber into use is HARD work.
And we cannot take it for granted that all of the “supporting” professionals will always be available. Interesting that you included veterinarians. Like shearers, they are declining in numbers.
Wow!! Kudos and congratulations! What an accomplishment. Thanks for sharing and for reminding us of the hard work (and the love) that goes into those beautiful skeins filling up our stashes. The room upgrade just proves that there are good people out there and that sometimes we’re lucky enough to meet them and be reminded of that fact.
I live in Western Washington but haven’t made it north to Stilly so will make it a priority. “Unraveling” is a fun and funny story of Peggy Orenstein’s journey from sheep to sweater that is a good “knit to this” choice. She tells the story of her own education as well as a bit of sheep shearing history. Roxanne Richardson mentioned it in one of her videos.