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We have both white and colored Corriedale sheep. They have beautiful, soft spinning fleeces. Our foundation stock comes from a farm in Colorado, Gleason's Fine Woolies,
where they have been breeding for superior award-winning fleeces for many years.
The Corriedale was developed in New Zealand and Australia during the late 1800's. It was developed by crossing Lincoln and Leicester rams on Merino females. Its popularity is such that it is now the second most significant breed in the world after the Merino.
The Corriedale was bred to be a dual purpose sheep with a fine fleece and a large frame with good carcass quality. They are also polled. The fiber ranges in micron from 31.5 to 24.5 and the fleece weight ranges from 10 to 17 pounds giving a yield percentage of 50 to 60%. Staple lengths range 3.5 to 6 inches. Mature rams will weigh 175 to 275 pounds with mature ewes ranging from 130 to 180 pounds.
Spinning count for Corriedales will usually fall between 50's and 60's. It is a great "all-around" wool, in my opinion. It is soft enough for next to the skin, is durable, and has a lot of loft and memory. The wool has a distinctive crimp. I have found that it is a wonderful fiber for just about anything I want to produce. Plus it is an excellent felting wool, which is an added bonus.
I have white, black,
charcoal, and a luscious dark brown in my flock. I hope to add more silver and gray next year, along with more white. We shear once a year in late January or early February. Fleeces are heavily skirted and sold whole, raw, washed and as roving. Sometime I have 80% wool and 20% mohair rovings for sale, handpainted rovings, and finished hand-spun yarns, and products.
Some people think they are allergic to wool…. And, some are. However, a lot of people are allergic to the chemicals that are used in large manufacturers. Many find that they can wear naturally processed wool quite well.
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