Been there, done this, many times.

LUCKY YOU!!! It is considered quite a gift, among sheep people, to give a pelt, and in a way, even more so when given in this state of rawness-- at least here. It says that you are part of the family, for these are usually family gifts unless you have bought the sheep for meat. Giving it to you raw says that you are one of the people-- that you will know what to do and not be grossed out. It says that you are a person who knows how the world is. It's like when our neighbor and landlord, whose father Hardiman had buried that year, dropped a freshly killed and gutted deer on the lawn and drove off. It says, "You are one of us."

Be sure the slaughterer knows you want these pelts (proper term) with the heads removed. If you don't specify, you can get a surprise. When pelts go to commercial tanners, the faces are left on and sometimes, for small lambs, the whole head. You don't want this looking up at you. (Or maybe you do!) However, if they remove the heads, they may not cut the pelt attractively. Be sure they know these are for decorative purposes. Commercial pelts, which the tanner usually sells as a cost-recovery item in bulk, are turned into paint roller covers and looks are not an issue, so the slaughterers usually just slash and toss.

If you want to cure it well enough to send to a tanner, which I STRONGLY recommend, you spread them out wool side down, and see if all the fat and flesh are off. If not, scrape. Don't make or enlarge any holes.

Then you take them to a nice airy place where they won't freeze but will be cool. Upper part of a barn works well, or in an empty stall if it's dry and stays that way. In your house is OK too if you have space in an attic. The smell is much less than you might expect. Don't pick a rat-laden area; but a few mice are OK because the salt will discourage them. I used my storage closet in the apartment building's laundry room once.

Get a whole lot of salt. In the USA, that would be kosher pickling salt. Maybe 3 pounds per pelt. It varies. Get too much, not too little, although you can always go back for more. (Not kosher for any reason except that's how pickling salt comes here.) This is coarser and cheaper than table salt but not nearly as coarse as rock salt, you know, road salt. If you just can't find this, table salt will work fine, non-iodized if possible. I suppose you could splurge on sea salt. Whatever.

You sprinkle the salt liberally all over the flesh side, wool side still down, and work it in with your hands a bit. Wear rubber gloves or it will hurt your hands. After this is done, sprinkle on an even layer all over and leave it. It will draw the juices up into the salt and make it wet. Add more. Check every day and add more to the wet spots till it stays dry, and by now it should have a sparkly crust. Leave it that way for as long as it takes for it all to dry. You will know it is dry because it will be stiff and much lighter in weight than it was fresh, even with all the salt which may be an inch thick by now, or more. This will take weeks, not days.

To send it to the tanner-- and I recommend driving if possible to see what the tanner is all about, and to be sure you wiull get your OWN pelts back again-- shake off the crust and brush off the remaining salt lightly. If shipping in a box, pack it loosely enough that any remaining moisture has some air. Don't fold it either, it may crack and then get caught in the tanning machinery.

If it has any holes, tell the tanner so they handle it well. Some will not take pelts with any holes or rips. Also discuss with them about trimming the pelt if necessary. Some of the wool is awfully coarse and you may want it off-- when sheep are shorn, this is called "skirting" the pelt, to remove the coarse and dirty underbelly part of the fleece. Same with your pelt. Also you may like the short, fine fuzz around the armpits and leg pits, or you may want to cut around these. You will have to decide how "finished" you want the thing to look. It's fine to trim once tanned, also, but if there are pieces hanging off here or there, trim.

Oh I forgot to tell you about the anuses!! (It's been awhile!!) They may have these still attached (just the hole, from being pulled off instead of cut off the carcass). Or they may have been cut around. If not cut, you cut, so they don't catch in the tanning. Just make a nice line. You will find that the dry pelt cuts very easily, almost too easily. Cut as little as possible.

You can have it tanned regular or waterproof. Waterproof is if you will want to be able to wash it. If not, plan on taking it to the leather cleaners. You will probably NOT want to wash it yourself anyway, but waterproof is nice because things WILL happen to it, and you will also want to be able to take it outside and sit on the ground on it.

If the wool is very long it is more likely to mat in the tanning process. If it had been shorn at some point in the last year, this should be no problem. It's the lifers who mat the worst. Another reason to know your tanner, so they know it is important to you that they minimize this.

The person I got mine from explained all this to me and helped me the first time. Hopefully the person you get yours from will too. It's easy but sounds complicated. It is well worth the cost to pay a tanner for the quality you will get. And they last forever.

PM me with any questions when you have it "in hand" if you like! Have fun! Enjoy them! I know you'll do 'em proud!

~Susan