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Greetings to you from Circle Hill Farm outside Bradford, Ohio. My name is Kathie and my husband Jim and I live on ten acres of land which are home to 13 llamas, one alpaca and 21 Shetland Sheep. We have been raising llamas for 13 years and sheep for about five. We have a love affair going with all our animals because it seems we don’t really try very hard to sell them. Once they are born here we can’t let them go.
I would like to give you a little information on Llamas and Shetland Sheep so you know their background when you see their fiber for sale.
Llamas are herd animals and with the exception of those who are used as guard animals for sheep, need the companionship of other llamas. Guard Llamas bond with the sheep they are protecting. They have a three-compartment stomach and chew their cud like sheep. They can be kept on a variety of pastures or hay and are very easy on the environment.
Llamas are very gentle, curious, loving animals who are members of the camelid family which also includes camels, alpacas, guanacos and vicunas. They have a life span of approximately 15-20 years and weigh from 250-500 lbs. Their babies are called crias and they have a gestation period of about 350 days. Most births are complication free and the majority of females are great mothers. Ours have always been very protective and very good milkers and moms. They give kisses which they do by blowing softly on your face.
Their fiber colors range from white to black with shades of gray, beige, brown, and red brown in between. Most have what is called guard hair which protects them from rain and the elements and have a soft undercoat. This undercoat varies from llama to llama in softness. Today more llamas are being bred for their fiber and the quality of many approaches the alpaca which has very beautiful soft fiber. Llama isn’t wool, it has a hollow core, non-scratchy and is light and lofty and best spun fine. Most people allergic to wool can wear Llama fiber.
Their fiber is grease free, lightweight and very warm. It can be easily blended with other fibers to increase elasticity and beauty. Spinning it is a joy and the resulting yarn can be easily made into sweaters, hats, mittens and various items.
*Peruvian shepherds worshiped the constellation Lyra, which they saw as three llamas: two adults and a
young one. That little tidbit is all part of Llama history.
Shetland Sheep are a small unimproved primitive breed who are on the conservation watch list. It is one of the first things that attracted us to them. Being part of saving a breed is very satisfying. They are calm, docile and easy to manage. The rams usually weigh 90-125 lbs. and ewes about 75-100 lbs. The rams have horns and most ewes are polled. Their tails don’t require docking.
I don’t care what people say about sheep not having a lot of smarts. Ours know when the vet is coming and they don’t care what treats we put in the barn, they aren’t going in. If we can get one interested, the others will usually follow. Little Ginger has a mind of her own, though. She just looks at us and plants her feet.
Their beautiful wool is next only to Merino in softness. Their micron count does vary from sheep to sheep and I have a few whose wool is best for outer garments and felting but so much fun to spin. Then I have Ginger and some others whose wool is very soft. The softest comes from the first clipping of the babies which is called Hogget and is premium wool.
In the Shetland Islands the wool is spun very fine and made into lace that can be pulled through a wedding ring. Their colors have the widest range of any breed and retained their Shetland dialect names. There are 11 main colors as well as 30 markings. Unfortunately, some of the colors and markings have become rare because of breeding for white which commands a better price.
Every Spring we clip the llamas and have the sheep sheared which eventually causes quite a buildup of fleeces. As soon as my sheep are sheared, I try to get the fleeces skirted and the chaff cleaned out of them. Then I send them to the mill to be turned into what is called roving. Roving is ready for the spinner to spin. It can be dyed , spun, knit in this form, and felted.
Spinning is an ancient art that is slowly reviving in the 21st century. It is very good for tension relieving and for building a sense of accomplishment as the roving becomes yarn and then becomes a scarf, hat, mittens, sweater or many other items that are part of the fiber experience. Spinners also spin to weave many items.
I spun for a couple years and slowly built up quite a lot of yarn. Then I realized that I would have to do something with this beautiful product or I couldn’t justify spinning anymore. So, I dusted off my knitting needles and crochet hooks, got out my instruction books and proceeded to make some hats, scarves and mittens. My next project is socks. I have one sock done and now hope to figure out how I knitted that one and finish the second one. :>
Well, at the rate I spin after work and on the weekends there is no way I can utilize all this beautiful roving. So, I decided that instead of going to fiber shows to buy more fiber for my stash, I would become a vendor.
I started with one show and met other fiber enthusiasts which is always fun. Along with a fellow guild member, yarn shop owner and other fiber lovers I worked to bring a wool festival to Troy, Ohio in 2007. It
was very successful and we had our second annual show in May. Next year we are going to go to a two day show.
One thing led to another and Jim and I decided it would be great to have a shop on our property. We opened in November of 2007 and look forward to watching it grow.
Now, this opportunity opened up with Sharon for a shop in her virtual mall. Why not! We have all this beautiful fiber of our own to offer. In addition, I have some lovely 100% Blue Face Leicester in white and dark brown and colors in 100% Corriedale and some Finn roving from New Zealand. My llama and Shetland quantities are limited to stock on hand because they only give me one fleece a year. However, I will be stocking other Shetland rovings.
I recommend you find a fiber shop close to you to try out a wheel, pick out some fiber and get prepared for one of the happiest experiences of your life. You may be amazed at how many people in your area are involved in spinning. The learning never ends, the directions it can lead you are an adventure.
There’s an old spinning wheel in the parlor,
Spinning tales of the long, long ago;
Spinning dreams of an old-fashioned garden,
And the life that I’m longing to know.
*American spinning song courtesy of “Spin Span Spun” by Bette Hochberg
Come into my shop, relax, look around and enjoy.
The first thing you see when you open the door is my wool wall. Unfortunately, in this web shop you can’t feel the wool but I will try to give you a good idea of what to expect. All fiber and wool is sold in four ounce bags. The fiber is all in roving form, clean and ready to spin. In my Llama and Shetland you may rarely find a little bit of chaff.
Shipping is not included. Rates are listed below. United States sales only and all sales are final. Since I am a small dealer, all items pass through my hands and guaranteed not to be defective.
$0 - $15.00 - $6.95
$15.01 - $25.00 - $7.95
$25.01 - $35.00 - $8.95
$35.01 - $55.00 - $9.95
$55.01 - $75.00 - 10.95
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