The breed was developed on the edge of Derbyshire Peak District dating back to around 1770 and is one of the oldest hill breeds in the UK. Derbyshire Gritstone are listed on the RBST rare breeds list. They are a very hardy sheep and they are able to thrive well on very rough grounds. The breed has excellent maternal instincts and the animals are large in size which really suits the demands of today and being able to farm on the terrain.
Derbyshire Gritstone have lovely black and white markings on their legs and faces and the most beautiful big lofty white fleece which has a corkscrew like crimp to it. Unlike other hill breeds, the Derbyshire Gritstone has a medium to soft fleece and in our opinion its the next best wool to a Mule only we haven’t tried wet felting with it and that is something the Mule can give. The lock ends are really nice for needle felting. The carded wool is excellent for core wool and even spinning. It’s a really easy wool for beginners to work with and the staple length is long enough to peg loom weave with. The only thing is that the fleeces hardly ever come as partially felted, they are always very loose and nice defined locks so it’s really got that workable craft direction. It’s very easy to colour with dye pots too.
Average Fleece Weight - 2-3kg
Average Staple Length - 3-4 inches
Micron Range 31-33
Recommended Craft Area:- Needle felting, peg loom rug weaving, spinning. Arts and crafts that need easy, workable white wool
The breed was developed on the edge of Derbyshire Peak District dating back to around 1770 and is one of the oldest hill breeds in the UK. Derbyshire Gritstone are listed on the RBST rare breeds list. They are a very hardy sheep and they are able to thrive well on very rough grounds. The breed has excellent maternal instincts and the animals are large in size which really suits the demands of today and being able to farm on the terrain.
Derbyshire Gritstone have lovely black and white markings on their legs and faces and the most beautiful big lofty white fleece which has a corkscrew like crimp to it. Unlike other hill breeds, the Derbyshire Gritstone has a medium to soft fleece and in our opinion its the next best wool to a Mule only we haven’t tried wet felting with it and that is something the Mule can give. The lock ends are really nice for needle felting. The carded wool is excellent for core wool and even spinning. It’s a really easy wool for beginners to work with and the staple length is long enough to peg loom weave with. The only thing is that the fleeces hardly ever come as partially felted, they are always very loose and nice defined locks so it’s really got that workable craft direction. It’s very easy to colour with dye pots too.
Average Fleece Weight - 2-3kg
Average Staple Length - 3-4 inches
Micron Range 31-33
Recommended Craft Area:- Needle felting, peg loom rug weaving, spinning. Arts and crafts that need easy, workable white wool
