Carolina FiberFest is providing the Fleece Sale and Competition to make quality fleece available to fiber artists as well as to provide a marketplace for wool producers.
1. Participation in the fleece competition is optional. There is no additional entry fee for the competition.
2. Only fleeces entered in the Fleece Sale are eligible to participate.
3. Fleeces must be from the current (2022-2023) shearing and no more than 15 months growth.
4. No half or partial fleeces – whole fleeces only.
5. Fleeces must be delivered by 7 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2024, to participate in Fleece Competition.
6. Fleeces require no additional preparation than what is needed for the Fleece Sale. Alpaca fleeces should not be noodled.
a. Fleeces should be properly skirted, free of excessive vegetable matter, manure tags, second cuts and pests.
b. Alpaca fleece may contain corresponding seconds, but they should be bagged separately inside the regular fleece. Seconds only will not be accepted.
c. If possible, each fleece should be folded, rolled with the shorn side out, starting from the britch and rolling forward toward the shoulder.
d. Each fleece should be placed in a clear unmarked plastic bag that can be easily opened (no knots or ties).
7. Entered fleeces will be judged on the basis of hand-spinning quality and character; stressing cleanliness, strength and uniformity.
8. Divisions:
Division 1: White Wool
• Class W1 – Fine Wool – Under 26 microns – Merino, Rambouillet, Corriedale, Finn, CVM and similar crossbreds.
• Class W2– Down or Medium Wool – 26-33 microns- Hampshire, Dorset, Suffolk, Texel, Targhee, Cheviot and similar crossbreds.
• Class W3- Long Wool – 30-42 microns- Romney, Leicester, Lincoln, Cotswold, Wensleydale and similar crossbreds.
• Class W4- Specialty- 18-42 microns – Karakul, Jacob, Icelandic, Shetland, Churro and similar crossbreeds
Division 2: Colored Wool
• Class C1– colored fine wool
• Class C2 – colored down or medium wool
• Class C3 – colored long wool
• Class C4 – colored specialty
Division 3: Alpaca
• Class A1 – Huacaya Alpaca
• Class A2 – Suri Alpaca
Division 4 Misc.
• Class M1– Any other fleece not previously listed (mohair, llama, pygora etc.)
• Classes may be formed, eliminated or combined
9. Each fleece may be entered in only one class.
10. Classes must have at least three (3) fleeces entered by at least 2 producers to be judged. Classes may be combined if necessary to meet this requirement. Maximum of 3 fleeces per class allowed per producer. Wool Fleeces should be entered in classes based on wool characteristics and fineness (micron count).
11. Ribbons will be given in each class. Champion and Reserve will be awarded to the best in each division.
12. Fleece Acceptance: The Fleece Sale Manager reserves the right to pull from the Show or Sale any fleeces with rot, breaks, pests, felting or other serious problems at any time during the show. We also reserve the right to arrange, group, and re-class fleece as appropriate and necessary. We also reserve the right to notate sales tag for any discovered observations and outright pull any fleece from the show for any reason without refund.
13. The Judge or Superintendent may disqualify any fleece from the show. Explanation will be noted.
14. Classes may be formed, eliminated or combined and awards given at the discretion of the judge.