Under The Son Farm: October 2014

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Breeding Groups & ewe lambs

Here are the breeding groups for this year. My goals: balance the ewes with the correct type of ram, finer fleeces, and good horns. If anyone is interested in a lamb from any of these pairings, give me a holler. A deposit will hold the lamb/s. Most of these lambs will be for sale. I'll keep one or two lambs from each group, and some of the ewes will be for sale as well. I like every sheep on the farm right now - they are all top notch stock, fitting the breed standard and sporting soft crimpy fleeces. Just had another long time breeder stop by recently who remarked on how very soft all of the fleeces were. High compliment indeed! To me, it is what the breed is known for and I won't settle for less.

UTS Cameron - grey spotted. Very dense fine fleece. Spectacular horns. I don't know if I'll get any spots from him or not with his group. We'll see.

Cam's ewes - Moreen (bl), Panela (wh), Kasta (bl), Tanz (dk grey kat), and Maraca (lt badgerface).

UTS Mahon - moorit, 2013 WSWF Supreme Champ. Very silky soft, crimpy fleece. His mother is a mioget so might have modifieds in the bunch.

Mahon's ewes - Arran (bl), WS0932 (bl - going shaela), Viva (Ag moget), Pashmina (wh), Sateen (fawn kat), Galeria (mioget), Cinnerelle (emsket), Sirene (moorit - Stilton's sister).

UTS Dawson - grey kat. Extremely fine and uniform. Looking for spectacular fleeces (well, in all the groups) and hoping for grey kats.

Dawson's ewes - Meredith (bl, Res Champ 2014 WSWF, inspected & passed), Elfin (aka Shillay, bl), Tango (dk grey kat), Coolea (1st place ewe lamb WSWF 2013), Jindi (spotted moorit), Leyden (moorit), Meira (moorit - inspected & passed), Saga (moorit), Onyx (black/shaela)

UTS Stilton - moorit, 2014 WSWF Supreme Champ, inspected and passed. Stilton is an almost fawnish moorit so may also get modified here.

Stilton's ewes - forgot to get a good shot of his group. Murol (bl), Jade (shaela/emsket), Toccata (grey kat), Carrowholly (grey kat), Madeline (mioget), Mingay (mioget), Vaila (grey), Rashera (moorit).

The rest of the ewes went to the Cheviot.

Ewe lambs

No, these two are not sisters. Vintosha, on the right, is a Stronsay/Viva daughter. Darby, on the left, is a Venaco/S'More Maraca daughter. Very similar in type and style. Both very fine and silky soft. They love their pettings. Which is why it is hard to get a good shot of them other than one like this where they are coming towards me.

Valkyr - Stronsay/Vaila. Spotted musket. Very fine and crimpy.

Shots of the other ewe lambs.

No, I didn't really want to keep this many. A few are for sale. The spotted fawn kat, the tagged fawn kat, Marina's grey kat (last photo, left side in front), possibly the black krunet. Top notch group of ewe lambs, oozing with very soft crimpy fleeces and breed standard character.

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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Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Breeding Groups & ewe lambs

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