Raw Material: Working Wool in the West
By Stephany Wilkes
Sheep-shearing demonstrations always draw a crowd at local fiber festivals, but few fiber lovers attempt this backbreaking feat themselves, even if they entertain dreams of owning their own sheep. Meet Stephany Wilkes, a certified sheep shearer who left a career in the tech industry after completing a University of California Extension course in shearing. As Wilkes’s own story unfolds, she gives readers a peek into the American wool industry. Following the many steps that transform a shorn fleece into a sustainable skein on a local yarn shop shelf, she introduces us to a cast of characters, including unpredictable sheep, small-scale producers, ranchers, local mill operators, government bureaucrats, and many more.
Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press, 2018. Paperback, 312 pages,…
