The Fernhill Jacket – layer up in natural wool

With the arrival of frosty mornings and crisp days, we’re wearing wool more and more on the farm and further afield. Over the past few months we’ve been working with local suppliers to create outer wear and accessories using our beautiful naturally coloured wool.

The Fernhill Jacket is one of these items. It’s a partially lined jacket, which is perfect for slinging over a shirt or top to keep the chill out, or for layering over a knitted jumper to keep you toasty on the coldest of days.

The jacket is made from pure, undyed Fernhill wool, from sheep raised and grazed on our farm on the Mendip Hills. The wool is sent to a mill in Wales to be spun and woven into soft yet durable fabric. This is then sewn into jackets with linen trimming and wooden buttons in a sewing studio near us in Somerset.

We focused on practicality with the design. The dense weave and resilient properties of wool mean that the jacket is water resistant. There are large pockets for phone, keys, wallet and room to spare. The collar can be worn down, or pulled upright to protect the neck from the wind. The design is unisex and comes in 4 sizes.

If you’re looking for a new coat this winter, this is the perfect way to stay warm and support local production and regenerative farming methods. Jackets are available in our online shop here.

A visit to Chiltern Wool

Here at Fernhill Fibre we love working with skilled people to create beautiful products with our wool. In a world of fast fashion and enormous, plastic-filled wardrobes, we like to partner up with others who reject the notion of clothes designed to be disposable.

This week we went to visit Rachel of Chiltern Wool in their amazing workspace. Chiltern Wool – run by Rachel and her partner Steve – combines the modern technology of cutting-edge knitting machines with use of traditional materials, namely – British wool. They work with breed-specific yarns from UK farms to create a variety of garments and accessories, using fibres that are appropriate to the item to be made.

We've been working with Chiltern Wool for a while behind the scenes, prototyping and sampling whilst keeping in contact via email. But meeting in person and seeing where everything is produced gives a new perspective, and helps us know that we're collaborating with a business that shares our values. 

It was amazing to chat to Rachel about our wool and yarn, see the truly impressive equipment in the studio, and discuss new designs. We dropped off many cones of yarn all to be knitted up into lovely accessories. We’re developing a small range to start out with, and are excited to see where it takes us!

First on the list is a collection of oversized ribbed scarves in a variety of our natural colours. These will be amazingly warm but also breathable – perfect for the harsh winter we’re likely to have after this incredibly hot summer. They’ll also be unisex, focusing on quality, ethical production and classic design rather than fussy detail.

We’re expecting to have the first batch of scarves arriving soon ready for autumn. We also have some other items in the pipeline, but you’ll have to stay tuned to see them!

Loom knitting for gentle hands – accessible crafting

On the farm and at events we attend, we love to offer a workshop that Jen runs: making a snood on an oversized French knitting loom.
The workshop uses multiple strands of our soft Lopi yarn in various colours, and combines them to make a flexible, versatile accessory that traps in warmth without weighing down.

These sessions were originally designed for adults with special needs. The large pegs and chunky yarn make the workshop friendly and supportive for those who are less dexterous and enjoy a satisfying, quick project. This also makes the craft perfect for children who may not be ready for fiddly, slow work, or people who might have hand and wrist problems that prevent them from spending hours on small-scale traditional knitting. It’s great for those who have no previous experience, or those who have tried the craft before and would like to spend time relaxing and creating something with their hands.

Lopi yarn

The workshop uses our own Lopi yarn that’s completely UK-produced and processed. Our Lopi yarn is based on the traditional Icelandic yarn of the same name, where the wool fibres are very loosely spun into a lofty, airy yarn with little structure and a lot of warmth.
Lopi is usually made from Icelandic wool, which can be quite coarse and not pleasant to wear against the skin. It’s perfect for protecting against harsh weather, though!

The Lopi yarn made from our Fernhill flock, however, is spun from either mostly Shetland or Bluefaced Leicester wool. Through decades of careful breeding, the fibre is soft and still strong, and perfect for items that will be worn against the body for all but the most delicate skin. This means that the resulting garments and accessories benefit from the light, woollen structure to protect from the cold and rain, but are not irritating and scratchy.

Making a snood on a French knitting loom

Using the Lopi in a variety of hand-dyed colours, workshop participants are able to choose their colour combination, wind up a ball of yarn, and then learn how to begin knitting on the loom, work their snood to the desired length, and finish it off. This usually takes only an hour or so, and it’s great to be able to have a finished item by the end of the workshop!

The resulting snood can be worn as a neck-warmer, a short scarf, or a headband, depending how it’s folded. The oversized pegs create a very open fabric that’s immensely flexible and stretchy, making it very comfy to wear. Over time, as the fibres rub against each other, they mesh together a little to trap air perfectly to insulate and provide warmth.

Make your own!

If you have a small group of people who would like to learn this simple, rewarding craft using all local materials, we have workshop tickets available and can arrange a date for you to come to the farm.

We are also soon going to offer the knitting looms and yarn as kits in a slightly reduced range of colours. These will include everything you need to make your own snood at home, with detailed, illustrated instructions. The knitting looms are made by a local woodworker. We’re delighted to be able to team up to bring this craft to people who may not be able to come to the farm or one of the events we attend.

Benefits of Blade Shearing

Shearing is a huge event in the calendar for any sheep farmer, and it’s no different here at Fernhill Farm. We’re looking forward to our Spring Shearing Tournament, and wanted to share a little more about the process. We’ve postponed the beginning of our spring shearing because of the current very low temperatures – the sheep need their wool to protect them from the Beast from the East!

Why is shearing necessary?

Primitive breeds of sheep shed their fleece naturally, but as humans have selected for quality wool production, most sheep now keep growing their wool until it is removed. Shearing is necessary – usually once a year or more frequently – for the wellbeing of the sheep. Removing much of the wool by shearing prevents sheep from overheating and losing mobility, as overgrown fleeces are thick and cumbersome. Excessively long fleece gets dirty, wet and warm, which can lead to flystrike – a very unpleasant infestation that is worth every effort to prevent.

As well as the advantages for the sheep, shearing is of course how we harvest all that lovely wool! Even for breeds that shed their wool, it’s easier to collect all at once it in the shearing sheds rather than running around after it in the fields!

There’s no denying that shearing can be a stressful process for both sheep and farmer. But the timing and the method we choose to shear have been carefully considered, not only to reduce any negative impact of shearing on the sheep, but to improve the welfare of the animals and their young. It’s an added bonus that the practices we use also benefit the quality of the wool we produce!

What are the benefits of blade shearing?

Over many years, electric clippers have increased in popularity as they allow rapid shearing and are easier on the hands than traditional blade shears. However, they remove much more of the fleece, which leaves sheep very exposed. Mechanical shears also generate a lot of heat, which can strip protective lanolin out of the little fleece that’s left on the sheep. Blade shears leave a comfortable layer of wool on the sheep, rich in lanolin. This helps protect them from the elements – both the cold and the sun – especially at important times, such as lambing.

Blade shearing is a quieter process that gives more control to the shearer. While it takes a little longer, this extra care is beneficial for the animals and the quality of the fleece that is removed.

Why shear twice a year?

We blade shear twice a year because we have the Romney and Teeswater (long wool) breeds and this process allows us the flexibility to select which sheep are shorn at what time.

In the Spring we shear just after the natural ‘break’ in the fibre, when the new year’s growth begins to come through. For some sheep this is when the fleece will shed naturally, and for others there is a noticeable ‘rise’ – a weak point where the wool is susceptible to breaking.

For ewes, shearing before lambing allows us to gather the fleece before it declines in quality as resources go to producing milk. They then lamb outside, clean-fleeced and ready to ‘drop and run’ in a natural, healthier environment. If ewes need to be brought inside for lambing they are much less likely to overheat if they don’t have a full coat of wool on – pregnancy acts as a radiator inside their bodies!

Pre-lamb shearing also reduces the stress associated with summer shearing when ewes and lambs traditionally have been separated, and the ewes maternal instincts are reinforced when they seek shelter with their young.

Lambs are shorn in Autumn, which gives an abundant crop of beautiful fine, soft wool. Shearing them before winter encourages them to graze the lush summer growth in the pastures, improving their daily live-weight gains. Shorter fleeces can also shake off excessive water so that long wool coats are not dragging around winter mud. Wool can absorb twice its own weight in water and the Romney long wools have been genetically selected by the Kiwis to have their fleece removed every 8 months.

All sheep will be shorn every eight to twelve months, depending on its purpose in the flocks. This then predetermines the fleece’s suitability for processing into wool products. Thus we can ensure that we get the best crop of fibre and that the welfare of the sheep is always taken into account.

Fancy learning to shear?

Blade shearing is a rare and valuable skill, and Andy Wear, master shearer of Fernhill Farm, is keen to pass on skills to others. We run workshops on the farm allowing people to come and learn. We’ve included a video below to show what’s involved, and gift vouchers are available on our online shop. If you’re interested but not quite ready to give it a go yourself, come along to our shearing tournament on Saturday 24th March!