~ Meet the Woolhalla family ~
TUNIS
Our new ram, Ragnar, isn’t as happy as a loner as Thor was, and so we gave him a wether buddy, Baldur. The two guys hang out in the shade of the pistachio tree and dream away summer’s hot hours. Baldur came from a local Tunis flock dispersal and we are pleased to have his ultra-fine, ultra-stretchy fleece available to add some extra elasticity to other fleeces not so blessed.
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Baldur (bottom) and Ragnar (top).
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Thor, our original ram retired and moved to Half-Pint Farm in Chino Valley, Arizona. In ram years he was an old man, and Chino Valley's cooler climate pleases him. His spectacular fleeces are still available to us.
Hera was born here on the Farm in 2012 and claimed as the favorite of one of our granddaughters who quickly earned enough money to purchase her and keep her in the flock! Now as a mature sheep, she has assumed the role of head-ewe-in-charge raising twins every year, alternating equally between rams and ewes. Her killer fleece is dark ivory and of surprising length; after processing it accepts dye beautifully producing clear but muted colors.
Dainty Little Miss with her off-white fleece and tidy habits came to us from western Idaho and brought national champion breed lines with her. We are pleased to have those show qualities and her deep red color represented in the flock.
Sam arrived at the Farm from central Idaho – a gem from the Gem State. She is the friendliest and most docile sheep in the flock, and always checking out if there might – just this time – be a treat in your back pocket. Sam has raised large, healthy twins every year and a daughter from her would have great potential as a milking sheep. She is the granddaughter of Lyle, a NAILE Grand Champion out of Ohio.
Born at the Farm at the End of the Road in 2015, Princess Buttercup belongs to a different granddaughter. Buttercup’s red color has deepened this year, her fleece matured, and her extra-soft expressive eyes and floppy ears melt hearts. 2016 will be her first breeding.
Named for the virtue required as we rebuilt the farm, Patience was the first lamb of 2016. Quite the mama's girl, she chills with the other lambs but at the first sign of trouble she heads back home fast and hard.
Born in February 2016 at Schafwolle Ranch in Waddell, Arizona, and named for a character in the classic Dick and Jane beginning to read series, Sally is learning the ropes here at the Farm. Her fleece is darker, and at this point longer, than any other lamb fleece we have had on the place. Her mom is an Idaho sheep, and her dad a Big E Grand Champion from Massachusetts. We are looking for great things from Sally.
When we had a chance to return Thor's fabulous fleece genes to our flock through the purchase of one of his great-granddaughters, we jumped at the chance! We discovered this registered ewe lamb at a local flock dispersal, named her Kokomo, and brought her home in August 2016. She will hang out in the lamb pen with Sally, Patience, and Toffee while the brood ewes are with Ragnar, and then all the ewes will be together in January.
CALIFORNIA REDS
Esperanza is a California Red Tunis cross who caught the best qualities of both breeds. Yet a different granddaughter fell for “Essie’s” charms and did farm chores one summer to earn Essie as her own. This fleece has a most interesting gray cast highlighted by the gorgeous red flecks you expect in California Red fleeces. Her 2016 shearing, along with Hera’s and a CVM sheep no longer with us, was sold to an Ohio hand-spinner.
Barbara Ann is the yearling daughter of Rhonda and Copper, a registered California Red Ram at Sand Creek Farms. We are thrilled to have her in our flock - she has great fleece!
COTSWOLD
Our newest 2016 addition to the flock is Mistress Quickly, a Cotswold yearling with deeply lustrous bi-colored fleece so growthy that it needs twice-yearly shearing!! Looking forward to Tunis feed-efficiency being stamped on her lambs, as well as the finer Tunis micron surfacing through all those curls. The new girl fit right in with the flock. |
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Cormos are a breed developed in Tasmania by crossing Corriedale rams and Saxon Merino ewes. Toffee (right) is a Cormo cross from a Merino ram with a moorit gene, which gives her a warm carmel-y color! We have big plans for spinner's roving that will complement the white Cormo. |
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The fine print -
1) The next shearing day is the first Saturday of March, 2017.
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, CVM fleeces about 12, and the fall shearing of Red Rhonda produced a fleece just under 15!
4) Tunis fleeces will be about $9/lb, California Red fleece about $10/lb, and CVM fleece about $12/lb. Final price will be determined by winter feed costs. Charge will be for the unskirted fleece weighed right off the sheep.
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.
1) The next shearing day is the first Saturday of March, 2017.
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, CVM fleeces about 12, and the fall shearing of Red Rhonda produced a fleece just under 15!
4) Tunis fleeces will be about $9/lb, California Red fleece about $10/lb, and CVM fleece about $12/lb. Final price will be determined by winter feed costs. Charge will be for the unskirted fleece weighed right off the sheep.
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.
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SCHEDULE A FARM TOUR to see the sheep in person, contact us to arrange a convenient time.
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