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Blue Face Leicester

Blue Face Leicester is a long staple, lustrous “Santa Claus hair” wool that spins like butter. Corrie is BFL ewe and Bob is a BFL x wether. His fleece is just like hers only an inch shorter in staple. Corrie’s fleece is usually 6 inches.

Our BFL is sold out until Spring of 2006

Corrie

Bob

BFL Sheep

Romney & Romney/Salish

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We have a variety of Romney and Romney Salish critters. Some live with the cashmere goats and one lives here. Romney is a medium wool with springy hand and staple from 4-5 inches from our girls (and one boy). Here are pictures of Becca and her light grey fleece and Charles who has a darker longer staple fleece. We have much of the Romney processed in batts so that you can choose whether you want it for spinning or quilting.

Becca

Charles

Romney Sheep

CVM Romeldale

Benny

Benny is our CVM Romeldale wether – big boy at 200 + lb. He has a high crimp 3-4 inch fleece that is turning mocha-ivory as he gets older.

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Hand quilters love his fleece, as do hand spinners. It is a bouncy yarn with a medium-soft hand. He fit somewhere between medium and fine wool at Black Sheep Gathering where his fleece placed 4th in a class of 19. Go Benny !!!

Shetland

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Buddy is our Shetland wether and besides being handsome, he produces a long staple sock wool. Buddy has a true double coat fleece, and with some nylon blended in by our processor, we have a tough sock wool. Below see Buddy, his processed fleece, and a pair of long stockings on our friend who is a blacksmith – warm feet in the winter when working at the forge!

Buddy

Others

we try to keep a stock of unusual roving and batts for handspinners to try. We often have Black Welsh Mountain Sheep available and select the softest of those fleeces. Here is a picture of our BWMS ram, whose fleece we don’t market because it is coarse.

We also try to acquire fleeces like Texel from breeders who concentrate on meat, but pick out the best of their fleeces for us. Texel can be a soft white and long staple wool that spins very easily if selected carefully. Texel is very common in Europe and in the last decade or so become a breed used to add muscle to market sheep. It is yet raised in the US for its fleece – lamb producers have enough to do to stay solvent!

We also keep an eye out for nice Corriedale, other CVM Romeldale, and interesting roving that you don’t run across everyday. Check our inventory when your fingers are itching to try something different – or – email to see what we have coming up. Benny and I have lots of bright ideas!