Wool Roving Shetland Sheep Needlefelting Spinning Arkansas

The Shetland's roots go back over a thousand years, probably to sheep brought to the Shetland Islands by viking settlers. They belong to the Northern European short-tailed group which also contains the Finnsheep, Norwegian Spaelsau, Icelandics, Romanovs and others.

The Shetland is the smallest of the British breeds and it retains many of the characteristics of wild sheep. Today they are considered a primitive or "unimproved" breed. Rams usually weigh 90 to 125 pounds and ewes about 75 to 100 pounds. Rams usually have spiral horns, whereas the ewes are typically polled. They are fine-boned and their naturally short, fluke-shaped tails do not require docking.

The wool color and high quality is commercially important to the wool industry of the islands where natural wools are often used undyed to make high quality shetland knitwear. Extra fine ring shawls are knitted, so called because the finest can be passed through a wedding ring. In the UK as a whole the wool is prized by handspinners.

Shetland sheep are very hardy, good mothers, easy lambers and produce plenty of milk. When crossed with an early maturing terminal sire (such as a Ryeland) the fat lambs make excellent eating and dress out well. Purebred Shetland meat is highly regarded on taste, but is slow to mature and wethers are often run through to shearlings.