Shropshire Wool Top

About the fibre

Staple length: 60-100mm. Micron count 31-33.

Medium

Shropshire roving is a lovely, consistent wool with very little kemp. This lofty fiber has a great texture, and is great fun to spin and felt with.

Natural white

Each bag contains 100g of wool.

Origin: United Kingdom

About the breed

Althoug not the oldest sheep breed in the England, the Shropshire Sheep Breeders' Association was the first sheep breed society to be established in the UK, and quite possibly in the world. Were they total nerds to do so? We certainly like to think so! As total wool nerds ourselves, we know that nerdiness is just another word for enthusiasm, and there is lots to be enthusiastic about with this breed.

The breed is a cross of Southdown, Cotswold, and Leicester and originated from the hills of Shropshire and north Staffordshire England. It has been especially popular in the last few years, due to the fact that Shropshire sheep do an excellent job of grazing in treed areas such as forests and orchards, without damaging the trees themselves. In a changing climate, it's vital to find environmentally friendly ways to farm -- being able to raise sheep who can coexist with trees is a great boon for conscientious farmers everywhere.

Amanda Slater from Coventry, West Midlands, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons