The Magic of Gotland Sheep and Wool
Choosing a Sheep Breed + Why We Love Gotlands
“Why Gotland sheep?” We get asked this question a lot, and it’s a really good question. Choosing a sheep breed for your farm—really, choosing any animal breed—is a big decision. With so many choices, how do you decide? The answer usually lies in the function you have in mind for your flock or herd. Will you raise your animals for fiber, meat, dairy, or something else entirely?
Let me share our process with you and why we chose Gotland sheep for our farm.
From the start, we had a handful of criteria that guided our search. We asked ourselves the following questions: How did sheep complement our farm goals? What was their purpose on the farm? What special characteristics did we envision?
Here was our brief, but helpful, list:
Purpose: Wool production and land regeneration
Fiber: Something lush, special and with a good niche market for a small farm flock
Animal Disposition: Friendly, medium-size and manageable
Origins: Nordic roots, like my own. Not a deal breaker, but a plus!
Once we got this far, we had some good parameters in place and started to explore our options.
First, we scouted out the local fiber festivals like the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival so we could talk to different breeders and take a look at dozens of diverse breeds, all gathered in one place. We were lucky to have this massive annual fiber gathering practically in our backyard in the town of Rhinebeck, NY! We also started reading everything we could get our hands on to learn more about promising fiber breeds, and, eventually, we started reaching out to regional sheep farms to inquire about starter flocks. After nearly four years of farm visits, festival rounds and research, we were pretty sure we found the perfect fit for our farm. Gotland sheep were ticking all of our boxes, and we just knew this would be the right choice for us.
So let’s talk more about Gotlands. What makes them so beloved to small family farms and fiber enthusiasts across the country?
The Disposition & Traits—Gotlands are a gentle, medium-sized sheep with a truly lovely disposition. They are social, inquisitive and engaging with big personalities and a playful sense of humor. They are considered easy to lamb with nurturing mothering instincts and have a natural hardiness, honed from genetics. Due to their size and temperament, they’re exceptionally well suited for small farms, families with children, and novice shepherds who need a little extra time and grace to learn.
The History—Gotland sheep are a Swedish breed from the Island of Gotland, and they are classified in the Northern European Short-Tailed Family. Their lineage stretches back to the Gute sheep (also known as Gutefår or Primitive Gotlands) of the Viking era, the ancient fat-tailed Karakul sheep of Central Asia, and the hornless Romanov sheep of the Russian Volga Valley.
Even though their bloodlines are unquestionably ancient, the breed itself is a modern invention of the early twentieth century. The Gotland sheep breed we know today is the product of industrious Swedish farmers who practiced controlled breeding to develop a hornless dual-purpose sheep with superior meat and fleece quality. According to the American Gotland Sheep Society, the modern Gotland, or the Gotland Peltsheep (pälsfår), developed in the 1920s as a truly multipurpose sheep, yielding flavorful lean meat, lush wool pelts, and long, lustrous fleeces. It was the demand for these gorgeous, fine fleeces that eventually led to the export of Gotland sheep to the UK in the 1970s, to Australia and New Zealand, and, eventually, to the United States in 2003 through artificial insemination. An intensive upbreeding program was carried out on small American farms from East Coast to West using imported semen, and eventually, embryos, from purebred Gotlands in Europe and New Zealand.
The Fiber—In North America, Gotland sheep are considered a premium fiber sheep, highly prized for their exquisite naturally grey fine wool fleeces and long, lustrous silver curls. Fleece colors range from very light to dark grey, often with a luminous silvery sheen. With naturally low levels of lanolin, Gotland fiber feels silky and smooth to the touch and rarely greasy. The fleece is typically 29 to 34 microns in diameter. Because of these qualities, they have been enormously popular as sheepskin pelts for clothing and draped over furniture in Sweden and other parts of Europe, while in North America, they are most prized as natural fiber for hand-spinning, knitting and felting.
The Yarn— Like the sheep, Gotland yarn has tremendous allure and charm. The yarn can feel and behave similar to Mohair, full of texture and personality, lightness and luster, not to mention incredible durability and drape. The transformation of a Gotland garment through the knitting process creates part of the magic of Gotland knitwear. The length and curl of the fiber give the yarn a pronounced memory on the needles, and, when wet blocked (washed and pin dried), the fiber’s natural bloom and gentle “halo” add a beautiful softness and warmth to Gotland garments. The process of wet blocking a finished garment is essential for this fiber, as it encourages the natural instincts of Gotland fiber to retract, fluff up and expand for a very pleasing softening and insulating effect. This process is accentuated even more with an open gauge and repeated washings. You can read more about the characteristics of Gotland yarn from knitwear designer Sarah Solomon, who has developed a beautiful collection of knitwear patterns with our Gotland yarn.
A Selection of Pure Gotland Yarn in Natural Greyscale Colors, Six Dutchess Farm
Curious to experience Gotland fiber? As a starting point, get a skein or two of pure Gotland yarn (you can check out the Gotland yarn offerings in our Web shop), or get your hands on a raw fleece if you are a hand-spinner or felter, and see for yourself what makes this heavenly fiber so special. Here are some knitwear items made with our pure Gotland DK-weight yarn:
The Dutchess County Gotland Geese Shawl, Pattern by Sydney Crabaugh, 3 skeins
The Snowy Peaks Hat, Pattern by Sarah Solomon, 2 skeins
The Becket Hat, Pattern by Sarah Solomon, 1 skein
The Pebble Scarf, Pattern by Sarah Solomon, 3 skeins
The Mattina Blanket, Design and Weaving by Lilly Marsh Studios
Want to learn more about Gotland sheep and wool? You can start by checking out the two main Gotland sheep Associations in the US—the Gotland Sheep Breeders Association of North America and the American Gotland Sheep Society. You’ll find listings of all the registered breeders in North America as well as lots of interesting breed-specific literature and classification standards. Have fun!
Photographs by Ana Gambuto and Hans Li ©2023