The catchment area of the river Tywi, was the breeding grounds for the Balwen sheep and the ancestry of all Balwens can be traced back to the Tywi valley.
The wool is softer than that of the Black Welsh Mountain
weight 1,5-2 kg.
staple length 5-7,5cm.
fiber diameter 28-32 micron.
A black sheep from Wales. The fleece is coarse to medium with moderate lustre. The fleece can hold kemp and black, grey or red fibres.
weight 1,2-2 kg.
staple length 8-10 cm.
fiber diameter 32-40 micron.
Caste
Milk Moorit
One of the largest
of the primitive breeds. Light brown or moorit in colour, they have definite
mouflon pattern. The fleece is short, of good quality and almost no kemp.
weight 1-1,5 kg.
staple length 7-10 cm.
fiber diameter 29-31 micron.
Dorset
Horn
A very old breed
from the south of England. The wool is fairly short, full-handling and
springy. It is often blended with other fleece types to add elasticity
and crispness to yarn.
weight 2-3 kg.
staple length7,5-10 cm.
fiber diameter 27-32 micron.
Kerry
Hill
Originated from
the Kerry Hill area in Wales. They are easily recognized by their distinctive
white faces with sharply defined black patches on noses, eyes, ears and
legs. The fleece is dense and one of the softest British fleeces. Some
fleeces contain coloured fibers and kemp.
Weight 2,2-3 kg.
staple lenght 6-12 cm.
fibre diameter 26-29 micron
Lleyn
Developed on
the Lleyn Peninsula of northwestern Wales. The wool has very little luster
but contains no kemp had has a good loft.
weight 2-3 kg.
staple lenght 10-13 cm.
fibre diameter 26-31 micron
Manx
Loghtan
Decending from
the primitive breeds from Scotland and the Islands. Many Manx Loghtan
are to be found on the Isle of Man. The fleece is open and airy with short
tapered tips, moderate crimp and almost no lustre and natural reddish
brown.
weight 1,5-2 kg.
staple length 7-10cm.
fiber diameter 28-32 micron.
Norfolk
Horn
The now rare
breed was one of the original parents of the Suffolk. They have dark faces
and legs and both sexes are horned. They grow a white, medium down-type
fleece with blocky staples and well-developed crimp.
weight 1,5-2 kg.
staple length 7-10 cm.
fiber diameter 26-29 micron.
It originated in England about 1830 from crossings of Cotswold rams and Hampshire Down ewes with some Southdown blood. They have dark brown faces and legs. They have a typical medium down fleece with a staple that is slightly longer than usual.
weight 3-4 kg.
staple length 7-12,5 cm.
fiber diameter 28-34 micron.
Now one of Britain's rare breeds. It has a tan face and legs. Both sexes are horned. They produce a medium to coarse fleece. The staples are blocky in shape and have square tips.
weight 2-3 kg.
staple length 6-9 cm.
fiber diameter 26-31 micron.
Rouge
de l'Ouest
A milk sheep from France with a red head. The fleece is fine and lustrous
with a good handle
weight 1,5-2 kg.
staple lenght 8-12 cm.
fibre diameter 24-31 micron
One of Britain's oldest breeds. The wool is a down type with a soft, ligt springy handle, contains very little kemp and few coloured fibers. The wool is used alone or in blends with similar fleece for hosiery, handknitting wools and high quality tweeds.
weight 2-3 kg.
staple length 6-9 cm.
fiber diameter 26-31 micron.
A hardy sheep which do well under rugged and varying climatic conditions. They have brown faces, ears and legs. Their down type wool is spongy and springy, the staples are large and rectangular with nearly flat tips.
weight 2-3 kg.
staple length 7,5-10 cm.
fiber diameter 26-30 micron
The original down sheep. The breed has figured in the evolution and development of all other down breeds. It's the smallest of all down breeds, has short wooly legs and a light brown face. It provide the finest of the down wools and is full-handling and spongy.
weight 2-3 kg.
staple length 5-7 cm.
fiber diameter 23-28 micron
The most widespread breed in the UK. It was developed in the 19th century. The short, down-type fleece has large, rectangular staples with nearly flat tips. It is full-handling and springy. Dark hairy fibres can often be found in the fleece.
weight 2,5-3 kg.
staple length 7,5-10 cm.
fiber diameter 26-28 micron
Since the beginning of the last century, dairy farmers in the Freisland region of Holland have kept Zwartbles Sheep, a strikingly handsome black sheep with a distinctive white blaze. Wool must be black from the skin, age- related grey on quarters is permissible. weight 3,5-4 kg.
staple length 9,5-11 cm.
fiber diameter 27-30 micron