First, the wool had to be shorn, gathered, and cleaned. This was generally an indoor winter activity while no other work could be done in the barn or fields.
Sheep to Shawl, Part 1: Processing the Wool
In this multi-episode presentation, Candiss Cowan discusses the value of fabric in Colonial America. In the North, clothing was made out of "homespun" wool and the quality of the fabric was based on the breed of sheep.

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