Windblest Farm was established in 1997, with the purchase of several mature Border Leicester ewes and their lambs, for what was essentially a retirement project for two former teachers. It has since grown to a forty ewe operation, far exceeding initial expectations.

In the intervening years, we have developed electrically- fenced rotational grazing, have renovated an existing historic dairy barn, and have restored an octagonal, roofless silo. We have also learned about sheep. We can thank close friends we have made in the sheep business for our much of our progress. Shirley Graves, of Century Lane Farm, in particular, has mentored us, providing practical advice many times. As educators, we know that “learning by doing” is often the best approach, especially when a strong support system of experience is available.

The fibre portion of the business came after the purchase of the sheep when we discovered that the animals we fell in love with produced such beautiful fleeces. From there, what had been a lifelong interest in handcrafts began to centre on wool. That is, the sheep came first, the spinning wheel second.

At Windblest Farm, we focus on utilizing as much of the sheep as possible, to increase the viability of our small farm. We specialize in the dual purpose Leicester, selling breeding stock, meat lambs, sheepskins and wool products. As well, we are experimenting with crosses within our flock. Our goal is to improve the already fine quality of the fibre we produce. This year’s crossed lambs are already exhibiting good fleece characteristics, and have proven to be healthy, strong individuals, growing well on a mixture of grain and grass.

From the sheep to the skein involves a series of steps that haven’t changed much over the years. Most shearing is now done with power equipment rather than scissors, and washing machines do aid with water extraction but the rest of the process remains the same.

The fleeces that grow on the lambs from birth in February to shearing in October, and that of some of the mature sheep, sheared in April and October, are used for Windblest Farm yarn. Care is taken at every step of the process to ensure a quality final product.

Before shearing ever takes place, management practices reduce the amount of debris in the fleeces. This can involve picking out burrs and thistles as soon as they are spotted. Keeping those weed heads out of the pastures is almost impossible. Attention to any digestive problems that cause scouring happens quickly. Care with feeding prevents the accumulation of grain on the necks of the animals.

Tom, the shearer, plays an important role. Not only does he skilfully remove the fleece, he eliminates poor quality belly wool and avoids going over the body twice, a practice that creates undesirably short, second cuts. The shorn fleece is spread out on a mesh board for skirting. All manure tags, urine stained locks and obvious chaff are removed before the fleece is bagged for storage.

Before washing, the fleece is spread out once again for a first, careful picking. Straw, timothy heads, alfalfa leaves and other vegetative matter are removed. The fleece is presoaked, then hand washed and rinsed in very hot water. A trip through the spin cycle of the automatic washer extracts excess moisture before the fleece is spread out on drying racks.

If the fleece is to be processed as natural coloured, a second picking removes more residue prior to shipping to the mill. Fleece requiring dyeing is weighed, soaked and then dyed in a restaurant-sized stock pot, on a propane burner. It is rewashed and rinsed to remove dye residue before going through another extraction, drying and picking.

The milling includes a final picking, carding, pin drafting, spinning and plying. Picking fluffs the fleece and releases more debris; carding aligns the fibres into rovings; pin drafting gives the roving a twist; spinning stretches the rovings into a thin strand; and plying twists those individual strands into yarn. Finally the yarn is wound into skeins.

Back at the farm, those skeins are washed to remove spinning oils and to give the yarn loft, a combination of volume and softness. The yarn is rewound into consistently-sized skeins, tagged and sent to the Silo Shop for sale.