My partner and I keep our own flock of rare breed sheep for their wool. I hand dye the wool and use it in my work, with packs also available to buy.
My partner and I have been keeping sheep for their wool since 2016. When I first started Needle Felting I would buy in the wool I needed to create my work, but my process has come quite a way since then.
The idea of keeping our own sheep sprang to mind after an extremely inspiring visit to Woolfest in Cumbria where I ended up packing my car full with raw fleece. I used the fleece to create my materials from scratch, and began hand dying the wool to be used in my work.
My partner is a stockman and suggested getting some of our own rare breed sheep, which made sense once I’d started creating my own dyed wool from the raw fleece we’d bought from others.
The UK has a rich array of sheep breeds with many different types of fleece. Originally we had decided to keep only Wensleydale and Lincoln Longwool sheep but the first two Wensleydale ewes we took home came with twin Wensleydale cross Shetland lambs. As their fleece grew it soon became clear that this cross had a beautiful fleece which when natural or dyed had an amazing tonal range.
Looking for a soft fleece, we decided to get some Shetland and Bownont Merino sheep, with the idea of promoting British wool by using it in all of my work.
We currently have close to 90 sheep after a very busy lambing season this spring!
Our flock of rare breed sheep produce an amazing range of beautiful wool. You can purchase packs of the same hand-dyed wool that I use in my work by visiting my shop.
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