Scotland is not all about castles…..(well, there are quite a few, with different writers saying around 1500 or as many as 3000)
Kilts……..(didn’t see many of them out and about, but some gents wear them quite well!)
or Country Dancing….(something I tried, but gave up on quite a while ago).
But this time of year it most definitely is about
SHEEP.
In fact, this time of year, there are field after field of ewes and their newborn lambs. Hundreds — no thousands of them. Bruce and I arrived in Scotland in about the middle of lambing season, and the cuteness factor was way off the scale.
I can’t even say how grateful I was that the shepherds and shepherdesses we visited were willing to take time out of really hectic days and nights to talk to us about their wonderful flocks.
Best of all, it gave me another opportunity to fulfill my ongoing ambition of being a cheerleader for sheep.
While that may sound a little bizarre, in fact there are way too many species that are rare, or endangered of being extinct if they are not properly cared for, bred, and marketed for their unique and wonderful fleece. Do all sheep have great fleece? No. And most of the sheep I saw along the roads were being bred for food. And, not all of the rare and endangered sheep have wool that by itself, would be just what you want to weave or knit with.
Marketing rare breeds can be tricky. One of the shop keepers I spoke with said that the “average” buyer wanted yarn that was 100% something. The example she gave was of Shetland wool, which is eagerly sought out and nearly universally loved. I personally think it could be a little softer, and my own reaction is that it would benefit from blending with an ultra soft wool to make it more “skin” friendly. So what about 100% Scottish wool? She shook her head and said that her overseas customers would see that as a hodgepodge of multi-sourced fleece, and that even say a 80/20 blend wouldn’t sell as well as 100%. Clearly, those of us who look for wool for its properties rather than its percentages have some work to do.
Obviously there are two ways to adjust fleece characteristics: cross-breed, or blend. Let’s look first at cross breeding. Alison and Fergus of Bunloit Woolery have a small flock on their croft 20 miles or so southwest of Inverness near Loch Ness. For the last 6 years their lambs have been named using the alphabet as the starter. This year is “f” and I believe that Alison is holding Fergus (it’s no relation to her husband). Last year they had a ewe who received the unfortunate name of “Ewes-less” and needless to say, she’s no longer a member of the flock.
The sheep of Bunloit Woolery are mainly Gotland and two Gotland/Shetland mixes that produce lovely, lustrous fleece. Alison spins as much as she can for sale in their shop and creates lovely hand dyed batts for spinning. Those fleeces that don’t quite measure up become rugs.
Like many of the makers I met on this trip, Alison and Fergus find themselves a refuge for fleece from other crofters who think the fleece might be useful, but are not up to marketing it on their own. While not all of the fleece can be used for spinning, it can be used for stuffing pillows and for insulation, a big step up from being buried or burned. Right now they have a shed full of fleece, all marked and ready for use…and shearing hasn’t even started this year.
After years of teaching at the University level in England, these two decided to pack it up and move back to Scotland and look for a croft to see if they could develop a more self-sufficient and sustainable lifestyle. The croft they purchased used to be larger, but at some point was cut into 3 pieces. Over time, they have been able to add some of the original land back in, and now grow an amazing range of fruits and vegetables in garden plots and greenhouses.
In their spare time (I can’t even imagine having a minute of that) Fergus has developed a number of tools for processing wool, like this “picker” that takes the vm and other detritus out of the fleece and prepares it for carding. Unlike other makers of this type of machine, the carding nails are not off-set, and so do not pull the locks apart. It’s quick and easy to use, and cuts down the time of the first stages of fleece processing.
In addition to lazy Kates, shuttles, and Turkish drop spindles, Fergus also makes a series of different types of Niddy Noddies. This flat model on the right really caught my eye. The design is based on an artifact from a Viking grave. I asked Fergus to pick one out for me, and I brought home one made of rowan wood. The rowan tree is said to have magic. It is supposed to provide protection next to the dwellings where it is planted. Druids used its bark and berries to dye clothing used in lunar rituals black, and it was once common for folk to carry a small piece of rowan wood with them for protection. It is a very sturdy and resilient and makes for good walking sticks. It also was commonly used to carve tool handles, spindles and spinning wheels. It’s a special addition to my collection of knitting and spinning tools.
While Alison and Fergus made their break with academia and the “fast lane” some time ago, they are among a large group of crofters I met who for their own personal reasons, have returned to the land in an effort to improve their lives. Standing on the hill overlooking the verdant green fields full of happily munching sheep, I can’t say I blame them. It’s a difficult life, and hard work, but I could feel the peace of this location seeping in through my shoes and it was hard to say goodbye after such a wonderful afternoon of talking sheep and everything else under the sun. The next time you are near Inverness, take the small lane named Bunloit, and just about the time you think you might have missed it, you’ll see the Bunloit Woolery sign. Prepare to enjoy yourself.
About Crossing Breeds
I mentioned that Alison and Fergus had crossed Gotlands with Shetlands, and ended up with some lovely, soft fleece. This is the best outcome, of course, but crosses can also yield unusual or unexpected results. Here, for example, is the Castlemilk Moorit, a sheep with so many crosses that you might call them a “boutique” sheep. They are a mix of Manx Loaghtan, Shetland, Soay and Wiltshire Horn, and were developed in the 1900s to decorate the estate of Sir John Buchanan Jardine. Decorative does not necessarily mean great fleece, but it definitely is useable, though extremely tough and heavy, in my opinion. I knit a shawl (that still need blocking) with two skeins of DK-weight 100% Castlemilk Moorit yarn, and it weighs a ton. It wasn’t quite large enough, so added a border with a Castlemilk/alpaca blend that has a different color. It was much softer, and that leads me to the discussion of blended versus crossed fleece. That will happen in the next post. There are other crosses I would like to bring up as well; all of these have had different outcomes, and believe me, it’s a science to getting the outcome you want.
Meanwhile….
I got a note from someone on Etsy that the design for the Yarn Tree was no longer available. This was a Christmas present from Bruce one year when I was having some difficulty handling all of my colorwork yarns to lay out different combinations for several designs. It is meant to be made with few tools and many scraps of wood, etc., that you might already have. The “branches” are made of old metal knitting needles, some of which came from my mom and grandmother, and others from members of my Wednesday knitting group. In addition to making this for me, he drew out very detailed plans that are easy to follow. If you would like to purchase the plans, you can find them here. Bruce is always available for consultation if you get stuck.