Fiber Artist Profile: Candace Tresnak

What fiber art(s) do you participate in and for how long have you done each one?
I started my journey into fiber arts about 4 years ago. I wanted to learn how to weave because I was really into babywearing my youngest daughter. I wanted to learn how all these threads became cloth. Then, I bought some fiber that wasn't plied and I bought a spinning wheel, because "it needed to be plied". That was in August of 2016. Then, I needed something to do with all the yarn I was (sort of) making. So, I learned how to crochet in the summer of 2017. Then I realized I didn't want to "waste" my yarn by using it for crochet, so I learned to knit in December odf 2018. I have tried a little felting here and there as well.

When did you start working with fiber from rare breeds of sheep?
I bought quite a few fleeces before I went back to work - so in the summer of 2017. I purchased some Black Welsh Mountain, Jacob, Romedale (I have a number of entire fleeces from that breed), Shetland, as well as some Clun Forest. The first raw fleece I ever purchased was a Lincoln x. So, not eligible, but I think it retained much of the Lincoln traits.

What was your biggest surprise when you purchased your first rare breed wool?
Nothing really. I have probably over 100 pounds of wool sitting around waiting for me to process it, so I think it would take a lot to surprise me.

Have you had any challenges purchasing wool directly from shepherds?
Yes. I have had some difficulty locating certain breeds - the hair ones for sure. And Lincoln at the moment! The rest I have already purchased and it's washed or in progress.

What do you love most about working with rare breeds?
Learning about new and different wools!

What is your favorite wool from sheep on the Conservation Priority List and why?
I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying Karakul. I washed it, and when I went to comb it, things didn't go well. My go-to is combing, so I had to ask for tips. I ended up flicking the ends, running it through my picker, and I am going to card it.

What bit of advice would you give another fiber artists who is just starting to explore the world of rare breed wools?
Be flexible! Understand that fleece is going to be different from one shepherd to the next. If possible, try to get two sources and see how much different they are! Also, sheep are dirty. You're probably not going to get coated fleece (and if you are - it's going to cost a lot more). Enjoy and embrace the process!

Shepherd's Profile: Kim Day

Kim and Dave Day of Red Rope Farm in Douglassville, PA has been raising Tunis since 2006. Their son added Jacob sheep to their flock in 2017.

Tunis and Jacob grazing in the pastures

Why should a breeder sell their wool?

Any shepherd who raises wool sheep should definitely sell their wool crop. Wool is a renewable source and sheep produce it yearly, as long as they live. Wool is a wonderful fiber that insulates and wicks moisture. With so many breeds of sheep there is a type of wool fiber for every project, from rugs and tapestries to baby sweaters and lace shawls to felted baskets and purses. By increasing our use of wool fibers we may lessen our dependence on synthetics, and therefore, help our environment as a result.

Tunis raw wool

Why have you chosen to sell your wool in the form you do (raw, roving, yarn, etc)?

We sell our wool as raw fleeces,roving and yarn. By giving different choices we hope to appeal to a wider group of people. Some like to process their wool from beginning to finished product, while others prefer to spin or work with yarn that's been spun for them.

Tunis roving

What is one important thing you have learned about sheep management as it relates to selling their wool?

In order to sell wool (in any form) to fiber artists, you need to keep the fleeces clean and care for each sheep's health. You need to be watchful about pasture health so that thistles and burrs don't invade fields and find their way into fleeces. Hay needs to be fed in a manner so that the sheep don't get covered in it, which sometimes means building your own hay mangers. Illness or parasite load can affect the structural integrity of a fleece, so you need to look your sheep over each day. When the sheep's body is under stress, it funnels energy and nutrition to fight that stressor rather that to grow their fleece, leaving a weak area in the wool staple.

What is one surprising thing you learned about coating your sheep -- or having sheep that are not coated?

We coated our sheep for a few years but dealt with several fleeces felting under the coats. We decided it worked best for us to leave our sheep uncoated and focus on keeping their environment clean.

Tunis yarn

What is one important thing you learned about selling your wool?

You can't lump all wool into one category. Different breeds have different wool qualities and work best in a variety of projects.

Shepherd Profile: Deb Potter

This is part of a series on shepherds who raise sheep on the Conservation Priority List. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The Livestock Conservancy.

You can find Deb Potter of Merciful Hearts Farm on Facebook and Instagram.

What breed do you have and how long have you had them? 

We have a handful of breeds that are on the list and have been raising sheep for 20 years here in Upstate South Carolina. We started with Tunis and have often leaned toward the breeds on your list. We currently have Jacob (5 adults), Hog Island (5 adults), Shetland (3 adults), Lincoln (2 adults), Cotswold (1 adult). We were also blessed to raise a Navajo Churro orphan several years ago and still have some of his fleeces. My husband is a part time shearer (only about 75 farms) and shears for farms that have Clun Forest, Gulf Coast Native & Southdown. When others reach out to us asking for guidance in establishing their own flocks, we usually recommend they strongly consider breeds on the Conservancy list.

Why should a breeder sell their wool?

Although the obvious answer would be that it brings in a little more money to offset farm costs, it goes a lot deeper. As fiber artists/makers/crafters explore wool it is nice to give them a choice beyond the few commercially popular choices. Most fiber artists love texture and it is easy to see an amazing array of textures, color variations and other aspects of rare wool to incorporate into their work. I've always been a storyteller so find that most of my customers love to follow my Instagram as well as hear my stories of the sheep and their backgrounds and history. It is also a good way for the community to support those of us trying to continue the legacy of these precious sheep. The movement to support local and smaller farms has also worked in our favor. We like to have products from our wool available for those reaching out to support local farmers.

Why have you chosen to sell your wool in the form you do (raw, roving, yarn, etc)?

We sell raw fleece but I will also be selling my handspun as time allows. As it is, most of the people I directly encounter want the "complete experience" from fleece to finished project. I recently reached out to a local yarn shop that hosts a spinners group. I brought in fiber samples (raw & just washed up) from our various breeds and also spread a tarp out on the floor and dumped a freshly shorn and skirted Jacob fleece on it. We had a great time talking fiber characteristics and it also gave me an opportunity to explain the ups and downs of sheep farming. I do a very well attended weekly farmer market in downtown Greenville, SC so also use that time to educate visitors. That is where I will sell the bulk of my handspun. Not only do I have a local following for my yarns and other value added wool products, Greenville gets an amazing number of visitors literally from around the world. They are often looking for something easy to pack to take home from their trip. And they especially love something with a local connection or story.

What is one important thing you have learned about sheep management as it relates to selling their wool?

As well as we manage the sheep in terms of diet, pasture, feeding process, etc. it is still in our very best interest to skirt fleeces dramatically and be very straightforward with the condition of fleeces and amount of VM. In the long run, it makes a lot more sense to sell a smaller amount of good quality clean fleece and have happy customers than to offload a bunch of fleece until your reputation and customer dissatisfaction catches up with you.

Why do you not coat your sheep?

It is a lot of extra work and with our humidity and other issues we would be hard pressed to keep up with it all. Good on those who do - we just prefer not to.

What is one surprising thing you learned about having sheep that are not coated?

Again, never wanting to compare our practices to others, we are able to produce enough quality fleece on healthy sheep that we are content. And I love to look across my pastures and see woolly sheep ;-)

What is one important thing you learned about selling your wool?

A good fleece from an honest seller will give many returns in repeat business and new customer referrals. It is good to keep up with social media and understand that many fiber artists want to know "who" their fleece is. I try to provide a picture with every fleece and also a name and story. I am also quite straightforward about the challenges of shepherding as well as the joys! Much of what we do is relationship based - our relationships are with our sheep, others in our farm community, our customers and all that we may impact in person and online. Selling the wool is important; promoting sheep and wool in general is also something that we thoroughly enjoy!

Shepherd Profile: Jason Seelow

This is part of a series of Q&As with shepherds who raise sheep on the Conservation Priority List for wool. The opinions expressed by the shepherds do not necessarily reflect those of The Livestock Conservancy.

Jason Seelow is a fourth generation sheep farmer. He was raised in central Illinois on a grain and sheep farm. He moved to Iowa and now raises sheep with his wife and two children. They started raising Lincoln Longwools after 35 years of raising Rambouillets. The Lincolns are on the Conservancy's list in the "Threatened" category. They have nine ewes and a ram named Phil.

"Our Lincoln flock is a new adventure that we purchased for our girls to show and raise," says Jason. "We like the Lincoln Breed because they are rare and need to be cared for. Also they are great mothers and gain well. The lambs are very hardy. The wool they produce is a nice long lustrous super strong tensile strength for carpet wool."

Why should a breeder sell their wool? 

We get a satisfaction when someone can take our product and make something from it.

Why have you chosen to sell wool in the form you do? 

We mainly sell raw wool, but we have a fiber mill close by that we work with that will process Roving, Combed top etc so a person can buy a fleece from me and I will hand deliver for free to the mill. They work with the mill to process into their choice of product.

Most important thing for management when selling wool is... 

Clean wool sells better and can get more money for it.

Why do you coat your sheep? 

We coat our sheep for 6-9 months of the year when we are feeding alfalfa hay. Hay chaff is one of the handspinners nemesis and so we do our best to prevent the contamination as good as we can.

What have you learned about coating sheep?

It can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. They do take a lot of management to maintain. Sewing up tears, washing, etc are important to maintain the coats. Also if the coat gets too tight as the wool grows it can make a fine wool felt as the coat rubs against the wool. The sheep will destroy the coat if there are sharp objects for them to catch on, so you need to go around the barn yard and fix any fence or problem areas. My first year using coats on our Rambouillets I didn’t take the coat off when the ewe had a lamb and the baby was caught in the coat strap and got strangled by mom. It was heartbreaking but we now remove the coat the first 2-3 days until the lamb gets more familiar with the environment.

What have you learned about selling wool? 

Clean wool sells better and you can ask a premium for it. Every wool type has a purpose and it’s important to understand the limitations and exploit its benefits. Set your goals up and work with them.

Fiber artist profile: Rebecca Kleinschmidt

This is part of our series on fiber artists who are participating in Shave 'Em to Save 'Em.

What fiber art(s) do you participate in and for how long have you done each one?
Knitting and crocheting for over 40 years. Some weaving and felting for a very short time years ago.

When did you start working with fiber from rare breeds of sheep?
This is my first time. I started spinning about 2 months ago and simply loving this initiative.

What was your biggest surprise when you purchased your first rare breed wool?
How different it was versus commercial roving. The commercial wool I purchase seems more compact and needs to be divided to get a more consistent spin; it feels commercialized. Roving directly from the shepherds is lighter and feels softer. I am a very new spinner, so the wool that I purchased directly from the farmer is easier because I can see the individual staples better and the roving/combed top is processed in such that it does not need much separating. I just get it started and it almost spins itself!

Have you had any challenges purchasing wool directly from shepherds?
Most shepherds are very responsive but the Hog Island roving I purchased was really dirty. It left a pile of dust on my lap and each inch had VM. 🙁

What do you love most about working with rare breeds? 
The variance in the different breeds. Learning what fiber/breed type is best for which project. Some of the wool is much lighter or softer than others. Examples: yarn spun from CVM/Romeldale is much lighter and ’spongey’ compared to yarn spun from Shetland. The CVM would be better suited for next to skin wear versus Shetland geared more towards outerwear or winter accessories such as mittens or hats.

What is your favorite wool from sheep on the Conservation Priority List and why?
Although I like most of them, Tunis and Cotswold are my favorites so far. They are easy to spin for a newbie like myself.

What bit of advice would you give another fiber artists who is just starting to explore the world of rare breed wools?
Give it a try! Even spinners that have been working with fiber for many years are experiencing something new.