For many years I have participated in Colonial Williamsburg’s Rare Breeds Program and currently have a modest flock of Leicester Longwool sheep. This breed originated in Britain and is considered to be threatened by The Livestock Conservancy. They are a rare breed globally.
The leicester longwool or english leicester has fantastic genetic qualities and is used to improve the meat and wool quality of other sheep breeds.
As the name suggests, leicester longwools have long, lustrous wool that is prized by handspinners. I’m not a great handspinner, but as a hobby I find it relaxing to sit at my spinning wheel and turn the wool from my sheep into usable yarn. I have a 30″ Schacht-Reeves double treadle wheel in cherry wood.
This wheel had a steep learning curve for me, but I now find it a real joy to use. It’s easy to lose track of time when I’m sitting at my wheel in silence. Schacht discontinued this wheel at the beginning of 2025.
