Sheep Shearer

Short way
With the recent update to the sheep shearer quest, this following method is no longer possible as the sheep you must shear for the quest are the special black sheep.

The easiest way to complete this quest is to talk to Farmer Fred and buy 20 balls of wool at a general store or Grand Exchange for 220 coins, then just give them to him and the quest is complete. Note that he will not accept noted wool, only the actual items. This method of completion is not recommended for players who enjoy the satisfaction of a quest.

Long way
If you feel like actually doing the work, follow these instructions: First, grab the shears off the table in Farmer Fred's house, or buy some from the general store. Next, talk to him and tell him that you're looking for a quest. He gives you one, and it requires you to collect 20 balls of wool. Leave his house and enter the fenced area on the east side of his house, which is the sheep pen. You can either use your shears with the sheep or left-click on them to shear them. Sheep with wool will look puffy, and sheep without wool will look skinny. If a sheep has no wool, wait a few minutes and the wool will eventually appear on them. Sometimes they will run away from you if you try to shear them; just keep trying and you'll eventually get their wool.

Once you have 20 pieces of wool, you must now spin them into balls of wool. Enter Lumbridge Castle and head to the second floor. In one of the rooms is a spinning wheel. Click on it and spin the 20 pieces of wool you have. When they are all balls of wool, go back to Fred the Farmer to finish the quest. If you do not have the space to carry all 20 pieces of wool, you can make smaller deliveries until you reach the required total. Should you try to give Farmer Fred notes for balls of wool, he will say: "What's this rubbish! This isn't wool it's a note promising to give me wool!"

Diversions
There are two diversions in this quest.
 * Rams. Rams look very similar to sheep. If you left-click them, you'll attack them, as they cannot be sheared. If you're a very low-level player, it's best to be careful and try not to attack them.
 * "The Thing." Fred the Farmer will warn you about "The Thing" and tells you to be wary of it. In the sheep pen, one of the sheep has an option to talk to it. This is "The Thing" Fred the Farmer mentioned. It is two penguins in a disguise. They have a role in the Cold War quest. If you've tried to shear "The Thing", the penguins will squeak and run from you. You can talk with Fred the Farmer about "The Thing" and have an interesting conversation.

Reward

 * 1 Quest Point.
 * 2000 coins.
 * 150 crafting experience.
 * Able to work for Farmer Fred (not mentioned).



Music
Music tracks unlocked:

All tracks unlocked at Lumbridge and on the way to the Grand Exchange (if buying wool).

Trivia
Note you also get 2.5 crafting experience per ball of wool you spin.
 * Sheep Shearer was one of the 6 quests available during RuneScape's launch.
 * With 150 crafting experience, it holds a record of the smallest experience reward for any skill given as a quest reward. In addition, 60 coins is currently the smallest monetary reward of all quests.
 * Sheep Shearer, Doric's Quest, and Cook's Assistant are currently known as the easiest quests in RuneScape.
 * Andrew Gower said in his Clan Chat that half of the Sheep Shearer quest was available in his game, DeviousMUD the first version of RuneScape.

Sheep Shearer