Shetland Wool Top

About the fibre

Staple length: 90mm. Micron count 29-31

Medium

Shetland are classified as a down-type breed with well-defined spiral crimps. The amount of crimp varies between individual sheep.

If you are a spinner looking to make luxurious laceweight yarns, this is an excellent option!

Each bag contains 100g of fibre.

Origin: United Kingdom

About the breed

Shetland sheep have been raised on the Islands of the same name since the 8th century CE, and are thought to been brought there by Scandinavian settlers.

Shetland wool is especially well known for its silky, soft handle, and for the great contribution it made to the economy of the region. Before Merino wool was commercially available to nearly everyone, Shetland wool was the highest standard in fineness and elasticity available in the British Isles. Roughly over the last two centuries, the Islanders developed an additional homegrown industry of handknit and handwoven items. The Fair Isle technique of knitting with two colours in the round was developed here, as the many natural colours of Shetland wool lent themselves to creating visual patterns.

Andrew from UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons