Gwen: BTW, what's NAYY mean?
There are many Primitive breeds like Navaho Churros and Jacobs. Some of these breeds are similar in their dual-coatedness and texture, but are part of the same family: Icelandics, Shetlands, Spelsau, Finnish Landrace (aka Finnsheep), and more. Primitive breeds are just that, they've not been interbred or domesticated like the common types of sheep: Merino, Debouillet, Rambouillet, Suffolks, Hampshires, Corriedales, Texels, etc. The primitive sheep who are rams are also more protective of their ewes and lambs...they will stand off a dog and make the dog run by only charging the fence line...it's phenomenal to see. The ewes and lambs stand in the center of the rams and wethers, and protect them... They do the flock-type of behavior, too, but not the same way as the domesticated sheep do. I guess you could say that primitive sheep are more self-confident and are interested in survival in a way that domesticated sheep are not. I guess you can tell I'm partial to the primitive breeds.
The Icelandics in particular, have a special gene called a "Leadersheep gene." What this does if a ram or ewe has it is to lead their flock out of danger as well as their shepherd/ess. There are stories of Icelandics being in the mountains with their shepherd/ess and a snow falls quickly and it's blinding, and the leader ram or ewe leads not only the sheep home, but the shepherd as well, thus saving the lives of the shepherd/ess and their flock. I have never been so impressed by any sheep before I bought my first Icelandics...but I love my sheep more than I thought I would.
The undercoat seems to be soft enough for baby clothes or next-to-the-skin wear always. If you spin both together, you get a slightly harsher, outer wear yarn, and if you spin the outer coat separately, you get rug yarn or a harsher outer wear yarn than when you spin both together. It's amazing the type of yarns you get and how you get them, but as someone else asked, you can get a softer yarn out of a harsher yarn if you don't spin it as tightly...though it will never be yarn that you can wear next to your skin.
I'm mainly breeding Icelandic sheep and Finn sheep, with some mixed wethers thrown in. I have some Finn/Icelandic ewes whose fiber is softer than Icelandic/coarser than Finn, but it felts so wonderfully well that it felts better than either of the full-blooded breeds, and they're gentler than the full-blooded Finns or Icelandics. The fiber is so beautiful and it has the same glisten as the white Icelandics with less harshness. I'm going to be buying 2-3 more Icelandic ewes this year from different people, so I can extend my bloodlines. I'm also going to be buying a Finn ram. My Icelandic ram is a real beauty that I got from Laurie Ball-Gisch at Lavender Fleece (www.lavenderfleece.com).
Within the next 2-3 years, we're going to be buying 20 acres of land so I can have more sheep and alpacas (of which I have 5 now--4 Huacaya: rose gray, white, dark brown and coffee with cream colored and 1 Suri: white).
I have also been buying wool from other breeds to see what it's like to spin with it. I just spun some Targee, Wensleydale, and Corriedale and I also bought two colors of alpaca from OFFF in Canby, OR.
I hope I'll be able to go to the Black Sheep Gathering in 2006. If any of you are going to BSG in May/June, please let me know and I'll meet you there, or if you're from Southwestern ID, Southeastern WA or Northeastern OR, maybe we can carpool. It would be fun to 1) meet others who have the same interests as we all do, 2) beat the high cost of gas prices, or 3) enjoy the drive with spinning and exciting conversations about sheep, fiber and spinning or weaving. Or if there's anyone else who's heading toward BSG from points East, we can also meet up here at my place and have a spin in or a dye in.
One last thing: there is a new yarn and fiber shop that opened up in Walla Walla called Knitochet. It's at 10 E. Main Street, if you happen to drop by. She'll have yarn, fiber, wheels, and all the latest stuff, so stop by and see Michelle the owner.
Hugs, Jet
Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 14:02:24 -0700 From: gwens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: Spinning flock > I'd like to have both very soft, next to the skin fleece and stronger,
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