Gotland wool comes in a variety of shades of gray from a pale silver to a dark charcoal. Gotland sheep produce a true gray as their fiber does not discolor due to sun exposure. Gotland lambs are born solid black. They keep this lamb fleece for 2 to 3 months when their true gray coat begins to come in underneath the black wool forming lustrous individual curls of gray. As with most sheep breeds, the lamb curls are the softest fleece they will grow. By shearing time in the fall, their curls can be 6 to 7 inches in length.
Gotland adult fleeces have a tendency to lighten after that first shearing. It is typical to see adult Gotland sheep with a darker streak down their spine and lighter wool on their sides. Some will lighten more than others. In our flock, I have found that the Gotlands with the dark charcoal gray as a lamb, tend to keep a dark color throughout even as they age.
In Sweden, the Gotland sheep are raised for their pelts. Their breeding programs focus on maintaining breeding stock whose lambs have lovely gray curls that are consistent in color from front to back and from side to side. They look for lustrous curls that bounce when you run your hand from their belly up their side to the spine. The Swedish have been selectively breeding for these lovely pelts since the early 1900’s.
Gotland Wool – From Silver to Charcoal
Today, I would like to share with you the full range of gray you can get from a flock of Gotland sheep.
You can purchase our Gotland yarn here, and see our Gotland sheep here!
Are you curious as to why I have the mill blend our Gotland wool with silk when processing our yarn? You may enjoy reading the following posts.
Knitting with Gotland Yarn
How Should I Process My Wool?
