Hampshire Down Sheep

The Hampshire Down sheep was developed more than 150 years ago, so around about the 1860's, from a three-way cross when Southdown rams were crossed with the local native Wiltshire Horn (a hair sheep that still exists but I'm not blogging about this one because it doesn't produce wool) and Berkshire Nott (now extinct) and both of these breeds had white faces and horns.   In fact the improved Southdown was cross bred with other native breeds in the downland counties and the improved Southdown bloodlines runs through all other Downs breeds, making the Southdown the grand ancestor of all of the other Downs breeds: Dorset Down, Hampshire Down, Oxford, Shropshire and Suffolk.

The Hampshire Down sheep, at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 6: "Other UK Native Breeds" (over 3000) registered breeding ewes and they are found all over the UK, Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Hampshire Down has a rich dark brown or black head, face, ears and legs with wool on the top of the head and around the eyes.  Both sexes are polled (hornless). 

They produce a good size fleece that is 2-4.5kg in weight with a staple length of 2-4 inches (5-10cm).  The fleece is dense with short blocky staples that may be hard to distinguish from one another.  There is no hair or kemp in the fleece from this breed. The fleece should be white and free from dark fibres, although there are a few coloured Hampshires being bred.

Shorter fleeces can be carded, longer ones will want to be flicked or combed.  Keep the draft light and open and the twist moderate to maintain the loft and springy character of the wool.  The wool is "chalky" but does take dye nicely but the colours won't be lustrous but neither will they be flat.  Has enough crimp to be nicely elastic and it doesn't felt very well.  

Yarns spun from Hampshire fleece are great for socks, mittens, hats, sweaters and the finer fleeces will be great for next-to-skin items.

I have bought this breed in as 100g of pre-washed fleece so all I have to do is comb it and spin it.

After combing I am left with 49g of lovely handcombed top.

My finished yarn is of medium quality to the touch of the hand and is quite creamy and it is not as bouncy as the Dorset Down or the Oxford Down.  I have 49g/156m of sport weight yarn.  My knitted piece for the project took 20g/64m so I have some left to do whatever with.