Portland Sheep

Portland Sheep is one of the UK's oldest breeds of sheep and named after the Island of Portland in the English Channel where they were developed.  Dating back to at least the 13th century they were developed from tan-faced sheep in the South West and believed to be closely related to the ancestral sheep from which the Dorset Horn was developed.  They have retained their genetic integrity due to the fact the Island of Portland was once separated from the mainland by water but today the Island of Portland is accessible via a spit of gravel known as Chesil Beach.

The Portland sheep, at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 4: At Risk (900-1500) registered breeding ewes, which means that there are not many of them but there are more than there were in the 1970's when numbers were below 100 breeding animals in just half a dozen flocks and they were close to extinction.  They are found mostly in the South West of England.

They are a small breed of sheep with a tan face and legs that are wool free.  They have a long tail and light coloured horns.  Both sexes grow horns, although the males horns grow much larger.  Lambs are born with reddish brown fleece which turn white or grey as they mature.  The adult fleece is creamy white with some red, coarse kemp hairs particularly in the upper leg area.

They produce a medium size fleece of 1.5-2.5kg that is fine and relatively short, although the length can vary greatly.  Staple length is 2.5-4 inches (6.5-10cm) and locks can be open with pointed tips or they can be blocky with square tips.  As you will see further down, I had both types in the fleece that I purchased, which means that the fleece is not even or consistent throughout.    

This fleece can be spun from teased locks, it can be picked carded or combed.  Combing will remove most of the kemp, should there be any and it is a joy to spin.  The warm creamy tone of the white will affect dye and this should be kept in mind when choosing what colour dye to use because should you choose pink you are likely to get a peach or coral colour, depending on the depth of your dye.

Yarns spun from Portland fleece are very versatile and suited for sweaters, socks, blankets and every day items.  

I could have purchased a 100g bag of washed Portland fleece for this project but I found someone selling an entire raw fleece for just a couple of £'s more so I went with the raw fleece for value for money and I have prepared raw Portland fleece in the past and I know that the wool is gorgeous so I get to have plenty of gorgeous wool to play with afterwards. 

Raw fleece weighed 1,542g on arrival

Top two photos shows long silky type locks
Bottom photo shows the more blocky, square type locks

Washed fleece, bottom photo shows a small amount of red kemp

I actually washed this fleece back in mid-March and I binned 320g of cotted fleece and other rubbish and after washing and drying I was left with 839g ready for combing.  After being combed I have 448g of lovely soft hand combed top.

My finished yarn is of good quality to the touch of the hand and to me there looks to be just a little bit of lustre and it is definitely creamy.  In total I have 414g/892m.  My knitted piece for the project took 19g/45m so I have plenty left to do whatever with.