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The Wool
Icelandic sheep have amazing wool. They are very well adapted
to living in the harsh climate of Iceland. The wool has two
parts to it. The inner and very soft layer is called ţel (thel)
and the outer coarser layer is called tog. The ţel keeps the
sheep warm, whereas the tog sheds off rain and snow. The
sheep are so
well insulated that snow will not melt off their
backs. In general the ţel is used to make soft items like
sweaters and shawls, and the tog is used to make things like socks.
The Icelandic wool (lopi) I have seen available in North America
is made from both the
ţel and the tog twisted together into yarn and sold under the
trademark Reynolds Lopi. In Iceland, this is the wool we use for
socks, mittens and such. The wool that Icelanders use to knit
sweaters is not twisted into yarn but comes right off the
carding wheel and is not spun. You can get that kind of wool directly from
Iceland or you can make it yourself, from wool from a small farm
like ours.
Shearing
Since
it is so mild here in the Northwest, Selma thought it made sense to
sheer the sheep twice a year. She has done so over the last few years but now
wonders if that is really such a good idea. She
noticed that in very hot weather the sheep are more likely to go
out and graze if they have long, thick wool on their bodies.
The wool acts as an insulator against both the heat and the
cold. So now Selma is going to see what it will be
like for them to be shorn only once a year. She is going
to observe how the sheep behave in full wool in late summer and
early fall, when we often have hot weather. If they do well,
she will continue sheering once a year but if they seem miserable
she will go back to sheering twice a year.
Selma
has shorn the sheep herself, but found that the more
sheep there were the less she felt up to it. It is a backbreaking
job and she is not very fast at it, so she hired Tim Sorg, the sheepshearer. He has a
very strong back, and we are both thankful to be able to call on
a professional to
shear all the sheep in just a few hours.
Tim
told us Icelandic sheep are his second most favorite sheep to
shear. All other sheep are number one. The reason is
that the Icelandic sheep never let their guard down. If he
relaxes, they are on their feet and gone. So poor Tim cannot
relax into the shearing, but has to stay alert and remember that
these are Icelandic sheep, not just any sheep. Selma
feels proud of her sheep for that. Why should they become docile
just because they have been
immobilized by sitting on their butt. A sheep is totally
immobile if it set on it's behind. When you stop and think
about it, it is totally for a sheep to be shorn.
It is a way for us to get something from the sheep, but the sheep could not care less
whether we get the wool or not.
They usually seem happy to be out of the wool, but Selma thinks they would not be shorn if they had their way.
We only sell wool in the grease. It has been our
experience that most people want to either clean and card their
own wool, or they have a local business they want to patronize
for that.
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Wool for sale
(All wool is sold as whole fleeces)
Lambs
Wool (lambs born in
April are shorn in mid Sept)
Price $
18.00 per fleece. Click on Photo for a more detailed image.
This photo shows an example fleece.
No two fleece are the same.
We
sheer the lambs in the fall, about a month before they go to
Valhalla. The lambs' wool is the softest of them all.
In just six months the wool is about four to six inches long.
We have a variety of colors available, but at this time I have no
browns.
Black
wool can range from raven black to dark gray.
Black
Badger Face wool, when carded, will be anywhere from medium gray
to light gray to gray brown.
White wool can range from
very white to light tan.
The average weight of a lamb fleece is 16 oz
Ewes wool
Price $ 15.00 per fleece
Click on Photo for a more detailed image.
This photo shows
an example fleece.
No two fleece are the same.
Black
wool from adult sheep is dark to medium gray, due to
bleaching of the sun.
Black Badger Face wool, when
carded, will be anywhere from medium gray to light gray to gray
brown.
Brown Badger Face is a beautiful cream color.
White wool can range from very white to light tan.
The average weight of a ewe fleece is 32 oz
(shorn in either fall or spring) In the spring of 2011 the
fleeces will be even larger since they will include a whole
year's worth of wool.
Fleeces from these
sheep are available. The following photos are of them
before and after sheering. (Click on their names and
you will see the photos)
    
White wool
  
Spotted black
and white
 
Black Badger Face
Black
Brown Badger Face
Rams wool Price $
15.00 per fleece
Click on Photo for a more detailed image.
This photo shows
an example fleece.
No two fleece are the same.
The following photos
are of the ram before and after sheering. (Click on his name and
you will see the photo)
Average fleece size
60 oz
Ómar was a great ram
until he went to Valhalla, in the spring of 2010. Selma
often called him her silverback. His wool varies from black to
silver, all in the same fleece. It is very long, as you
can see in the photo. Rams wool is the least soft: the ţel is
thick and soft and the tog is long and is coarser.
To Order
Contact us at
selma@bonedryridge.com
for orders and availability.
We accept cash, checks and money orders at this time.
Orders are
sent via US Postal Service. Check
USPS.com for
approximate shipping costs. Example shipping cost:
5lb in a box size 20" x 15" x 15" From Bone Dry Ridge to
Minneapolis is $ 10.00. You can also come to the farm and
pick out your wool.
Testimonials
Chris: Loved
spinning your long wool, it is so nice and clean. I made
yarn for my wife for Christmas.
Melissa: The kids
and I had so much fun felting the wool we got from you.
It felted so easily.
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