Hi, everyone! After posting all those photos of Albie's arrival, I've gotten a lot of questions about him and my sheep, so today's entry will be all about the three of them!
Eliot and I decided to take Albie out to meet Berengaria and Sheepie on the afternoon after Albie's arrival. I wasn't really sure if they would take to him, but they absolutely love him! Berengaria thinks he's her own lamb, and Sheepie seems to think he's a great new playmate. They were all really excited to be together. Do you know what it feels like to have two excited sheep and a lamb come running at you?
Eliot and I decided to take Albie out to meet Berengaria and Sheepie on the afternoon after Albie's arrival. I wasn't really sure if they would take to him, but they absolutely love him! Berengaria thinks he's her own lamb, and Sheepie seems to think he's a great new playmate. They were all really excited to be together. Do you know what it feels like to have two excited sheep and a lamb come running at you?
Getting them to stand still for a group photo was a bit of a challenge, but after they had played together for a while they didn't mind standing still.
These are three very special sheep, all UK Native Conservation breeds on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) list. So that everyone will know who they are, let me introduce you to my sheep.
Berengaria
(Whiteface Dartmoor Ewe)
Berengaria was my first pet sheep, and she comes from Devon -- just over the border from my home county of Cornwall. Whiteface Dartmoors are part of the English Longwool family and are an old breed that was developed during the 1800s from a large variety of other Longwools (including Leicesters and the now-extinct Notts). They come from the moors that are now in Dartmoor National Park. If you're familiar with Blackmore's "Lorna Doone", then you'll know the exact area where this breed lives.
Whiteface Dartmoors are considered to be primarily a meat sheep, but they have very curly, strong fleeces with a long staple length (i.e., the length of each curl). It's not a soft fiber, but it makes sturdy blankets, carpets and tweeds (this means scraaaaatchy). What really excited me about this breed (and the reason I adopted Berengaria) is the fact that the Whiteface ewes are exceptional milkers. They're also known for being wonderful mothers, which was a bonus for Albie. She's already of adopted him as her own!
Whiteface Dartmoors are considered to be primarily a meat sheep, but they have very curly, strong fleeces with a long staple length (i.e., the length of each curl). It's not a soft fiber, but it makes sturdy blankets, carpets and tweeds (this means scraaaaatchy). What really excited me about this breed (and the reason I adopted Berengaria) is the fact that the Whiteface ewes are exceptional milkers. They're also known for being wonderful mothers, which was a bonus for Albie. She's already of adopted him as her own!
Sheepie
(Black Welsh Mountain Ewe)
Sheepie's real name is actually Camilla, but nobody calls her that. She's another special breed that originated in the mountains on the South end of Wales. The breed has spread to areas across the UK and even into North America. This breed is appreciated for meat and wool. Sheepie has much softer wool than Berengaria, though it's much shorter in length. Unlike a lot of other "black" sheep, these Welsh Mountain Blacks have a true black wool! The tips can get sunburnt to a brown colour, but these aren't your typical dark brown sheep referred to as black. Since the wool is so much softer, you can make some really nice things like mittens and sweaters with this fiber.
One of my relatives in Scotland used to have a flock of these sheep. Her very favorite one lived to be more than thirty years old and was called Sheepie -- which is how my Sheepie got her nickname. Here's a picture of the real Sheepie (when she was very old and had just been sheared) from a few years ago.
One of my relatives in Scotland used to have a flock of these sheep. Her very favorite one lived to be more than thirty years old and was called Sheepie -- which is how my Sheepie got her nickname. Here's a picture of the real Sheepie (when she was very old and had just been sheared) from a few years ago.
Albie
(Leicester Longwool Lamb)
And here he is -- the lamb I've been waiting so long for -- Albie! He's a Leicester Longwool, which is a Conservation breed now, having once been a very common breed in England. Sadly, there are fewer than 500 breeding ewes in the UK, making this an endangered breed. They're an amazing breed and perhaps the first well-known example of crossbreeding in sheep. They have really long, curly locks that can be up to 14" long, too! The wool is totally amazing, and you can use it for everything from lace to hats to rugs to doll hair. When Albie grows up, he will be covered in such long locks that you won't even be able to really see his face when it's time to be sheared!
I hope you continue to enjoy Wool Week. Tomorrow we'll start posting about the preparations for the Islandshire Wool Show! Berengaria, Sheepie and Albie hope you'll choose wool next time you go shopping!
Notes about Bunty's Sheep & How They were Made/Found
Alot of you are asking about how Albie was made and where Berengaria and Sheepie came from. Since I can't very well write this section, I've asked Sarah to step in and finish this post.
Berengaria and Sheepie are plush pets on a wire armature, made by Hansa Toy Company. You can find them here: https://hansatoystore.com/products/HANSA-Sheep-Kid-Black-12-3454. They're also available for doll pet adoption on Amazon.com.
Albie was needle-felted by me from real Leicester Longwool locks. Leicester Longwools are the flock that is bred in the conservation program at Colonial Williamsburg, and I was able to purchase two pounds of locks from a registered lamb (called Albert) at Moonbeam Estate Farm in Virginia. Albie was needlefelted on a wire armature, which makes him slightly poseable and sturdier than he would have otherwise been. After the base shape was felted to the armature, I felted individual locks all over him, one at a time, and then trimmed each one with scissors to give him the textured look.
Albie is named for the sheep whose locks I used. For a model, I came across this picture of an adorable Leicester Longwool lamb online and knew that it was the perfect personality for Bunty's lamb.
Berengaria and Sheepie are plush pets on a wire armature, made by Hansa Toy Company. You can find them here: https://hansatoystore.com/products/HANSA-Sheep-Kid-Black-12-3454. They're also available for doll pet adoption on Amazon.com.
Albie was needle-felted by me from real Leicester Longwool locks. Leicester Longwools are the flock that is bred in the conservation program at Colonial Williamsburg, and I was able to purchase two pounds of locks from a registered lamb (called Albert) at Moonbeam Estate Farm in Virginia. Albie was needlefelted on a wire armature, which makes him slightly poseable and sturdier than he would have otherwise been. After the base shape was felted to the armature, I felted individual locks all over him, one at a time, and then trimmed each one with scissors to give him the textured look.
Albie is named for the sheep whose locks I used. For a model, I came across this picture of an adorable Leicester Longwool lamb online and knew that it was the perfect personality for Bunty's lamb.