Sheepy Thoughts with Tammy White
Posted on July 21 2021
Pictured: Just a few of the many friends you'll find at Wing and a Prayer Farm, from which we've sourced our Limited Edition Cotswold yarn. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Bakos.
Our latest small batch yarn, the Limited Edition Cotswold, is a lovely laceweight spun from Vermont Cotswold sourced from Wing and a Prayer Farm. Shepherd Tammy White is not only a veteran sheep (and goat, alpaca, donkey, and horse) farmer, she bakes and sells pies, runs a small bed and breakfast, and sells yarn that she makes and dyes from her wooly animals.
We recently sat down and had a long (virtual) chat with Tammy about life as a sheep farmer, and she explains how it all started with just a few Shetland sheep. In Part I of our conversation, she describes the nuts and bolts of day-to-day farming, what to consider if you’re just starting out, how much land you need, the value of a good vet, rotating your grazing flock, when to wean lambs from their moms, how to ensure a healthy lamb, what to do with sheep in the winter, and much more!
In Part II, Tammy delves into what it’s like to breed and raise Cotswold sheep, what makes their wool so special to fiber artists and enthusiasts alike, and touches on their unique history as an heirloom breed originating in the UK. A quick mention that this is a long (virtual) conversation and not without its technical challenges and a brief interruption when a hen, spying a good opportunity, dipped into the feed bucket in which Tammy had propped her phone.
A special thanks to Tammy White for speaking with us and to Jennifer Bakos for use of her beautiful photography, which you can see more of at www.jennbakosphoto.com.
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