HOT ! Rare Breed Sheepskin

From sheep bred in Pembrokeshire 

Long before she had the sheep, Lesley was a knitwear designer using a knitting machine. She now specialises in using her own wool and various products are available from the sheep as well as the knitwear.

Their sheep have been carefully bred for over 30 years to provide high-quality wool in a variety of natural colours. With no need for dyeing, the wool is very eco-friendly. It only travels to West Wales to be spun, so has very low “fibre miles” – even more eco-friendly.

No one breed gave all the qualities needed, so the flock has always been ‘mongrel’, with various breeds added in to the mix over the years. A move to a hill farm in Mid Wales gave more space to enlarge the breeding programme, with up to 300 ewes plus their lambs at one time.

Breeds used over the years have mainly been the old (and now rare) breeds, plus some ‘foreigners’. They include Shetland, Cotswold, Ryeland, Wensleydale and Portland, with Gotland, Corriedale and Merino. The first-ever tup was an Icelandic, and we have come full circle with an Icelandic again right now. In between, even the tups have been cross-bred, so all of the sheep are a real mix.

Their fleeces are a mix of types, as each sheep throws back to a different side of its breeding. This means that the fleece ‘stash’ is a treasure-trove for spinners; whatever staple length and type of wool is needed for a project can be found here, and in many different colours too.

Handwash only