There are two main types of combs, English multi-pitch combs or Viking two pitch combs. About all Combs: Diameter of the tines: the larger the diameter of the tines, the more suitable the combs for courser fiber Number of pitches (rows of tines): the more pitches generally, the longer the staple needs to be. If you […]
Posted on September 01, 2014
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More Viking Sheep! The Gotland sheep were established on the Swedish island of Gotland by the Vikings along with Karakul and Romanov sheep that crossed with the native landrace sheep. It created a beautiful and unique sheep known today mostly from the Lord of the Rings films. Let’s talk about the “Lord of the Rings […]
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What’s happening on my farm! I’ve been getting some questions about my flock at home so I thought I would share now that shearing is over. If you are ever spending time with the sheep community you will know there is no such thing as “spring, there is Lambing and Shearing, and they are their […]
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The sheep that look like bunnies! Cheviot is one of the well-recognized breeds in England recorded to be on the borderlands as early as 1372. The story is that the breed developed from sheep that swam ashore from a shipwrecked Spanish ship after the defeat of the Armada. Developed on the Scottish Border and Northumberland, […]
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There is a romantic old world quality that shines out when you talk about Rickwood Farms with owner Peggy. A short jaunt from our shop, Rickwood farms is a local fiber producer growing lovely Rambollet and Columbia sheep. On 80 acres with about 60 breeding ewes and market lambs for 4Hers, fiber is her […]
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Most breeds names are a combination of their development location as well as any unique physical element, the California Red is no different. Developed in 1970 by Dr. Glenn Spurlock who hoped to breed a hair sheep that would have no wool, the California Red is born without wool, only red hair. However as it […]
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Saving New Zealand one Possum blend at a time! The common brushtail possum from New Zealand, is an invasive species introduced to in the 1850, and activity damages New Zealand’s ecology. There is a population of over 30 million and are the number 1 noxious animal, they over populate and actively deteriorate their environment. Possums […]
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Muskox is the most misleading name for creatures in the fiber world. Named “Musk” for the distinctive smell of associated with them; they have no musk glands. Nor are Muskox closely related to oxen or cattle of any kind they are more closely related to sheep and goats. They are the largest Caprinae (species including […]
Posted on February 28, 2014
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I have to say that sheep have some of the best names, my favorites including “Dorper” (door-per). Never heard of Dorper before? That may be because some of you might be older than the breed. Developed in the 1950’s Dorper are a hair sheep not often seen in the wool world, while they have a […]
Posted on February 28, 2014
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There are two types of fiber producing goats, goats that produce Cashmere and Angora goats that produce Mohair. All domestic goats came from a single breed of goat still living today the Bezoar Ibex which produces Cashmere, or the down of the goat, in a near unusable amounts of fiber. Bezoar was domesticated by Neolithic […]
Posted on February 26, 2014
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If you’ve ever seen sheep that look like goats, you might have seen a hair sheep… Hair sheep generally refer to sheep that look as if they have no wool, sometimes they are called “naked sheep” but some sheep that just look like “normal” sheep are likewise hair sheep. All sheep have two types of […]
Posted on February 22, 2014
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Cormo Sheep: The science experiment that worked brilliantly and paid off well. The name Cormo is from the names of two of the parent breeds, Corriedale and Merino, the breed was developed in Tasmania by Ian Downie. He developed a new breed of sheep strictly by scientific methods and empirical data to develop his ideal […]
Posted on February 19, 2014
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