Welcome to the World of Rare and Beautiful Fleece!
Our Mission
We are very lucky at The Rustic Ram. Not only do we have access to the finest fleeces in all the lands, we are also the only supplier who are enabled to create pieces of artwork from the vary rare animals at Rare Flocks Farm. The farm is home to forty or so Australian Heritage Angora Goats, Romney Marsh Sheep and a couple of odd balls in between. Don’t take our word for it though, our Australian Heritage Angora Goats are a recognised and registered breed with the Rare Breeds Trust of Australia.
The Australian Heritage Angora Goats are known for their incredibly silky locks with beautiful waves and fabulous retention of dyes. These locks are frequently used for projects like dolls hair but also make beautiful, warm jumpers, beanies, gloves and socks that are incredibly silky in nature.
Romney Marsh sheep produce a medium wool that is prized for its strength, durability, and versatility. Originally developed in the marshlands of Kent in England, the breed has become popular worldwide for the production of beautiful clothing items due to the amount of lanolin naturally found in the fleece. The lanolin gives the fleece a certain level of water proofing making it a thick, warm fleece, perfect for those cooler climates.
Blending the two fleeces in various ratios allow us to have maximum control over lanolin distribution, how tight the knitting stitches are, how long the individual fibres are spun at and many more variables. Romney fleece is highly versatile and well suited to:
- Hand spinning
- Knitting and crochet yarns
- Weaving
- Needle and wet felting
- Rug making
- Tapestry
- Textile art
- Blending with finer fibres such as mohair, alpaca, or silk
Its long staple length makes it especially beginner-friendly for hand spinners because the fibres draft smoothly and are less prone to breaking. Romney fleece combines strength, lustre, and versatility, it is often considered one of the best all-purpose wools for both traditional textile crafts and contemporary artisan fibre production.
The rarity of Australian Heritage Angora Goats
The Australian Heritage Angora Goat are registered as Critically endangered making the locks from these animals particularly sought after. With less than 300 females registered for breeding, this breed is on the edge of extinction. While efforts are being made to claw back these numbers, the action of birth is still risky for both mum and babies alike. We have had some successful breeding years and some heartbreaking and not so successful years. The team at Rare Flocks Farm focusses on health, habitat and hand rearing of the flock to ensure the best outcomes possible.
Romney Marsh Sheep
The Romney Marsh Sheep are considered a vulnerable breed having less than 900 heads of breeding females that are at a healthy breeding age. There is also on average only 225 births registered through the Rare Breeds Trust each year. While in comparison to the Australian Heritage Angora Goat numbers, these numbers look good, all it takes is one unstable year for breeding, weather, food and water resources and other variables for these numbers to be wiped out. Constant natural breeding is essential to prevent the extinction of this animal.
All in all, we are on a mission to support Rare Flocks Farm, their animals and to repopulate these handsome breeds for future sustainability. For further information about these and other rare breeds, check out the Rare Breeds Trust. To supportive industry, consider making or ordering your next item through the Rustic Ram and see what is possible!