Shetland Sheep: Rich in History, Rich in Textiles

Shetland Sheep: Rich in History, Rich in Textiles! Our farm mission is to enjoy and promote the wonderful diversity of the Shetland breed by fully utilizing to the best of our ability all they have to offer historically. We believe the best preservation and management of this breed includes it's full spectrum of history. We encourage old and new shepherds alike to join in the fun by engaging in fiber arts, especially spinning and knitting, as this breed is so intimately linked with those aspects of the arts.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Fleeces


Here is Honey's fleece, washed. The locks on the left are midside, the locks on the right, pointing downward are britch. She has a very fine, silky, lustrous fleece, which weighted nearly three pounds...a lot for a yearling Shetland ewe! I've already spun up a couple of bobbins of her wool.

Underneath all that wool, things were very clean. Longer fleeces stay clean easily, unless the sheep likes to wear their dinner on their head! (Who would do THAT??)

This is Gracie's fleece. She's the second lamb born here this spring, and she's now....38 days old. You can see here how her color is changing already. Fun!!

Gretl Swallowtail Shawl Update: I've been done with the budding lace pattern for several days. I'm waiting for time to knit again to begin the lily of the valley pattern. This is the busiest time of the year for our family, so some projects will slow up a bit! Can't WAIT to start working on it again!

And we extend a warm welcome to the families coming out to our farm tomorrow morning to learn about chickens and ducks! The ducks have already been to the beauty salon, and Coopville has been spruced up after a long winter's rest. See you tomorrow!

1 comment:

  1. Gracie's fleece is just lovely. I love modified grey .... isn't it wonderful to see how the color changes. It looks like I might have one or two modified grey ouessant lambs this year : it's a little early to say for sure, but my fingers are crossed.

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