Wool
Wool is a most versatile material - warm
in the winter yet cool in the summer. We pride ourselves on having
some of the very best wool one can use for handspinning. The type of
sheep that grow the wool is a major factor in the final product. Some
sheep are primarily raised for meat and have very poor quality wool
for handspinning. We have bred sheep for over 30 years and have been
raising them to have long, lustrous wool with a beautiful crimp.
Crimp gives wool it's strength and 'springiness' and is crucial in a
handspinning fleece. Our sheep produce wool in a variety of colors:
White, black, brown silver-grey or naturally colored.
We raise our sheep in a way that keeps
their fleece as clean as possible. They are on clean pasture most of
the year but fed hay on the snow or in the barn when there is no
grass available. We have designed our own hay racks which minimize
hay contamination in our wool.
If you haven't yet looked at the page on
shearing
day, you might want to go there now since
it's a perfect beginning to understanding what goes into producing
championship quality handspinning fleeces.
Once the wool has been shorn, it is laid
out on a flat surface called a skirting board and any remaining
debris, second cuts, manure tags, etc. are painstakenly hand picked
and discarded. We also give our fleece customers the opportunity to
skirt again any fleece they are purchasing to ensure that they are
pleased with their choices.
Carolyn working on one of our naturally
colored fleeces.
A closeup view of the fleece seen in the
first picture.
You can see the sheen and fine, uniform
crimp.
Throughout the year, we have a wide
variety of fleeces available for sale. These are only a few
examples.
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