My New Christmas Sweater

My New Christmas Sweater

This sweater is made from the fleece of two sheep that were on Judy Tysmans farm.

Evelyn was helping with the shearing and did purchase the entire fleece of the black sheep and part of the fleece of the white sheep. 

She cleaned, carded, spun the thread, and then plied the white and black threads together to make the yarn.

She then knitted the yarn into a great tube that was open on one end (the waist). Finally she used a technique called "Steeking" to create the neck and arm openings. 

Judy Tysmans obtained those two particular sheep from from a local farmer, Kate Shirley, where they were born and grew to large lambs there. She got them in October, and they were on her farm until 1 1/2 years later, when she passed them along to Glenda Moore, who has younger sheep. Judy's old Romneys were getting knocked down by these large Border Leicesters, so she found another farm to take them. 

The names of the two sheep from who's fleece this sweater is made; a black sheep and a white sheep were, Obama and Biden.  Both sheep were cross breeds between Border Leicester and Bluefaced Leicester.

From 1/15/13