WoolGrower

02/14/2012 Update!

Hello everyone, hope 2012 is treating you well so far! Been getting several inquiries about this years clip so wanted to let you all know we're shearing (weather permitting) on March 11th. I have a few weeks between shearing and lambing so hopefully I can get a lot of skirting done during that time.

I'm very happy with how fleeces are looking this year! Can't wait to see those necked sheep running around :)!

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Thank you for visiting WoolGrower! WoolGrower lives on DreamCatcher Sheep and Fiber Farm which located in the beautiful rolling hills of Northwest Missouri.

At DCSFF we currently raise Leicester hybrids as well as purebred Bluefaced Leicesters. We then cross the hybrid and purebred Leicesters with our flock of Shetland, Scottish Blackface, North Country Cheviot, Cotswold and Rambouillet.

When I first started spinning, I was on a quest to find the "perfect fiber". Of course no fiber is perfect but what I discovered is there is simply no other fiber (IMO) that matches all the qualities of the Leicester wool. It can be soft as silk and the drape and luster just brings garments to life. It is a joy to spin and knit with. Crossing this breed with others, more often than not, passes these traits onto the breeds that we cross them with. Only the best fleece animals are held back to remain in the flock.

I most enjoy producing a variety of natural colored sheep. I love the variations of greys, browns and blacks. However, I do get the color bug from time to time and will have a go at dying up some interesting colorways. Usually a change in season will get me going :). Overdying some of the lighter browns and greys can be a lot of fun too!!

Those of us that raise sheep primarily for fiber, know that VM is a big issue for handspinners (the majority of us being handspinners ourselves). What a lot people don't realize is that most commercially procesesed roving and yarn have been chemically processed to remove all "VM" (vegetable matter; ie weed seeds, bits of hay etc). The residue from these chemicals has been known to cause irritation to the skin and also compromise the integrity of the fiber.

So we do our best to keep clean pastures, feed so that the hay doesn't drop onto the necks and backs as they eat and then skirt our fleeces before processing to remove any debris that does sneak in. You can be assured that our fleeces will NEVER be chemically processed to remove VM!

Thank you for stopping by and please support your local farmers and the U.S. wool industry!