Under The Son Farm: Shetlands for sale

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Shetlands for sale

In the need to cut my flock down to a reasonable number, I will be offering the following for sale. The rams have micron stats listed in the previous post.

Rams
I am cutting the ram flock down to about half, keeping those rams that will be able to be utilized in my flock. The ones I'm offering for sale are here because I have so much of their genetics in the flock. Not for any other reason.

UnderTheSon Dungaree - white, Awt/Aa, DOB 2011 (UTS Emperor's White/UTS Dakota).
Dakota has produced excellent rams and Dungaree is no exception. He won 3rd place in a very large ram lamb class under Kate Sharp and Alan Hill at WSWF in 2011. He has been inspected and passed under Maurice Wakeling as a 2 yr old as well as placed 1st in the Senior ram class in 2013. I have a few of his daughters so it is time to move him on. Dungaree has a silky soft, wavy/crimpy fleece with good length and he roos.

UnderTheSon Velour - fawn katmoget, Ab/Aa, DOB 2011 (UTS Apache/UTS Viva).
Velour's sire, Apache, placed 2nd in the ram lamb class at WSWF in 2010 and won Best Fleece on hoof. Velour placed 1st in 2011 under Kate and Alan and also took Reserve Champion Ram. There isn't much to add to that. I have a few daughters I am retaining from him as well. Silky, soft, wavy/crimpy fleece. I am very reluctantly offering him for sale.

UnderTheSon Crowley - moorit spotted, Aa/Aa, DOB 2013 (Crosswinds Pegasus/UTS Ceylon).
I am reluctantly offering this ram for sale, simply because I am keeping several of Pegasus's sons from last year and just can't keep them all! This ram lamb has been a knockout from birth with his bold spotting and strong structure. Great color to his fleece and long, soft, crimpy staples going well down his britch. This ram has much to offer to boost a flock's overall breed type.

Ewes
Several ewes will be available this year. I will offer up between 10-15 adults and several yearlings. These are NOT, in any way shape or form, culls. These are top quality ewes that have proven themselves (if adults) to produce both good lambs and a good fleece. I have culled extensively for years, retaining the best of the best. I simply have too many sheep and need to cut back on the total number. From here on, I will be concentrating on producing mainly crossbred lambs so that I do not have to face the task of shipping purebreds to market. I will be only breeding a few ewes to pure rams, mainly for the sake of replacing stock in my own flock. I did 50/50 breeding last fall - half going to pure and half going to cross. Having lots of lambs designated from the start going to market makes my job a lot easier (read, less painful). Basically, this is the year to get a purebred Shetland lamb or adult from me if you are so interested.

Our farm has bred for 1927 Shetland breed type since the beginning and the sheep themselves have been proven for 12 years now - in the jug, in the ring, on the table (fleece, skeins, and finished goods), and also on the dinner table. They've done all they've been asked to do - proving it with consistent wins everywhere with judges here and from abroad. It doesn't get any better than this.

I won't be posting exactly who is for sale yet as I want to wait for the stats for this year as I'm almost done clipping the adult ewes fleece samples. My fleeces are soft handling, have good crimp, and good length. Every sample from every sheep that I clip tells me the same thing. They are breed type all the way. They are of good weight and great handle. They spin supremely and make superior feeling goods.

Lambs
I will only be keeping around 10 ewe lambs this fall and 2-3 ram lambs. The rest of the lambs will be available. Many of these are spotted and some are spotted katmogets. A few solids and kats are in the bunch. I'm a plain jane type of breeder and prefer the solids or the katmogets. So, my preference is your flashy chrome!

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Welcome to Under The Son blog!

There are about 50 Shetland sheep on our farm during the winter months and over 100 with the lambs in the spring time. Most patterns along with a few spotted sheep are here on the farm. I specialize in breeding classic fine fleeced Shetlands that are the hallmark of the Shetland wool industry and have been for hundreds of years.

Blogs posted will be relevant to our Shetland sheep farm goals such as working towards a classic type fleece - a fine to very fine, dense, silky, lustrous, 3-6" Shetland fleece, raising conformational correct pure Shetlands and growthy Shetland cross market lambs, as well as all manner of Shetland fleece production through to the finished products.

I am a spinner, weaver, knitter, felter, crocheter, dyer, soaper and have done all manner of other crafty things such as basketry, beaded jewelry, sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, etc.

Wool for sale includes raw fleece, washed fleece, rovings, spinning batts, quilt or comfortor batts, felt yardage, handspun yarns, millspun yarns, and finished knitted, woven, or felted goods such as fingerless gloves, purses, scarves, shawls, ponchos, ruanas, vests, jackets, and blankets.

Vist my Ravelry group for even more information. http://www.ravelry.com/groups/fine-shetland-wool

About Shetland Sheep

Shetland sheep are a heritage breed dating back a thousand years or more and are related to Soay sheep. They have primitive characteristics such as a naturally short fluke shaped tail, wool that 'roos' or sheds in the springtime, small size, and fine bone. They are famous first and foremost for their fine, soft, naturally colored wool that is very lightweight and warm. This wool was one of the two pillars of the Shetland Island economy for centuries.

Shetlands, the 'kindly' (soft) wooled native breed of sheep, were preserved because the Shetland wool industry was facing extinction with the the infiltration of coarse long wooled big sheep on the island. Steps were taken, such as the writing of the breed standard and paid ram incentives, to ensure the existence of this rare native breed and the continued existence of the woolen industry that employed so many of the women of Shetland.

Garments made from breed standard 'kindly' Shetland wool can be next-to-the-skin soft scarves to warm, soft outerwear sweaters. It is a fine wool with crimp (called 'wave' by the writers of the standard) and is normally used for knitted garments with good memory such as stockings/socks, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, shawls, under clothing, and the famous Shetland sweaters. It is a 'longish' wool, around 3-6", depending on crimp. It is sometimes good for felting and some fleeces are very silky. As it is a heritage breed, there is quite a bit of diverseness found within the breed, especially in the colors and patterns that run the gamut of browns, blacks, greys, and white as well as spots and patterns. All in all, it is one of the premier handspinning fleeces to be found.

From the Shetland Sheep Society

"Shetland sheep have for generations been noted for their very soft and well crimped fleece. The wool is the finest of all native breeds and shows an amazing variety of colours and patterns. There are 11 main whole colours and 30 recognised markings.

By selecting from coloured fleeces a range of naturally coloured yarn can be produced. This eliminates the need for dyeing and therefore retains the soft feel of the natural fibre and is favoured by those who prefer a totally natural approach.

Shetland wool fibres are of a simple construction witha central cortex covered by a thin scaly cuticle, and have an average diameter of about 23 microns. However there is a range from 10-20 microns for neck and shoulder wool to 25to 35 microns for britch wool. the average staple length is 3.5 inches. The amount of crimp varies, and is most important in providing the 'bounce' required for knitwear. There is a positive correlation between fineness and crimp, with wool of the finest quality being crimped at between 8 and 12 to the inch. Wool from shetland sheep is used to produce gossamer lace, the famous 'Fair Isle' knitwear, and fine tweeds. Pure bred Shetland sheep tend to shed their fleece in sprin. The growth of new fleece can cause a rise or weak point and where this is present the fleece can sometimes be plucked or 'rooed' by hand. The timing of this can be different in each sheep, however, it is worth taking the care to get it right as rooed fleece can be amongst the softest because the fibres have no harsh cut ends as occurs with a sheared fleece.

Shetland fleece can be handspun straight from the fleece or made into rolags and then woollen spun. It can also be sorsted spun by hand, used on a peg loom or handwoven. It also felts well using either dry or wet methods. When processed commercially the wool can be made into the finest lightweight worsted cloth or heavier weight, harder wearing fabrics and tweeds."

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Sunday, April 6, 2014

Shetlands for sale

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