Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Shetland Wool


The majority of our sheep are Shetland Sheep. The Shetland is a small, fine wool breed of sheep originating in the Shetland Isles. Shetlands are classed as a landrace or  an "unimproved" breed, retaining many of the qualities of the original imported stock.

Our Shetlands have a dual coated fleece; an undercoat of soft, short, downy fibers, with a soft and strong outer coat. Their fleeces can be up to 8 inches in length and wavy. Most refer to this type of Shetland as the "primitive-style".
The primitive fleece is quite multipurpose, the over and undercoats may be separated and spun separately or combined and spun together.

Grey Shetland Handspun Yarn by Phyllis

Our foundation sheep are direct descendants of those from the original importation. Their fleeces are soft and lustrous, with each sheep's fleece being unique to the animal that grows it.

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