Brown/Black hide from Lachlan , 2020 Shetland ram. Lachlan was one of the first lambs born on Brown Dog Farm . His mother is Rose and his father was Fergus. He was a fiesty, beautiful ram with big stripey horns. This hide is a typical dense fluffy black hide with light patches. When Lachlan was a lamb he had big white patches on his sides. As the animals age their fleeces change,and the sun tends to bleach out the black to a warm dark brown. There is also some variation from the fine bouncy wool at the head and shoulders and the coarser longer wool at the britch or the back of the animal. This fleece has this variation. At its longest it is 44" and its widest 23". These are warm and bouncy fleeces , perfect for a bench cushion or wonderful as a bedside rug, so comfy on a winter night.

When we process an animals, we get back the hides and the heads so we can utilize as much of the animals as possible. This keeps all these parts out of the waste stream and honors the lives they lived. After scraping and salting the hides, we send them to Driftless Traditional Tannery in Paoli, Wisconsin. There they are carefully washed and then tanned in a natural mimosa bark tanning solution. The skins come back buttery soft with a pinkish, suede finish. They are minimally processed to retain the lock structure and unique quality of each individual. It is a long process and we are so excited to be able to share these heirloom pieces with you. Each one is a tribute to the beauty and resourcefulness of these animals. We have no problems naming them and carrying their story on to you.