Spring means shearing and that means lots of raw fleece. And that means it’s time to buy from my favorite farms. Last Sunday I paid a visit to the Smyth family at Sweetwater Farm. They breed registered Babydoll Southdown sheep right up the road from me in Hampstead, MD. The Smyths love their sheep and take excellent care of them. It shows in the quality of their wool!
Also known as Olde English Southdown, Babydolls are small, friendly sheep with very pretty, springy wool. It tends to be finer than the wool produced by the larger, dual-purpose Southdown sheep. Babydolls also produce lots of beautiful colors and sometimes have spotted coats. These characteristics combined make Babydolls a handspinner’s dream.
I ended up buying 5 lovely full fleeces. Two are white/cream colored, one light gray, one dark gray, and one spotted/multi colored fleece. I’ve already started washing wool and hope to have carded batts, roving, and yarn available on my Etsy store by the end of the month.
Baltimore Wool Company 