Eider Wool Top

About the fibre

Staple length 75mm. Micron count 27-31

Medium

This weather-proof wool has good loftiness and durability. It has a high crimp, which is somewhat unusual for a coarser wool. It would be an excellent choice for felting projects. 

Each bag contains 100g of wool.

About the breed

Eider wool is interesting, in that there is no such thing as an "Eider sheep."  Whoever came up with the name "Eider wool" was counting on everyone associating the fleece with the inner down duck feathers once commonly used in pillows and duvets. The term was probably coined in the 1930s, at the time when the breed was developed.

The wool is produced by the German Whiteheaded Mutton Sheep. Farmers in northern Germany wanted a sheep that retained all the useful, hardy qualities of the marshland sheep they already had, but in a more economically viable meat producer.

Breeds from the UK were imported and crossbred into the local sheep, and the result was exactly what they wanted. The sheep even helped maintain the dykes by encouraging grass growth, and tampening down the earth with their hooves.

Alternate breed names

Weißköpfiges Fleischschaf, Oldenburg White Head, Whiteheaded German, Whiteheaded Marsh, Whiteheaded Oldenburg

A 2.5-year-old Eider ewe. Photo by Anton Hornbläser