Last year, I took the decision to go vegan but as I’ve always worked with felting techniques, wanted to see if there was any way I could continue.
I got talking to a friend who has a small sheep farm, who other than his pet sheep Priscilla, are part of the normal ‘meat’ system. We talked about how that wasn’t his choice and if he could remove even some of his 500 sheep from that system, he would really like to do that.
He’s not organic but he is what he describes as a ‘gentle farmer’ who looks to avoid stress for his sheep where possible. They still do get medication, etc. and they are still sheared so there is some stress there but he looks to minimise it where possible, Last year, I got a whole fleece from the beautiful Priscilla which I am still preparing.
What we are trying to establish is if there is a market for raw fleece from sheep who live in this way.
Trying different ways of preparing Priscilla’s fleece. Most of Sam’s sheep are white but Priscilla is dark brown in colour. Once prepared, it felts and spins really well.
From what I can see, they have a good life with lots of space to roam and if Sam can come up with another ‘way’, they will be able to continue that life until its natural end.
Please share with anyone you think might be interested and ask them to contact me either through this site or elementalsholisticliving on Facebook.
I know it won’t suit everyone but if we can get enough interest for him, it might mean a better outcome for at least some sheep. Imagine if we could sort something out for all 500!
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