Our Animals

Jacob sheep are known for their spots, which can be black, brown, or lilac. They’re also known for their impressive horns – they can have two, four, or even six. American Jacobs have a light, open, medium length fleece that lends itself well to beginning spinners.

Our Leicester Longwool herd got their start from sheep being kept at Colonial Williamsburg, where a breeding program was started in 1990. Our flock currently has about 50 purebred Leicester Longwool rams and ewes. These sheep are known for their lustrous, strong wool.

Cheviots are a hardy little sheep that developed on the windswept hills between England and Scotland, as early as the 1300s. You can usually spot a Cheviot by their wool-free head and “bunny ears.” They have a soft fleece with a 3″-5″ staple length, a good working length for handspinners. Cheviot wool was traditionally used to knit kilt hose, and we carry a sport weight yarn that is ideal for that purpose.

Romneys are traditionally a true dual purpose breed, but we call ours “wool tanks.” Their fleeces grow in long, separated locks that have the luster of a longwool, with a finer micron count. Naturally colored Romneys come in a range of black, gray, silver, brown, and white.

Shetlands are fine-boned, small, and produce a lovely fleece in 11 different colors and 30 different coat patterns. We use wool from our Shetland flock to make a gorgeous line of sport weight yarn that is perfect for stranded colorwork.