The Joys of Shearing Ornery, 250-Pound Sheep

I Left My Tech Job for a Historic Profession That Is Uniquely Egalitarian, Diverse, and Rewarding

My journey to a vocation as a sheep shearer began in 2007 when I moved to California to take a chance on the man who would, happily, become my husband. I thought a knitting class might be a good way to make new friends.

Then, as now, local food was all the rage, evidenced in crowded farmers markets, whole-animal butcher classes, and field trips on foraging food. I thought local yarn sounded like a good idea, too. “Don’t these same people care about where their clothes came from?” I wondered. …