Our Products
Fiber Romney sheep originated in the Romney Marsh in SE England many centuries ago, and were brought to America in 1904. Their wool is considered an all-round extremely versatile fiber that is used mainly for outer wear such as hats, scarves, warm sweaters and socks. Hand spinners love Romney because it is easy to work with, and it takes dye well. We have done micron count tests on several of our fleeces and the results are in the range of 30-34. This is about average for this breed, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Our fleeces also have beautiful luster and good crimp, which adds to the "hand" or feel of the fiber when it is spun into yarn. It also felts well. In 2014 we acquired a Cormo ram, and the resulting Romney x Cormo crossbred offspring have been everything we hoped for. The fiber is consistently about 20-24 microns, which is what we were aiming for. It has a wonderful soft hand, yet retains the sturdy durability and luster from the Romney genetics. The process begins with shearing the sheep, which we do each Spring. Katie then skirts the fleeces (removes the dirtiest parts from the belly, hind end, and edges) and stores them in cotton bags. She then gently washes them one by one in a plant based eco-friendly detergent solution. After they are dry, she tumbles them to remove any loose material, and if necessary runs them through a hand picker to open up the fibers and remove any stubborn dirt. The fleeces that are going to remain their natural color (various shades of black, grey, silver and brown) are then shipped to Spinderella's custom mill that spins the fiber into yarn according to our specifications. The rest of the fleeces are mordanted with food grade alum and cream of tartar, then dyed with natural dyes, then sent to the spinner. Much of the dye material is grown or foraged right here on or near our property, and the rest is purchased from companies that source their products from fair trade and responsible suppliers. Regardless of whether the fleece is dyed or left it's natural color, each one is spun individually, so that our customers know which sheep their yarn came from. Please visit our Store on this website to order any of our wool products, or visit one of the retail outlets that carry our yarn. Meat We are committed to raising our sheep in a healthy environment, free from chemicals and drugs, and with ample feed, clean water and plenty of room to roam. We limit our flock to a number that can be sustained on the land that we have available to us. The lambs are born in the Spring and we let their mothers wean them when they are ready. They live with their mothers on our lush pastures under the watchful eyes of our guard dogs all summer, and when Fall arrives, they have access to a barn where they are fed alfalfa hay all winter. Some of the larger lambs are butchered in the Fall, and the rest wait until Spring when they have been on grass for a month or so. We do the slaughtering on site ourselves, so there is no stressful time spent in a truck being transported to a facility. All of these measures result in what we feel is a superior quality meat. We sell lambs direct market to our customers. This means that you can purchase a whole or half lamb from us and are free to use any harvesting and butchering service you wish. We can provide the harvest service if you choose, and can also recommend a butcher. We charge $5.25/lb hanging weight. Our harvest fee is $50, and the recommended butcher charges a flat rate of $80 for his cut and wrap service. Most of our lambs are around 45-55 lbs hanging weight, with some less, and some up to about 65 lbs. We contact our meat customer list when we are getting ready to harvest, and reserve lambs on a first come first serve basis. To get on our meat list, please click on the button below. |