North Atlantic Native Sheep & Wool Conference 4

Day 4 of the conference was spent at Shetland Museum and Archive listening to the lectures from the invited speakers.  A very diverse range of speakers and I found the day enthralling.

Jim Nicholson, one of the people who had demonstrated Flock Book points for rams at the Mart on Saturday, introduced the Lecture Programme.  He told us that as late as the mid 20th century Shetland sheep used to be mainly on hills and rooed.  Now there are fewer sheep on the hills and more in fields.  The Shetland Flock Book Trust ensures purity of Shetland Sheep and makes them commercially viable so crofters will keep them..10% of Shetland Crofters are members of the Trust.

Then followed:
Dr Carol Christiansen: Sustainability through the ages
June Hall: Soay Sheep (Ovis aries) - Prehistoric Survivors on Britain's Remote Islands
Deborah Robson: Rare Breeds from North Atlantic Native Sheep: An Important Piece of the Sustainability Puzzle
Ólafur R Dýrmundsson – Icelandic Sheep and Sheep farming in Iceland in the context of sustainability
Dana MacPhee: Cloimh Uibhist – Sustaining the islands through a textile tradition
Panel Discussion: All speakers will take questions from the floor
Conclusions and outcomes of the day summarised by Ronnie Eunson

A wonderful day where I learnt so much.  I've transcribed my notes at the end of this post.
This is a photograph of the speakers just before the start of the Panel Discussion.

June had also brought a wonderful selection of items relating to Soay sheep and St Kilda for us to see.

Lunch time was a chance to share thoughts about everything we were learning, and to persuade Felicity Ford to show us her Baby Layter sweater.  I first saw the original Layter over 3 years ago and I'm very cross with myself that I've not yet knitting one myself.  It's a great way to use wool from several different breeds of sheep.








At the end of the session we heard from Ronnie Eunson about how the Shetland Flock Book was started in 1927.  Up to 40-50 years ago, in Shetland, wool was more important than meat.  Castrated male sheep grew the biggest fleeces and were 'leader sheep' in snow conditions. 
Sheep offer sustainable and beneficial land use and produce.




In the evening we all travelled to Tingwall Hall for a meal together with traditional music and dancing demonstrations.  A really enjoyable evening with good food and great company.

 Towards the end of the evening Felicity performed the Shetland Wool song that she'd written at the beginning of Shetland Wool Week.  It went down very well!

 You can see Felicity performing her song here

For the final morning we started with Jan Hicks presenting details about Wool Clip and how this led to the annual Woolfest event.  Having enjoyed visiting Woolfest for a number of years I was very interested to hear about the story of Wool Clip.

Karin Flatøy Svarstad then gave us a summary of the conference - I can't believe we fitted so much into so few days!

Next was a very exciting presentation by Jóhanna Pálmadóttir introducing the 2014 North Atlantic Native Sheep and Wool Conference which will be held in Iceland from 4 - 8 September 2014.  And having enjoyed this conference so much and heard what we'll be doing in Iceland, I'm definitely wanting to go. 

We'll be seeing sheep and wool in different parts of Iceland, travelling through areas of the country away from the usual tourist venues and seeing one of the famous sheep round-ups.  This is one of the places we'll be visiting - the Icelandic Textile Centre - and if you'd like to find out more about joining the 2014 Conference you can contact Jóhanna Pálmadóttir at textilsetur@simnet.is
I can't wait!

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These are my personal notes, transcribed from what I scribbled down during the talks, so I may well have made errors in noting something down.  If you're reading them, please bear this in mind, and if anyone spots a glaring error, please let me know.

These notes are a real help for me since I can read them with full memory of the passion and enthusiasm of the speakers, and the wonderful images they all showed us.  I can only encourage people to try and listen to these speakers 'live' if the opportunity arises.

Dr Carol Christiansen, Curator and Community Museums Officer at Shetland Museum and Archives.  She is a textile archaeologist whose research includes the use of Scottish and Scandinavian landrace sheep breeds for textile production.  Her talk was titled, 'Sustainability through the ages'. 

She spoke about how people in Shetland made the most of what they had in textiles by adapting to change and using opportunities.
The 16th century saw the change from weaving to knitting.
The 19th century saw the development of lace knitting.
Maintaining the tradition of hand knitting has been the focus of the 20th century.

A very interesting photograph of loom and spindle weights before and after the Norse entered Shetland.  They got bigger - does this reflect a change in the length and weight of fleece staples?  Were new sheep introduced?

For the 200 years after Shetland was pledged to Scotland in 1469 rentals were paid in a cloth called Vadmal - a heavy, dense twill that used a lot of wool.  In 1627 there was 7,400m of cloth used for rentals.

The introduction of knitting was a most significant change to life in Shetland.  Did this change Shetland sheep since a softer wool without hairy tips is needed for knitting?  Another change from weaving to knitting is that instead of combing the wool for spinning they were carded for the woollen spinning more suitable for knitting yarn.

Common garments that were knitted were stockings, caps and underclothes which were sold to fishermen.  When this market declined in the early 19th century there was the introduction of lace knitting (1830).  When the young Queen Victoria was gifted a pair of Shetland lace stockings which she very much liked, a fashion was started leading to exports even to New York.
A benefit of lace knitting is that it requires little wool but a great deal of skill is needed in the spinning of the fine yarn and the knitting of the lace.

In the 20th century hand working of knitted garments continued in Shetland even when the rest of the UK fully mechanised.  This has become part of the modern Shetland knitting brand and remains part of Shetland knitting even as new products are developed in the 21st century.

Next June Hall spoke on Soay Sheep (Ovis Aries): Prehistoric survivors on Britain's remote islands.
The Soay sheep came to St Kilda with Bronze Age People from southern Europe, so they have been on the island for 3,500 years.  They have evolved in equilibrium with their environment.  The abandoned stone built cleats where the islanders used to store turf, feathers & catches of seabirds are now used by the sheep as shelter.
The population of Soays on Hirta varies between 600 - 1300.  The last two years has seen steep declines in population, mostly in spring around lambing time and the recent wet winters are thought to blame. (I've found more information about this here)
The Soay sheep on Hirta are the most studied in the world, the research currently being done by National Trust for Scotland, University of Edinburgh and Imperial College.
When St Kilda was evacuated in 1930 all the crossbred sheep on Hirta were evacuated and later around 100 Soay sheep were brought from Soay Island to repopulate Hirta with sheep.  This has appropriately managed the vegetation on Hirta.
? Difference between Hirta and Soay Island feral flocks and managed Soay flocks in the UK.
An 1896 photograph of a Soay lamb seems to show it having white colouring on its head.

Soay sheep are the oldest and most primitive sheep in Europe.
85% of the rams are horned, as are many ewes.  There is also a scurred form of the horn which is mostly found in ewes.
The Soay sheep on St Kilda are either dark brown or light brown in colour - known as Dark Phase or Light Phase.  Both colours can be solid or show mouflon marking.

Two more things that June mentioned - that she has a book nearing publication (that's sorted a Christmas present for me this year or next!) and that the National Trust for Scotland is seeking applicants for a PhD to research whether Soay sheep on St Kilda are under threat.

And for anyone wanting to learn more about Soay sheep the 2014 World Congress on Coloured Sheep is in Rambouillet, France in May 2014

This is an interesting piece about the evolution of the two colours of Soay sheep that I found while googling for the links above.

Deborah Robson: Rare Breeds from North Atlantic Native Sheep: An Important Piece of the Sustainability Puzzle
Restoring wool to its rightful place as a central part of everyone's life.
Wool instead of synthetics leads to global sustainability.
Is wool: trash, second crop or primary income source?

It has been and can become a primary income source.
Ancient - meat + wool
Medieval - WOOL + meat
18th - 20th centuries - MEAT + wool
? Future - wool + meat.

Wool is a severely underrated, misunderstood income source with significant potential
Value of breed-specific wool eg Suffolk - sturdy sock wool, machine washable.  Merino is a nice wool but not for socks.
Users today evaluate yarn on dyed colour and softness NOT suitability for purpose, durability etc.
Need best materials for purpose for highest level of crafting. (lustre, length, natural colour, strength)

Wool is environmentally sound
aesthetically pleasing, diverse & versatile, durable & functional.
Using different wools in complement with each other.

Need to capture and guide the imagination of users of these wools.

Overview to see what we're already accomplishing - need to use social media appropriately.
As producers we need to: reach, tantalise & inspire, guide & educate.

Finding the audience (consumers) for:
fleece (raw)
fleece (clean) + processed fibre
yarn
finished goods - functional &/or artistic

Top 4 resources for reaching people:  Ravelry, Etsy, Ebay, Own Website

Tantalise and inspire - tell stories.
Who you are, why you're doing what you're doing.  The more individual the better.

Stories: History (personal), Current culture, Making individual lives better, Making the world better.  Third of these is a big sell point.

Guide and educate - why and how to use non-generic fibres (breed-specific)
Why it's important to maintain diversity - genetics

Individualise - tell stories.
Not all wool is the same (not common knowledge)
Different wools suit different purposes
Life is better with knowledge and use of specialised wools (satisfaction, skills, legacy)

See Clara Parkes - Knitters Review
FFSB now into 2nd printing.
Pattern support for breed-specific yarns - Ann Kingstone, Sue Blacker, Kate Davies etc

Other ideas - The Great White Bale project - Clara Parkes - selling memberships & subscriptions including Armchair Travellers
Shepherd & the Shearer 
Wovember

Making connections between people, animals, places & stories

Ólafur R Dýrmundsson – Icelandic Sheep and Sheep farming in Iceland in the context of sustainability

Last importation of sheep into Iceland was in 1946 - rams from Scotland which got foot rot during their 2 mths of isolation so not allowed out of isolation.  There is no foot rot or liver fluke in Iceland. 
Farming - 4000 farms around coast.  2400 flocks including hobby flocks.

Farmers Association of Iceland 
pdf with detailed information about Icelandic farming - in English

Great genetic diversity in Icelandic breed of sheep - the only breed within Iceland
Have horned & polled, white & coloured.  Some are mouflon

Tri colour is rare.  A few have 4 horns
Icelandic leadership gene - more info here in this online article by Ólafur R Dýrmundsson

Sheep used to be winter grazed but now kept inside during winter.
Rangeland is natural unimproved grazing.
The sheep are shorn before housing in November - except for shearling lambs which are shorn after going into winter housing.  This gives the best fleece.
They are shorn again in Feb/March

Importance of quality control - product quality, traceability of individual sheep, welfare & sound management, sustainable rangeland use.

Conclusion:
Quality products
Local integrity
Diversity
Cultural Heritage
Sustainability.

Dana MacPhee: Cloimh Uibhist – Sustaining the islands through a textile tradition
All Uist wool used to go off the island to BWMB Evanton for processing and returning little to the island.  To address this planned to open a mill in Uist - Uist Wool - as a community benefit society

Got old mill equipment from Argyll.

Creating something of the local fleece that has value and worth.

Blog post about the opening of the mill earlier this year

Jan Hicks:  Wool Clip
In late 1990s there was European funding for underprivileged areas which financed Rural Women's Network.
In late 2001 after Foot & Mouth disaster a retail outlet for selling textile crafts was opened at Priest's Mill, Caldbeck.  Focus on something with a provenance.  Short runs & unrepeatable important.

Selling online didn't work for them because of work updating website for one-offs. 
Set up co-operative.
Working together:
Creates business oppportunities
Spreads risks/costs
Spreads workload
Moral support
Pool of skills/expertise to draw on

North Atlantic Native Sheep and Wool Conference 3

Saturday didn't finish with the Makers' Market - it was back to the Mart for a very special event - Fleece grading and sorting with Oliver Henry.

Oliver started off by showing us lower grade fleeces and what many more Shetland fleeces used to look like.  This wool isn't suitable for the fine knitting yarns that Jamieson & Smith produce but it isn't wasted.  It is used in a variety of products including carpets, beds, duvets, throws and the latest product,  numnahs.

 
 Then we saw some of the very fine fleece that some Shetland sheep produce - fine enough for even one-

ply cobweb lace yarn, and an absolute dream for hand spinners.

 Here are the two extremes of Shetland wool - you wouldn't think they come from the same breed.  Both though have their uses where their individual properties best match the required function.

Oliver does talks about fleece grading and sorting as a regular event at Shetland Wool Week, so you'll get the chance to learn so much from him for yourself if you come to a future Wool Week.

There was one final event at the mart - the opportunity to buy fleeces from the fleece competition.  I'd obtained such lovely and interesting fleeces from the Fine Fleece Store at J&S on the Monday morning, that I'd not intended to purchase at this point..........  but then it turned out that the rather special black Championship fleece was actually for sale........  Tom and I decided to split it and buy it between us.  (you'll know Tom from Wovember)  Even half a Shetland fleece will go a long way for spinning lace yarn, and it was just too special to go to one person only.  So, actually, as I'm writing this I'm realising that my purchase of half of this fleece was a sacrificial and altruistic action on my part.  Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

Sunday was a very early start to get to the coach before 7.30am, but everyone made it.  We were going north for the day.  This involved two ferries there and two ferries back.

The journey to Haroldswick in Unst, driving through Yell, took us over 2 hours, but we did make time for a stop at the famous Unst Bus Shelter.

I think we were all very moved when we heard that the theme for this year of Sheep and Wool was in honour of the North Atlantic Native Sheep and Wool Conference.  What a wonderful honour and welcome to us from the people of Unst.

I see that Deb Robson has also blogged about the Unst Bus Shelter - you can see her actually knitting in the shelter here.

After being served the most amazing morning coffee/tea at Haroldswick Hall, accompanied by some seriously gorgeous home bakes, we drove on to Hermaness National Nature Reserve to meet some local crofters and their sheep.

They had brought off the hills a selection of Shetland sheep just for us to see and penned them in groups of rams, ewes, and male & gimmer lambs/hoggs - I'm not sure if in Shetland they call their weaned youngsters of around 6 months of age hoggs or lambs.  Also, I realise I didn't look to check if the male hoggs/lambs were castrated or not - if castrated they'd be called wethers.
There is a useful list of sheep terminology here, and a more comprehensive but international one on Wiki here.

Anyway, not only had the crofters rounded up these hill sheep - no small task, but they'd separated them into male, female, boys and girls.  Again I felt very humbled to be welcomed so fabulously by the people of Unst.

Above is a pen of ewes, including a couple of very old, but very healthy looking ewes.  Below are two  of the sheep from other pens that caught my eye.

We were able to spend a good amount of time observing the Shetland sheep and talking to the crofters, and I also observed that there were some glorious examples of knitting being worn by members of the group, and I think possibly nålbinding in the second hat from the left.

Here I got a very clear photo that shows the
characteristic tail that gives the North Atlantic
Short-Tailed group of sheep breeds their name.

Again I was most interested to see the huge variation in the types of fleece on the sheep.

The crofters explained that some of the fleeces looked different because they had been rooed rather than shorn since those sheep had been shown earlier in the year.  Rooing gives a better look to the fleece on the sheep for the show ring.

The other thing I learnt is that in Shetland sheep rooing is easier where the 'join' between the old fleece and the new growth is weakest and this is influenced by the sheep being not in the best condition at the end of winter.  It may be that there is a genetic influence on this as well.









Just before we left I couldn't resist this photo illustrating the story of Shetland wool from 'on the sheep' to finished Shetland wool hat - those of you with sharp eyes may spot that the person studying the sheep so intently is Deb Robson.

History of the Shetland Sheep
Shetland Sheep - A brief description
So we left Hermaness and drove back to Haroldswick through some stunning countryside.

 

At the Hall we were met with the sight of a wonderful buffet lunch made especially for us - a real treat indeed and it was as delicious as it looks.

 There was a craft fair on in the Hall as well, and musicians playing traditional Shetland music.  Many of us succumbed to temptation with the high standard of the different craft goods for sale.

 

On the opposite side of the road to the Hall is Unst Heritage Centre, and the wonderful welcome for us extended there where there were knitters and spinners demonstrating their skills for us to see.

 

There is a fabulous display of historic lace knitting held at the centre, together with examples of the equipment used to spin and knit the famous Unst lace.  Another place that is firmly on my 'must-see' list of suggested places to visit in Shetland.

One of the exhibits at the Heritage Centre that I really enjoyed looking at were these sheep made by the local children.  I think crafts skills and creativity must run in the blood of these descendants of the lace knitters of Unst.

We then left Unst and went to Sellafirth Hall on Yell for afternoon tea and talks from Andy Ross and Liz Gott on the use of Shetland wool in local textile arts and crafts.  There were some lovely samples of weaving for us to look at.

We then had time to look round ASF Shetland, Shetland Gallery and Bayanne House - all the linked websites have great images of the art and crafts we were able to see.  Yell is another island where creativity flourishes!

Just as we were leaving I spotted two Shetland sheep standing on the top of a bank which had partly collapsed to reveal the rock and peat below.  A very fitting image for the end of an absolutely fantastic day.

Books about Sheep and Wool

Today is a proper murky day, stuck in a cloud with lots of rain, so I'm inside sorting through my books.

The ducks are enjoying the rain on the lawn, the sheep are getting on with grazing despite it.

I've put all my books about breeds of sheep and using wool from different breeds together on one shelf.  I thought it might be helpful for anyone new to the joy of knitting, spinning and crafting with wool from different breeds if I had a quick run through of my 'breeds library'.

I'll start with the books that I took around the country for Woolsack stuffing events, where we also had a display about British sheep and their wool.

I've written before about the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook by Deb Robson and Carol Ekarius - there are now lots of reviews of it, some of which are here.

British Sheep & Wool is a British Wool Marketing Board publication (ISBN 9780904969108).  The National Sheep Association describes it here (scroll down).  I can't find any reviews so I'll do a brief description here.  It's a book of over 70 of the breeds of sheep farmed in the UK with some great photographs of the sheep and a lock of fleece from each breed.  It's divided into sections according to the classification of the fleece and/or the sheep.  So sections include 'Fine', 'Mountain', 'Naturally Coloured' and a useful section titled 'Cross' that has some of the common mules farmed in the UK.  The essential alphabetical index of breeds is on p178 at the back.

It's a great book to have on a display table because of the size and quality of the photographs and the small amount of written information for each breed.

 For certain information, such as when the breed and the breed society were established it's the easiest place to quickly get the dates, and it's very good on the cross breeds or mules as they're usually called.  If you're sheep spotting out in the British countryside then you're more likely to see mules and crosses than pure breeds, so this book will help you with breed-spotting.

Next a little pair of books by Jack Byard: Know Your Sheep and Know More Sheep.  Postcard sized and with a photograph and brief description of over 80 breeds of sheep found on British farms between them.  I've managed to track down some reviews of the books here:  Know Your Sheep and Know More Sheep.  The information is mostly about the sheep with brief mention of the fleece.

Next two books that include patterns for knitters and one full of inspiration for knitters, spinners & weavers.    The Knitter's Book of Wool has been comprehensively reviewed since it's publication in 2009 - here are details of the book and reviews.                    A more recent publication by a British author with vast experience of working with wool from British breeds of sheep is Pure Wool by Sue Blacker.  There is a really detailed review of the book here.  I must confess that now Pure Wool has been published, I tend to refer to that when choosing which breed's wool to use for a specific project.  I've learnt a lot about how to swap breeds for particular patterns from this book, which I can highly recommend.

The third book may need to be ordered from America, but it's a wonderful read and very inspiring.  Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools, ISBN 1883010845.  This is a description of the Save The Sheep Project which lies behind the book.  The description of the book says:  "Bringing together the art of spinning and wools from rare breeds of sheep, Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools catalogs the 29 touring pieces from the Save the Sheep Exhibit.  It also includes photos and information on endangered breeds, plus photos of several dozen other pieces that illustrate points about the rare-breed fibers and what makes them indispensable for contemporary handspinning.

I've just spotted while googling that there is an e-book of Selections from Handspun Treasures.

In Sheep's Clothing, below, is information about spinning with wool from different breeds of sheep. and reviews of the book can be read here.  (ISBN 9781931499385)

I'm also including two books that I've really enjoyed reading, Ryder's Sheep and Man and Alan Butler's Sheep.  The latter being the much more approachable way to learn about the influence of sheep on the development of civilisation over 1000s of years.  And no, I've not read every page of Ryder and I'm hoping it comes out an an e-version one day so I can read it away from home and when travelling.  It's heavy!

Next a book and a little treasure of a booklet.

 Real Shetland Yarns is about Shetland and its sheep - it is what it says on the cover:  a collection of woolly tales and memories.  There is a review of the book by Kate Davies here.

If you're curious about the seaweed eating sheep living on North Ronaldsay, then the booklet by Liz Lovick is a must-have read.  Liz has thoroughly researched the island and its sheep and combined this with her knowledge and love of working with North Ronaldsay wool.  The result is a delightful and fascinating read that will leave you wanting to visit the island yourself as you share Liz's enthusiasm for these little sheep and their wool.  The booklet can be purchased as a booklet or pdf download from the Northern Lace website.

Next a look at some European sheep - most of which cannot be found in the UK, but through the Blacker & Beyond with FFSB group on Ravelry, my interest in sheep breeds doesn't stop with British sheep.

Schafrassen der Alpen, or Sheep Breeds of the Alps, is in English and German and can be ordered here. It is just as it describes - detailed information with photographs about breeds of sheep found in the Alps.  The discussion about it on Ravelry is here.

Wools of Europe is the multilingual catalogue of a travelling exhibition in 2010 that highlighted one hundred European sheep breeds.  For each breed there is a photo of the sheep, part of a fleece and an article made from its wool.  It can be ordered here

There is a discussion about how to get hold of it from around the world here

Finally, the newest addition to my library - The Field Guide to Fleece by Deb Robson and Carol Ekarius.

As you can see, rather easier to carry around than the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook (FFSB).

A great little pocket book at a price that makes it a definite as-well-as rather than instead-of the FFSB.  The photographs of the sheep and a lock of their fleece are superb and the information is just what you need if planning a project with fleece, fibre or yarn from a breed, when out fleece buying at a fibre-fest or even when deciding what breed(s) of sheep to keep with a consideration of their fleece in mind.

I would also like to draw people's attention to the entry for Brecknock Hill Cheviot.  That was the one British breed that Deb didn't have a sample of.  It is entirely due to the chain of farmers who passed around my request for a sample of fleece last winter, long after all the Brecknock's wool had gone to BWMB, that a few locks were found in time.  I was thrilled when an envelope containing the locks arrived for me to wash and send on to Deb in time for the photography.

Brecknock Hill Cheviot Sheep

I'm on the hunt..... yet again.  Also wondering if I've found a new project.  Not that I need one!

It all started with a tweet from Deb Robson and then reading her blog post: Sending more wool locks off to be photographed

I got straight onto Ravelry and started a thread in the Blacker & Beyond with FFSB Group (for anyone not a member of Ravelry, it's free, easy & instant to join, high privacy, none of the issues some people don't like about FB, & increasing numbers of farmers are joining to connect to keen hand-spinning fleece buyers)

Result was that within a few hours the modern Norwegian Spelsau locks were found, a good contact for Est à Laine Merino found, a back up source for Stansborough Grey sorted - and that just left Brecknock Hill Cheviot.

I did manage to track down and speak to one person involved with Brecknock Hill Cheviots who is spreading the word, but this is a bad time of year to be looking for fleece, even if it is only a few locks that are needed.  This is the sort of amount, below, that we're talking about. Even half that would be enough.  Not a lot, but if ALL your fleece has gone off to the British Wool Marketing Board, it could be tricky to track down.

These locks of fleece are actually Whitefaced Woodland - I just happened to have them lying around the kitchen where I knit and have the laptop.  Actually, I must confess to having bits of wool yarn and fleece in most rooms in the house.  I call it my 'house insulation'.  DH remains patiently pragmatic but unconvinced about the insulating properties of the wool in the middle of rooms.

Anyway, I then turned to twitter and remembered that Derek the Weathersheep, @WeatherSheep is in the Brecon Beacons so tweeted my request there.  Then a bit of googling and looking round twitter and I found more possible sources - and discovered some more great people/organisations to follow on twitter (have I told you about my dream of keeping sheep one day.......)

So if you're interested in research into sheepy things then have a look at @geneva_geneva and @KNconsulting (on FB)

Result is that some lovely people are checking contacts and I remain hopeful that someone has a wee bit of their Brecknock Hill Cheviot fleece lying around somewhere.

All this has however brought the Brecknock Hill Cheviot to my attention and I read on page 56 of the Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook that the fibre is "crisp, dense, even with a slight luster." The fibre is also finer overall than other members of the Cheviot family.

There is also a quote from John Williams-Davies in Welsh Sheep and Their Wool.

"The history of no other breed demonstrates so clearly the peculiarly close and complex relationship which exists between the sheep and its environment."

I've had a North Country Cheviot fleece which I found to be a very good wool indeed - a very versatile fibre and it was fun to process, spin and then knit.  

This is a blog post about Cheviot fleece with details about the preparation, spinning and knitting.  The Cheviot used here is from America.

This is an interesting article about the observed differences between Scottish-type and Brecknock Hill Cheviot sheep and links to some of the Cheviot Sheep societies.

I've had a quick hunt to find specific Cheviot wool in fabrics and knitting yarns.  Interestingly I've not found much so far - it doesn't mean there isn't more out there, but it's going to take hunting down.  Some manufacturers of Scottish tweed and tartan fabrics seem to use Scottish Cheviot wool.  This is the first Cheviot knitting yarn I've found, and it's described as Border Cheviot.  Nothing for Brecknock Hill Cheviot wool though.  Is what sounds like such a lovely wool really just going into generic British wool through BWMB?  Not that there is anything wrong with our fabulous blended British wool, but it would be lovely to have some of it kept separate and turned into special Brecknock Hill Cheviot yarn & textile goods.

So, of course, those who know me will by this stage be asking themselves if there might be a Brecknock Hill Cheviot (BHC) knitting or weaving yarn project to occupy my time next year..........

It would have a head start anyway with getting contact information for BHC farmers to find some lock samples for Deb, so it should be easier than the Boreray Project.

I think it would make very nice fabric and knitting yarn indeed, just from what I've experienced with North Country Cheviot.  I'm thinking nice BHC throws and other textile gifts to buy in shops in the tourist areas of the Brecon Beacons, plus of course knitters & crafters having a versatile yarn to use.  Hmmm, I'll try and get Christmas out of the way first ;-)