Hog Island
Critical Conservation(less
than 200 registered animals)
Staple length 3.8-6.5cm
Micron 22-32
My Hog
Island sample came from Nosheepyet on
Ravelry, along with a short history of the breed. This was the defining moment
where my interest in the history behind the fleece and beyond the lamb chop was
awakened.
So...this
breed originated from Hog Island, off the coast of Virginia, USA in the 1700s.
There they roamed free, without fences or predators for hundreds of years,
until 1933 when people left the island fleeing a hurricane. Many sheep
remained, reverting to their feral state until 1974 where they were rounded up by
the Nature Conservancy and now many
remain part of the heritage landscapes of living history museums, including
Plymouth Plantation, the Museum of American Frontier Culture, Mount Vernon
Estate and Gardens, George Mason’s Gunston Hall, George Washington’s
Birthplace, and the National Colonial Farm.
Hog island sheep are tough and hardy.
Interestingly lambs are usually born with spotted or speckled fleece which
disappear upon maturing. Spotted faces and legs are common. They are primarily
white fleeced with about only 10% black. Making them even more interesting and unique
is the fact that their lines have been preserved as an insight into American
history and not bred for characteristics as with most modern sheep. Feral sheep are rare in itself and Hog Island
is one of the few feral populations in the US.
My Spinning Experience: My particular
sample was just awesome for providing a medium workhorse yarn. Whilst perhaps
not high on my Princess Skin Softness Scale, it is right up there as a
must-have-a-go-at-spinning fiber. Enjoy!
Recommended further reading: livestock conservancy,
