Fibre Focus Friday: Southdown

It probably won't suprise you to read that the Southdown sheep originates from the South Downs of the United Kingdom.  The breed has been present since medieval times, but work on establishing and developing the breed only really started in the late 1700s.

This dual purpose breed was (and still is) kept for both it's wool and meat.  It is commonly used as a terminal sire for crossing to produce meat sheep as the Southdown is a strong, stocky breed (though less thick set than the Texel!).  Although it is used as a terminal sire, the breed isn't huge, which makes them easy to handle for commerical farmers and smallholders as well as making them appealing for grazing amongst crops (for example fruit trees and vines) as they're often too short to reach the fruit!  They also have a docile temprament which is always a bonus!  They are also known as Babydoll Southdowns in the United States due to their size.

Southdown wool has a fairly short staple length; it tends to average around 80mm which can make it a challenging spin for those who are looking to create finer yarns.  However, it makes a wonderful woollen spun yarn and fibre for felting - both wet and needle.  The fibre has a good loft and spring to it which means it is also a good wool for stuffing; this is why we use it as a component to our British Wool Filling.

You can find our Southdown fibres here.