Schacht Farm Fiber
Icelandic fleece is dual coated, with a fine, soft undercoat called thel and a longer, coarser outer coat called tog. The tog fiber has a spinning count of 56-60 and a micron count of 27-30. Thel is the soft downy undercoat, with a spinning count of 64-70 and a micron count of 19-22. The thel and tog have traditionally been spun together to provide the softness of the thel and the durability of the tog all in one beautiful yarn!!
We understand the needs of a handspinner. A great deal of planning and work goes in to producing a beautiful fleece for spinning. Our flock also has constant access to mineral mix which helps reduce the likelihood of vitamin and mineral deficiencies and in turn allows the sheep to grow a more consistently gorgeous fleece. We also add kelp to their diet which has been found to aid in producing a soft and luxurious fiber.
We shear in early fall before we begin feeding hay for the winter. We shear again in March before the lambs arrive and the new spring grass allows them to forage. We thoroughly skirt our fleeces knowing that handspinners expect them to be clean of vegetative matter. The fall shearing is excellent for handspinners while the spring shearing is most often used for felting.
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| Yarn:
We offer our handspun (no, not the kind that looks sort of like handspun but was really done by a machine- we are talking about the real stuff) lopi style (single ply thick worsted with little twist) yarn in the various Icelandic shades. The yarn is soft but strong. Because it has very little twist, the variations in color found in the fleece are evident in the finished product. A picture of the ewe who grew the fiber is on each skein wrapper. Varying weights and colors. Contact us for details. $3.50/ oz.
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Roving for Spinners: Our roving comes from fall fleeces that are well skirted. Contact us for availability and an exact shipping quote. $2.00/ oz. + shipping
New arrivals from the mill:
Oatmeal: Silky handle, combining one adult and four lamb fleeces in creamy white, morrit spotted and morrit grey.
Creamy White: Lustrous and soft handle consisting of four Icelandic lamb fleeces and two adult fleece.
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| Batts |
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Batts for Felters or Quilters: We meticulously skirt our spring fleeces and have them processed into batts. They are available in the many natural Icelandic colors. The batts are generally 10-18 ounces each and are $1.25/ ounce. SOLD OUT.
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Raw Fleeces:
Hagar: This black mouflon ewe lamb has wonderful black fleece with heavy grey fibers and a touch of red highlights...wonderful variation!!! Her lamb fleece is rich in thel and full of soft ringlets. Total skirted weight: 2lb./2oz. $51.00 + shipping
To save on shipping costs I am willing to send purchased fleeces directly to the mill of your choice.
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