Wool is nature's finest natural fiber, and while some have heard of Merino, from Merino sheep, few are aware of the MANY types of wool, from Blue Faced Leicesters, to Wensleydale, to Shetland, all sheep make different feeling fleeces, and JG Switzer sources from the Livestock Conservancy's "at risk" HERITAGE SHEEP list in order to create livelihood for small flocks and their farmers, and honor an ancient fiber and the people who cultivate these endangered domestic animals.
We mill our own wool at our design workshop on a 7 1/2 ton needle loom we call "LUNA the LOOM."
Our black and white fabric is Blue Faced Leicester, a roman-nosed, tall and distinguished sheep. Plus it is a perfect excuse to say "Blue Faced Leicester."
Wenslydales are not on the Livestock Conservancy's list, but our very own "shop sheep" our Wensleys, and their fleeces grow so long and fast they can be sheared twice a year, and prefer it that way for the hotter summers of NorCal.
Shetlands are smaller sheep, and they are recovering on the Livestock Conservancy list of Heritage breeds.
