Well closed?

Well closed. 

What do you think of when you see these two words together?  Firmly shut, sealed tight, locked up?  I thought about the terms 'well closed' and those are a few of the words that came to my mind.  Since the Shetland vernacular is different than even mainland Scotland, then those words should be defined into a better English translation. 

According to the SSS committee, they transcribed 'well closed' to be 'of medium density'.  So what does the opposite mean, not well closed?  It would mean an open fleece, which is a disqualification of the breed standard.  An open fleece would part with the wind, which is more or less ever present on Shetland, and not keep the sheep warm and dry.  Since Shetland is so close to the sea (not more than 3 miles on any part of Shetland), it is also wet, blowing wet.  So, Shetland fleece should be dense enough to keep both the wind and the wet out.  If it wasn't so, the sheep would not survive or thrive very well, especially since there is little shelter on the Islands.

What is density then, in wool terms?  There are a few ways that you can assess this.  One, take a handful of fleece.  Does it feel full in your hands?  Two, part the fleece. Is it easy to part and is there a a large visible skin line without wool (not dense then)?  Three, with a shorn fleece, measure the staple length vs. the weight of the fleece.  Example, if the fleece is 4" long and weighs 4 lbs, it is a 1:1 ratio.  This is good density.  An even better density would be a fleece that is 4" and weighs 5 lbs.  (using the understanding that the fleece is not contaminated or heavy with VM).  On the other hand, if a staple is 7" and it weighs 4 lbs, the ratio is only 1:0.57, this is poor density or an open fleece. 

This evaluation is taking into account the characteristic 'tip' of Shetland fleece, which 'locks' the staple shut and allows the water to run off, and the fact that the fibers are fine.  Coarser fleeces, of course, will yield a heavier fleece but may not have the required density.  Coarse is also a disqualification.  It is a strong interplay of fineness, softness, density, crimp, and length that makes a good Shetland fleece.  None of the characteristics alone, or even a few of them together, 'justify' a traditional breed type Shetland fleece. 

Since the native Shetland has been around for 1000 years or more, the wool characteristics have been around for a really long time.  A fine fleece, with good crimp (8-12 cpi), dense, with the tiny 'tip' is ideally suited to a temperate climate that is windy and wet.  This is the ancient primitive Shetland type (as shown by the last post).  The fineness coupled with the density and crimp traps the body heat and the tip allows the water to be shed or shaken off.  The length, between an average of 3-5" allows the sheep to clamor up and down the seaside cliffs without tripping or getting caught in the Shetland gorse.  This unique set of wool characteristics is what made Shetland wool world famous.   A 7 oz fine Shetland sweater was worn to Mt. Everest, so I think it passes the fineness and warmth test!!

This is a perfect example of an extra fine, soft, crimpy (wavy), dense (well closed) Shetland fleece with the perfect length.  A great wool coat to wear while cavorting about the Shetland Islands!