We chose Icelandic Sheep for their beautiful wool that comes in a range of colors and their ability to grow well on grass. Iceland does not produce a lot of grain so the sheep have survived through its thousand year history (the Vikings brought the sheep to Iceland and the breed hasn’t changed much due to isolation on an island) on pasture and hay. Icelandics are one of the few sheep breeds that are dual coated and need to be shorn twice a year. They have a soft, shorter undercoat called Thel and a longer, coarser outer wool called Tog which work together to protect the sheep from the cold. Icelandic sheep have a natural wool break (called rooing) in the spring that will make their wool fall off if they are not shorn, so new wool can begin growing. Their fleeces are one of the best for felting and many of our fall fleeces will be made into felted sheepskins.
The felted sheepskins are made by felting the fleece to several layers of carded (combed) wool. The finished sheepskin has a thick layer of wool as a base and can be used as a rug, cushion, dog bed, etc. Each fleece comes with a picture of the sheep that grew the fleece. They are easily washed by soaking in the washing machine (we use Unicorn Power Scour as a cleaner) and then spinning the water out and line drying. Never use the agitate portion of a wash cycle or the fleece will continue to felt.
If you are interested in a felted fleece, contact us with some color choices and we will let you know which fleeces are available.
If you are interested in having your own Icelandic sheep, we usually sell a few each fall so contact us to see what is available.