At Athenry we shear our beautiful ladies annually, just prior to lambing. The wool is unique to the breed; stunning jet back or wool with a reddish tinge on the tips that is referred to as cuchddu.
We have the great honor of working with some incredible artisans in Alberta. The majority of our wool is distributed through Kalea Turner-Beckman. Kalea is a hand spinner, natural dyer, knitter and weaver with expert knowledge of breed specific wools. Her webpage is here: kaleatheluddite and Ravelry: Kalea the Luddite - patterns .
In addition we have had the opportunity to work with Traceable Textiles - a team of talented artisans and professionals who have crafted luxurious handmade woolens. Handmade Canadian Wool Blankets – Traceable Textiles.
If you are looking for Black Welsh Wool, I encourage you to contact them directly.
Wool Description
Type: Down-Type Wool, Primitive
Amount: Fleeces are 2.5- 4 lbs.
Soundness: passes ping test, some tips somewhat weathered and have a beautiful reddish brown colour
Fibre diameter: mostly Medium, very few are next to skin soft. We do select the top fleeces for selling to handspinners.
Length: average 1.5" - 2.5"
Condition: The raw fleeces do contain some VM. We remove neck areas as needed and much of the britch areas. We spend considerable time skirting at shearing (we get better and better at it every year!) We feed our ewes on the ground and this has significantly reduced the vm contamination of the fleece. That being said, remember these are raw fleeces and these animals are not jacketed. They do require bedding in the winter months for extra comfort and warmth.