This wonderfully bouncy soft wool has been commercially spun from the fleeces of a local flock of pedigree Ryeland sheep. It comes in three shades, a lovely creamy white, a light slightly tweedy coffee colour and a deep chocolate brown.  These are the undyed natural shades of these sheep.  The skeins are 100g.
 
Ryeland sheep are one of the oldest sheep breeds in the UK and originate from around the Ross on Wye area.  During the Middle Ages, Ryeland wool became the measure against which the quality of other wools was assessed. Ryelands were used also to develop a number of other sheep breeds during the 18th and 19th centuries.  They went into serious decline in the 20th century, and were a rare breed.  However in recent years their numbers have increased as they are a popular smallholder breed.  Ryelands come in two flavours - white and coloured, though as you see from our wool, coloured covers light tan to dark