Welsh Mountain Wool Top

About the fibre

Staple length 80-100mm. Micron count 31-35

Medium to coarse

100% Welsh Wool Top

Welsh Mountain sheep produce a down-type wool with bounce and loft, with a staple length on the shorter side. The fleece is slightly crisp, and suitable for a range of purposes.This wool is suitable for spinning and felting.

Each bag contains 100g of wool.

About the breed

Welsh Mountain sheep are a small, hardy breed from the higher parts of the Welsh mountains. They are an ancient breed, with references to them in Middle Ages literature.

The breed is well-suited to survive in the harsh environment with high rainfall and freezing winters of the region.

Although not a separate breed from Welsh Mountain, most of the black Welsh Mountain sheep are kept in separate herds selectively bred to carry the genes for their rich natural black colour of wool. They are the only purely black breed of sheep in the UK.

The Livestock Conservancy has given Black Welsh Mountain Sheep a status of "Threatened".

cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons