FINNSHEEP Raw Fleece, Elektra 2024, 2 pounds 6.3 ounces , variegated brown/ fawn, free shipping

This is Elektra’s 2024 Raw Fleece. Elektra is a purebred finnsheep LAMB that was coated/ jacketed most of the year. Very low on VM (vegetable matter- hay, straw, grass from the pasture). I skirted it myself. I’m a hand spinner as well as a shepherd. I dislike VM as much as the next spinner…in fact, maybe more so. I get a little ruthless about skirting and removing VM so you are only getting nice wool with Point of View Farm fleeces. It weighs 3 pounds. ‘Nice crimp’ is what I noted on the tag when I skirted it. I might have understated that a bit…she has REALLY nice crimp. Her fleece weighs 2pounds 6.3 ounces this year.

Raw fleece means it has not been washed yet so it will smell like a sheep and need washing either before or after spinning. The fleece was carefully and professionally shorn off Elektra New Zealand style (in a single piece) by a shearer who takes pride in his work, is careful, gentle and knows what he is doing. This shearer has shorn award winning fleeces at Rhinebeck and Maryland Fleece show and sales for many years for our farm and others. He has been shearing sheep for decades and is a good friend too. Check out the photos of it I took while it was on the skirting table. Both sides and all angles are pictured. No surprises when you buy one of our fleeces.

Elektra was born at Point of View Farm in 2020. Her technical color genetics are a brown based agouti badgerface apured with blue. She is registered as a brown badgerface. That’s because the registry has you choose even though 2 genes are at play. The pattern (agouti blue) ‘makes’ portions of her brown fleece lighter, mostly the saddle area. Since this is the wool area you purchase when you buy a coated fleece from us much of what is in the bag is her lighter colored fawn wool (and why is is labeled as so). However, Elektra is an unusually dark and more of her brown areas have been retained in her version of patterning than is common…thats what makes me think her second pattern gene is blue (and knowing her parents). What this means to you is that more of her fleece is more brown and tan than I would normally expect from this combination of color genetics. If you look at the fleece with the edges rolled in, you will see they are more dark brown.

Finnsheep fleece takes dye like a dream and would also blend beautifully with other wools where you want to add luster and drape. It is also known to felt quite nicely. I have dyed this color fleece in warm shades of red, orange and yellow in the past with great success.