Ewe Tube

~ Meet the Woolhalla family ~

Seems like 2020 brought challenges to everyone, and we are no exception. An unexpected biosecurity issue caused a total reboot to flock and farm. But now we are ready to introduce you to our new sheep.

Our ramS

Lewis (l) and Clark (r).

Rams are explorers, and we named ours for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark who explored the American far west in 1804-06. Our Lewis (l) and Clark (r) are twins from a local farm.

Lewis is the alpha ram, full of crimp fine fleece with a loose locky structure - with lots of lanolin so the fleece fibers are extra malleable.

Clark's namesake was also a redhead. He has lofty heavy fleece, and medium red coloring, and boxy old-style conformation. We look for his lambs to have the same.

The boys enjoy getting out while their pen is cleaned.

Little Sal is named in honor of Blueberries for Sal, which was everyone's favorite little kid story!

She shows many of Sal's traits - sweet but persistent, curious but wise to danger. Her mom, Minerva, remains in our flock as matriarch with gorgeous fleece, deep red color, and the best-ever temperament. We expect the same from Little Sal.

Cassie's name comes from Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, one of our daughters' young adult favorites.

Cassie Logan is the heroine of a 1930s Mississippi African-American experience, viewed through her 11-year-old eyes. Our Cassie is Little Sal's twin sister with many of the same traits, and our expectations for her are equally high.

Anne with an E of course comes from Anne of Green Gables, the classic redheaded heroine!

Mom to this gal was Margaret, a ewe with perfect conformation, a long soft perfectly crimped fleece, and especially friendly. Looks like Anne with an E is going to give us the same.

Miss Nelson
In the stories, Miss Nelson is a sweet-tempered 5th-grade teacher, whose alter ego, Coach Swamp, could kick in when the going got rough. Our Miss Nelson is also good-natured but will hold her own if anyone wants what she doesn't want to give up!

Our first lambs from Minerva gave us Mercedes, who has it all - rich cinnamon color, marvelous fleece, good conformation.

She will stay with the flock, as we look to rebuild for the future.

Minerva came to us from Cinnamon Roost Farm in Glendale, Arizona.

Now the flock's matriarch, she has the deep red coloring we were looking for, the finer fleece we wanted, the friendly demeanor we coveted, and the new blood lines we required. She will be an integral part of our breeding program for a number of years.

Pippi Longstocking is a full-of-joy, red-headed heroine, and our Pippi is as well.

She's petite and maneuvers in the flock where no one expects her to be. Her fleece is fluffy and a much darker oatmeal color than others of her flockmates.

Ronia the Robber's Daughter is a literary sister to Pippi, both the product of Astrid Lingren. Ronia is adventurous, knew her value, and did what she set her mind to do. Yup, that sums up our Ronia, too! Her fleece is drop-dead gorgeous - long and soft, soft, soft.

Dory is the last lamb of our original ram, Thor, and his favorite original ewe, Ginger.

A miracle of friendship and luck brought her back to the farm where she will live out her days producing spectacular fleece. With its extra long staple length, 22 micron diameter (very fine for Tunis), and a lovely candlelit-white color, her fleece has sold before shearing every year.

Our ewes also enjoy a good run.

The fine print -

1) The next shearing day will be the first Saturday in March, 2021.
2) If you are interested in reserving a whole or half fleece, contact us for further details, or contact Tempe Yarn and Fiber
where your $30 deposit will be due.
3) Tunis fleeces generally weigh about 9 lbs unskirted, and other breeds a little more or less.
4) Fleeces generally cost $$10/lb. Contact us for details.
5) Because Arizona's summer temperatures can exceed 115 degrees, we do not coat our sheep. Would you like to wear an extra layer in those conditions?! Thus our fleeces may have more veg or VM than fleeces from a more moderate climate. Queen Creek is famous for dust storms, which can mean more silty dirt in the fleece. That said, we are proud of our fleeces and have worked hard to keep them as clean as possible. Shearers have remarked on their clean condition.