Fine Shetland Wool

The Shetland Sheep's roots go back over a thousand years and are thought to have been brought to the Shetland Islands by Viking settlers. They are considered a primitive or "unimproved" breed and are still quite rare with approximately 3000 animals in the USA. They were removed from the UK endangered species list several years ago due to the increased breeding efforts of US breeders.

Rams usually weigh 90 to 125 pounds and ewes about 65 to 95 pounds. Rams usually have spiral horns, whereas the ewes are typically polled. They are fine-boned and their naturally short, fluke-shaped tails do not require docking and wag easily when they like how you scratch them under their chin.

Shetland wool has a fiber diameter range of 20 -28.5 microns. Fleeces usually weigh between 2 and 4 pounds and have a staple length of 5 to 12 inches.

Shetland wool comes in one of the widest ranges of colors of any sheep breed. Besides white, the sheep produce several shades of wool including moorit (reddy/brown), shaela (silvery grey), fawn, grey, dark brown and black. They are often patterned such as krunet (white crown), katmoget (dark belly) and gulmoget (light underneath). There are 11 main colors and at least 30 markings recognized, many still bearing their Shetland dialect names. Many of these colors and markings have become quite rare as white wool has historically commanded better prices.

The wool's color and high quality is often used undyed to make high quality Shetland knitwear. Extra fine ring shawls are knitted, so called because the finest can be passed through a wedding ring. The Shetland wool is prized by handspinners.

Shetland sheep are very hardy, make good mothers, easy lambers and produce plenty of milk. They tame up nicely and make nice pets or can be left alone and require little upkeep. They don't seem to mind a bit of a shower and frequently graze or just lie in the rain. Their wool keeps them from getting wet to the skin and they can shake themselves quite efficiently. They will go to cover in the rain and they seek shade in the hot sun so shelter should be accessable.

The breed standard for Shetland sheep was set in the 1920s. In the US the North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association (NASSA) was established to maintain the purity and quality of the breed and to provide accurate registration and pedigree records for informed breeding decisions. It is important with a Shetland sheep population of this size to watch the gene pool carefully.