# fiber sheep



## mommahen2four (Mar 22, 2008)

Considering sheep for fiber... I'm enjoying felting, and would like to try spinning someday. So...considering sheep for fiber... but since I've never spun and am new to felting, I thought I'd seek out your favorite breeds. What do you prefer to work with and why???


----------



## redbudlane (Jul 5, 2006)

I love my Shetlands. They are small, great personalities (mostly), and they come in a variety of colors, patterns and coat types too. You can see some pics at redbudlanefarm.blogspot.com


----------



## Somerhill (Dec 13, 2005)

Bluefaced Leicesters!!!
They are beautiful, elegant, graceful animals. Gentle, calm, friendly personalities. Good mothers, prolific, with healthy, fast growing lambs. 
The wool is the absolute TOPS! Beautiful to look at, soft, silky, wonderful sheen. Its good for next to the skin garments, and blends well with other luxury fibers such as alpaca, kid mohair, and angora. The locks are nice for crafting, and it felts well.
They are a rare breed in the US, so the wool is in high demand, and good breeding stock sells well. The breed registry accepts both white and natural colored sheep. The colored sheep range from silver to brown to dark grey and nearly black. 
You've got a few breeders in your area, too. Some of them are crossing Shetlands and BFLs for what are called "mules" to produce a nice market lamb, along with good quality fleece.
Here is a website with a list of breeders and their contact info:
http://www.bflsheep.com

Lisa 
http://www.somerhillfarm.com


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

If you like felting, you'll love Icelandics. 

Small, healthy, a bit flighty until they get to know you but their small size makes them easier to handle than the great big monstrous Hamps (I have some of those too - love 'em dearly, but need help to give them their shots!).

Like Shetlands, Icelandics come in a variety of colours and they have a dual coated fleece, which makes lovely wool when spun together, or a super fine wool and a coarser wool if separated first then spun.


----------



## flannelberry (Jul 14, 2005)

I'm another vote for Icelandic. There's a great breeder in Wisconsin who would be worth an email to... this is a link to his site:

davidgrote.com


----------



## mommahen2four (Mar 22, 2008)

Funny you should mention him...I'm taking a felting class with him right now! He's got great lines, imports semen from Iceland...I don't think I can afford his beauts right now, but maybe someday. I need to start simple.




flannelberry said:


> I'm another vote for Icelandic. There's a great breeder in Wisconsin who would be worth an email to... this is a link to his site:
> 
> davidgrote.com


----------



## woolyfluff (May 23, 2004)

why not just ask hime for 1fleese just to start with


----------



## beoircaile (May 2, 2006)

What about Corriedale crosses? Nice sized sturdy sheep, flock nicely, easy keepers.

If you are interested, I happen to have a couple Corriedale cross ewes available...and they have been exposed to an ELL ram for spring lambs.



Shel
Trying to stay warm and out of the snow in southern Wisconsin...


----------



## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

I second Shetlands. Although there are a lot of double coated Shetlands out there, many of us are working on soft crimpy single coated sheep that are a joy to spin and felt. 
I like the BFL's also. A lot of shetland breeders are using BFL rams for mule production. I had the opportunity to obtain a natural colored ram for this purpose, he is a delight.


----------



## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Hi, Ross's wife here, I am a felter too. You need to think of what you will be felting, do you want to make things for next to the skin or for the floor or on your feet. you need different wool for different things. Fine soft wool next to the skin and course wool for a rug. I would suggest buying different kinds of wool, either processed or as fleece and try them out to see what you like. I use several different breads of wool in my felting and some stuff called domestic 56 that is a medium course wool from mixed breed sheep probably meat sheep. I also use our own wool from our meat sheep. it is classed as carpet wool by the wool co-op so it a course wool.
Hope that helps,
Ann


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

Mommahen2four, I have Icelandic fleece here if you want some to try. PM me if you're interested!


----------



## barnlooms (May 31, 2006)

Finnsheep to be sure!

Great colors, excellent wool with many variations that allows for all kinds of projects. Next to skin or rug wool - multi purpose breed. 
Great flocking instinct, docile and very friendly, good mothers, seasonal breeders and of course the multiple birth thing. Quads, quints and septs are common.

Easy keepers, coming from Finland they handle cold well, and should you want them for meat, they have a lean carcass, laying down fat mostly around their organs to protect them and help keep warm.



Kathryn
Fossil Creek Farm
Angora Rabbits and Registered Finnsheep
Central NY


----------



## mommahen2four (Mar 22, 2008)

OK - so what's good for next to skin and what would be more rug? 

I have llamas - they would be? I'm leaning toward Shetlands because there are some near me to start with - they would be?


----------



## Meg Z (Jun 8, 2004)

If you're looking at the wool for felting, I'd get a good felting book that discusses the properties of the wool of assorted breeds. Dual coated sheep like Icelandics and Shetlands felt really well, but the two textures in the wool makes a 'hairy' felt. I haven't tried Shetlands specifically, but I used to have Icelandics. A good strong felt, and not exactly coarse, but hairy. Since I used to make felt jewelry, I couldn't use the Icelandic. It tickled. I needed a wool that made a smoother felt. I found that for my purposes, I prefered Romney.

The key phrase there is 'for my purposes.'

You can decide your purpose, and buy sheep to fit it, or you can choose a breed you like and find a purpose it's good for. 

Or you can be indecisive and have multiple interests, like me....and end up trading in a flock of registered Icelandic sheep for a flock of mutts and mixes! I like having a bit of everything out there, as I can then do a bit of everything!

For felting, there's fine and coarse, hairy and smooth, high shrinkage and low shrinkage, and lots of other things to consider. Figure out what you will and won't want to deal with, and then go from there.

My 2 cents.
Meg


----------



## Bramble (Dec 11, 2008)

i like icelandics and babydoll southdowns. tunis make a nice soft wool that felts or spins well.


----------



## beoircaile (May 2, 2006)

> You can decide your purpose, and buy sheep to fit it, or you can choose a breed you like and find a purpose it's good for.


Sounds about right!

I went to a lot of sheep & fiber shows and stores before getting into wool sheep- and our focus still changed....! While I still have some of our original Shetlands, now I am leaning more toward the Targhee, Romney, BFL, Corriedale, Longwool type breeds. Plus the Jacobs- always nice for natural "tweedy" yarns!

I'm a firm believer is seeing the sheep, raw fleece and the processed wool from that type of sheep, then making a decision. But then, I'm a very hands on kind of person.

If you get down to SE WI, let me know. You are more than welcome to visit our flock and see some fleeces/wool.


----------



## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Leicester longwools. 
You get 3 shearings a year of beautiful long and silky, not cottony, locks!

Its the softest, smoothest, silkiest, wool around, IMO.


----------



## MTDeb (Feb 20, 2003)

All the above.... I've never met a fleece I didn't like ... hehe. 

The most important thing to consider though, as far as spinning goes, is that some are softer, some are coarser, some felt well and some don't felt well (which has it's purpose too). It all depends on what you want.


----------



## Bramble (Dec 11, 2008)

i like an alpaca merino blend for next to skin...


----------

