I wanted to explain these sheep in a bit more detail because they have some wonderful characteristics. Information from OK State as I couldn’t put it better.The sheep are small framed, with good legs and a fleece varying in colors. Normally the sheep shed their fleece naturally in early July. All the males of this breed are horned and approximately 10 % of the ewes are horned and the rest are polled. The horns on the females are short and goatish. The males have normally well-developed mouflonlike horns.
Shorn Old Norwegian courtesty of bagatell on flickr
Old Norwegian Sheep have a well developed flocking instinct. This breed of sheep has a unique pattern of flight (escaping an enemy). This also makes it suitable for use in grazing areas with predators. This flight behavior makes it difficult to handle them with normally trained sheep dogs. The dog will only come back with a few animals because the weak ones escape the flock and hide till the animals in best condition are left with the dog. The same flight pattern will occur on the grazing land where a small group of the best animals will end with the predator and exhaust it. There is normally little, if any loss at all of Old Norwegian Sheep to predators compared to other breeds in the same area. More research is needed to prove it.
What a handsome ram shared by Marthe Marie Meltzer on flickr
The maternal instinct of the Old Norwegian Sheep is very strong. The ewe leaves the flock to give birth from 12 hours to 3 days before the lamb is born and stays alone with the lamb for another 3 to 6 days before returning to the flock. The lambs are strongly defended against enemies if necessary. At the age of 14 days the lambs are developed enough to follow their mothers and to join play-groups of lambs as well. Adult males weigh on average 43 kg (95 lbs) and females 32 kg (70 lbs).
I just want to run my hands thru this ewe's wool picture courtesy of storeknut
The fleece can be rooed as this more primitive breed retains the ability to shed annually. They average around 3pds of fiber with a dual coat that can be separated or spun together. The staple is from 3-5 inches and the micron count is from 30-36.
Here is my Norwegian Top
norwegain top
close-up of norwegian top
They sound like an interesting breed!
Yes it is interesting and spins up beautifully:)
I’m a year later with my comments. Found your nice page as I have a chance to get Norwegan top at a reasonable price and am wondering what sort of yarn I might make with it after hand spinning – worsted or woolen? Would it be best for outerwear such as gloves and hats ? Would it be too coarse for a scarf? Would appreciate any infer.
Thaks,
Catherine
Catherine, how soft does it feel to you? That is what determines use for me. I like my fibers on the softer side for things that go against bare skin in delicate areas like my neck but I like harsher fibers for making mittens and outerwear…perhaps a really warm sweater that will be layered underneath. I have a friend who doesn’t mind stuff that would have me itchy ….softness and what you can handle for a large part is subjective. Handspinning in either worsted or woolen will create a slightly different yarn. I would say if you have a nice top as opposed to roving I would spin it worsted. Worsted spun yarn seems to take abrasion better than woolen but woolen can be warmer because of the air trapped between the fibers. I hope this helps your decision making process