Meet the Sheep!

For those of you who haven't visited in person, I thought it would be nice to have a virtual sheep introduction - right before fall shearing, when the sheep are looking their best, except for being a little wet with morning dew! I have Icelandic sheep, which are a rare breed in the US and the only breed in Iceland. They come in a bunch of colors, and have a dual coat, with a long staple outer coat and a shorter staple inner coat. We sell our fleeces and fiber to spinners and felters here.

Icelandic fleece is especially suited to felting. This means if you are a spinner, and you are washing an Icelandic fleece, you need to be EXTRA careful to NEVER hit warm wet fleece with cold water or agitation. You will instantly felt it. This is a benefit if you are a felter, obviously. The wool will literally felt on the sheep, as often happens in the spring, after they are rained and snowed on all winter. Then, we shear off an Icelandic "Phelt" - big beautiful long wooled hunks of fake pelt. When these are washed, you can either use them in felting projects or as fake fur. If you are interested in these, contact me. They are a neat product from the sheep for the creative crafter.

But, I'll leave spinning and felting tips for later. If you have specific questions, leave them in the comments.

If you are interested in a particular fleece from the fall shearing, contact me.