The Shetlands
Shetland sheep are a small ‘primitive’ breed who are described as hardy, thrifty and long-lived. They are easy lambers and have beautiful, soft, fine wool. They are wonderful, protective mothers with plenty of milk, and their meat is tender and lean.
I considered selling my Shetland flock when I realized how much I loved raising Cotswolds – but I found I couldn’t. With their clouds of silky wool, and the colors in our flock ranging from black, silver, and white, to the earthy tones of deep browns and cinnamons, they were too beautiful to part with. We had started with only two Shetland ewes years ago, but with selective breeding had built our flock up to good, strong sizes and simply gorgeous wool. Shetlands are also strong on personality. Long after my cotswolds have grown into their quiet and calm ways, my shetland lambs continue to play and race and jump, occasionally luring even the adults into their games. Each ewe has a distinctive personality, and favorite scratching areas for me to attend to. They simply make me laugh.
Our Shetland sheep provide an immense amount of fine, soft wool, which paradoxically is very strong and durable. The coarser parts of the fleece has been traditionally used to make warm, rugged clothing, such as Fair Isle knitwear and tweeds. Yarn spun from selected neck wool was used to make the famed Shetland lace shawls, so fine and soft that they could be drawn through the wedding ring. The variability of the fleece for different purposes, plus the gorgeous colors which make dying unnecessary, make Shetland wool a spinner and wool workers dream.