I recently received a lovely bit of wool from one of my Instagram spinning mates. The wool came from Harley, a Harlequin sheep that lives on a small family farm, not too far from her.
Harley had quite a bit of chaff in his locks. Probably from lazy, sunny afternoons, napping in the fields, then giving himself a big stretch and back scratch by rolling around in the hay.
Post Washing
Miniature Harlequin Sheep ~ photo credits: harlequinsheepinfo.com
Some things to know about these sheep:
- A rare breed of sheep that originated in the U.S.
- Easy going temper and easy to handle.
- They are classified as a miniature sheep though size can range and can be registered as classics as well.
- The fleece has spots of color and can have blue eyes.
- Hornless
History:
Some 30 years ago, Kathleen Sterling, the owner of Black Sheep Farm East started the breeding program of Harlequin’s. The goal was to produce a fleece that had a variety of color, texture and staple length.
Some of the sheep used to develop the flock: Karakul, Tunis, Corriedale, Lincoln, Border Leicester, Romney, Montadle, Coopworth, Finn-Rambouillet, Southdown rams. The flock was closed about 15 years ago.
Summary of information obtained from harlequinsheepinfo.com
With the bits of chaff, I was not deterred from making some lovely punis rolags from the beautiful colors he offered up.