Some British Sheep breeds are rare, which is why Paton & Daughter use them. We make rugs. If we can use these highly prized fleeces and highlight their usefulness, we can give these breeds a boost and save them for the future.
There are 56 native British breeds and 22 of those are rare. The Shetland Sheep breed is one of them.
The Shetland Sheep is classed as a Hill breed and originated in Scotland’s Shetland Isles in the 8th century. It is a hardy breed and has evolved to survive Scotland’s climate and can thrive on poor quality grazing land. The fleece can be white, cream, tan, brown, grey or black. It is soft enough for knitwear such as Fair Isle knitted garments. It is also used to soften by blending the wool with coarser sheep wool. The staple length can be as short as 5cm but also up to 10cm. The micron is 31.
https://www.campaignforwool.org Learn more about our British wool.
Shetland ewes are good mothers and produce strong lambs. This being a primitive breed can be sheared or rooed in spring. Rooing or plucking is achieved by pulling tufts directly from the sheep but tufts can be found on fences and posts around the field. What could be more pleasurable than collecting wool in this fashion on a bright spring day for use on a woolly project?
See our rugs made from British fleece https://patonanddaughter.co.uk/product-category/rugs/
