When you look at many of the newer breeds, specifically in commercial meat farms, you will see the genetics of the Cheviot breed.
The original cheviot breed originated in the British Islands and named after the Cheviot hills. These hills were actually formed by volcanic lava flows over 400 million years ago. The tallest point known as the cheviot is 815 meters above sea level. There were three original cheviot breeds: Border Cheviot, Brecknock Hill Cheviot and North Country Cheviot. They were first brought to North America in 1838 and are a very common sheep in Canada. The North Country Cheviot are one of the more common breeds in Atlantic Canada.
The Cheviot breeds have a distinctive physical appearance, white faced with perky ears and Roman noses. The Cheviot breed is very active and is excellent for training border collies or other herding dogs. The breed is raised predominantly for meat but the wool can be lovely in a variety of forms
Border Cheviots
Border Cheviots are not considered an original down breed, but their wool is similar in many aspects to the true down wools. The wool would be considered of medium softness, but has significant resilience and a robust body to it. The wool in general does not have the same elasticity and loft as down wool - but in many ways responds in a similar manner.
Cheviot wool is excellent for sweaters, socks and other garments that will not be worn next to the skin. It will show off textured patterns and is a great option for cabled patterns. The wool will take dye, but will give a chalky like appearance. Cheviot wool is not ideal for felting, but is an excellent wool for bedding. (We use cheviot wool for our wool pillows). The Cheviot breed only produces white fleeces.
Staple length: 4 - 5"
Fibre diameter: 27 - 33 microns
Fleece weight is between 5 - 10lbs
Structure: Rectangular staples with slightly pointed tips. The Cheviot breed all have a three dimensional crimp.
Our Cheviot wool is sourced from a local Manitoba regenerative farm owned and operated by Graham and Janice Rannie near Russel Manitoba. They have a large operation of purebred Rambouillet and purebred Cheviot sheep on pasture. You can find more info about their farm here.
Border Cheviots waiting to be sheared at Graham Rannie and Janice Johnstone’s farm
We use the Border Cheviot wool in our pillow wool blend - it has so much body and bounce - and doesn’t felt easily, so it’s perfect for using in our pillows.
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