About sheep
Our natural yarn kits use wool from single breeds of sheep. Here we have given a little information about each of the wools that can be found in the kits. In addition to those available on this website, we have some 'special edition' kits available at our sales events.
Black Leicester Longwool
Leicester Longwool are large-framed, dual-purpose sheep which grow a heavy, lustrous and even-textured fleece, with weights up to 15 kg being recorded! Practically every British longwool sheep owes some of its properties to the Leicester Longwool and it is still crossed with many of the mountain breeds. Most of the sheep have a white fleece, but some are coloured. The Black Leicester Longwool sheep have silver grey sides with darker wool around the edges; these sheep, very popular with smaller breeders, were admitted to flock registration in 1986.
Leicester Longwool is now classed as 'endangered' by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, with fewer than 500 breeding ewes in the UK. Only around a third of these are registered as black.
Black Leicester Longwool is used in our Edale and Starburst Bag kits.
This sheep, called Zebra, grew the wool used in our Edale and Starburst bag kits!
Black Welsh Mountain
The only completely black breed found in the UK, the black welsh mountain sheep produces a fine wool suitable for cloth and knitting yarn. In the summer, the wool tips bleach to a reddish brown colour. It is a small sheep with a fleece of 1-1.5 kg. Only the rams have horns. It is kept in small flocks, thriving on short upland grasses, throughout the UK.
This wool is used in our Borrowdale, Creel, Edale, Envelope, Guelmim, Loop-the-Loop and Twisty Bag kits and in our pencil case.
This wool can also be bought in 100g hanks from here.
Photo reproduced by kind permission of Sudaco
Bluefaced Leicester
Having evolved during the 19th century, these longwool sheep were bred in east Cumbria and Tyne and Wear, combining hardy hill breeds with cross-bred ewes. They have a broad muzzle and distinctive Roman nose! The name is due to the colour of the skin on the head showing through the short white hair.
The lustrous fleece typically weighs 1-2 kg and all the sheep are hornless.
This wool is spun with alpaca in our Bobble Scarf kit.
Photo reproduced by kind permission of Richard Miller.
Hebridean
Vikings brought sheep to the Western Isles of Scotland more than 1000 years ago. The Hebridean sheep, also known as St Kilda sheep, evolved from these. This rare breed of small primitive sheep has lustrous black wool with tips sometimes becoming sunbleached and some of the sheep going grey with age! Both ewes and rams have two or more horns. Thankfully, numbers have increased greatly over recent years and they can now be found again on the Hebridean islands. This breed forages well and can thrive on poor pasture, making it unrivalled where control of brush and weeds is needed while maintaining delicate ecosystems.
The wool, used in our Frilly Bag kit, comes from an organic flock of sheep.
Photo reproduced by kind permission of Minty MacKay. Find our more about her animals and produce at www.ardalanishfarm.co.uk
Herdwick
Herdwick sheep are native to the Lake District and are thought to be the hardiest of the British breeds. The lambs are born with black wool, but this fades to different shades of grey with age. The head and legs are pale grey and the rams have horns. The coarse fleece typically weighs 1.5-2kg and is mostly used for carpets. It is now also being used in loft insulation.
This wool is used in our Borrowdale and Twisty bag kits and in our pencil case.
If you, like us, love Herdwick sheep why not visit www.herdy.co.uk to see a fabulous range of mugs, cards, books, etc featuring 'Herdy' — a Herdwick sheep.
Herdwick sheep in north Cumbria
Jacob
This is the sheep with a coat of many colours, namely black or brown, grey and white. Both ewes and rams have horns, usually two or four, but sometimes even six. The fleece weighs 2-2.5kg and is popular with handspinners as several colours are possible from a single fleece. The breed is thought to have originated in the Middle East which then spread throughout Europe, reaching Britain by the 18th Century.
This wool is used in our Envelope and Loop-the-Loop bag kits.
Jacob lambs at Chatsworth
Manx Loghtan
This small sheep originates from the Isle of Man; the breed is sadly now classified as "at risk". The wool is chocolate brown; loghtan is the manx word for the mouse brown colour. Spinners and weavers love this fleece, which weighs 1.5-2kg. It is commonly used in the making of the Manx tartans. The sheep usually have two or four horns, with the rams horns being longer and stronger than those of the ewes.
This wool is used in our Viking Boat, Loop-the-Loop and Frilly bag kits.
North Ronaldsay
This small primitive sheep originates from the tiny island of North Ronaldsay in the Orkneys, with wool in many shades of white, grey, brown and black. Nearly 200 years ago a wall was constructed on the island confining the sheep to the seashore. The sheep survived on a diet of seaweed, a characteristic they have retained. The North Ronaldsay sheep has been classified as an "endangered" breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, with fewer than 300 breeding ewes registered on mainland UK. These sheep also still roam on the island of their origin.
This wool is used in our Seashore bag kit.
Photo reproduced by kind permission of Anne Lane
Swaledale
Having once been mostly limited to Swaledale in North Yorkshire, this mountain sheep is now also found commonly in the Pennines, being well suited to life on high lying moorland. It has a black face with grey muzzle and both ewes and rams have horns. The long, white fleece is coarse and hairy making it suitable for carpets, though some of the finer quality fibre is used for tweeds and rugs and knitting yarn. The fleece weighs 1.5-3kg.
This wool is used in our Envelope Bag kit.
Photo reproduced by kind permission of Tim Randall.
See www.northern-images.co.uk for more pictures
Wensleydale
These large hornless sheep also have long white wool with a high lustre, and are classified as "at risk" by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. They are mostly found on the hills in the north of England and produce fleeces weighing up to 7kg. This wonderful fleece is used for knitting and upholstery fabrics and has a lovely knobbly texture when felted.
This wool is used in our Easy Peasy Purse and Creel, Rosette and Viking Boat bag kits and in the small crochet round bowl kit. A dyed version is also used in our pretty Rosette Bag Kit.
This wool can also be bought in 100g hanks from here.
Photo reproduced by kind permission of Wensleydale Longwool Sheepshop
Whitefaced Woodland
The Whitefaced Woodland sheep originate from the South Pennines and are still found in the Peak District. They are also known as Penistone sheep, after the market town just north of Sheffield, where sales of these sheep have taken place since 1699. These are just some of the largest hill sheep, thriving in lowland areas, and have a white fleece which dyes well. Both sexes are horned with the rams' horns spiralling decoratively outwards. The Whitefaced Woodland sheep has been classified as a "vulnerable" breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
This wool is used in our Edale bag kit.
Photo reproduced by kind permission of K Goodchap
Further information
Information comes from the relevant sheep breeders' societies and from British Sheep and Wool, published by the British Wool Marketing Board, and British Sheep, published by the National Sheep Association. You can find information about other British breeds in these two publications.
