Maggie & Molly’s Story:

Maggie and Molly were our original two ewes we started our shepherding journey with here at Wool Haven. When our first daughter (Elsie) was born, we began cloth diapering her with Merino wool diaper covers, which sparked our curiosity and fascination for the Merino sheep breed The thought of owning our very own Merinos became a dream of mine. A few months after Elsie was born, we learned of a farmer near us who was wanting to sell her two Merino ewes. Both were past their peek breeding years. When we met Molly (and Maggie), for the first time, we fell in love with the breed and the rest is history! Steven got to work preparing a stable and pasture paddock for them and we welcomed our beloved purebred black Merino ewes to Wool Haven within a few months after meeting them. It was such a blessing to start with older ewes (as first generation farmers) and get our feet wet with understanding all things sheep (i.e. their behavior, husbandry skills, pastures, nutrition, etc.) without the pressures of having to lamb right away.

I’m grateful for Molly, who was truly the “queen” of the flock and earned the nickname “The Lug” because she could be so incredibly stubborn! She was quite intelligent for a sheep. In her later years, when we had added to our flock, Molly caught on to our nightly farm chore routine of getting the sheep into the barn stable, enough that we would open the barn door and they would all follow Molly. I give Molly all of the credit for teaching our younger ewes their manners, to be docile and to respect their elders. She loved apple slices and carrots for treats.

We were saddened by Molly’s passing this previous winter, from old age, but we’re so grateful for having the opportunity to pamper her in her final years. She taught us so much about the Good Shepherd. Molly passed away in my arms. She was the first sheep we had to say goodbye to, which naturally, was quite emotional. I look back and think of how precious it was to have been there with Molly till her last breath as her shepherdess. Her legacy as one of the first two sheep we’ve had will remain part of our Wool Haven story.

Maggie is now the eldest sheep in our flock, at 9 1/2 years old. Maggie is a rather meek and timid ewe, she always has been, but over the years of raising her, she’s come to welcome me as her shepherdess, allowing me near her, and often times now, she’ll walk right up to me. She loves apples and carrots as treats. Maggie has a mysteriously beautiful look about her that is both regal and gentle, with distinct wrinkles in her skin (a well-known trait of the Merino breed), primarily around her neck, giving the appearance as though her neck is adorned with necklaces by her layered wrinkles of white fiber. Maggie is still in good health in her older age, we are very grateful for that, and enjoying life here at Wool Haven.

What is pin drafted roving?

After fiber has been carded into roving, it may then be “pin drafted,” an additional step of taking the roving and carefully placing it within a pin drafter (a piece of milling equipment containing a series of pins or combs). The pin drafter works to align the roving fibers more parallel to one another, creating a roving that is more consistent throughout, as well as more open and lofty than a basic roving without pin drafting. Pin drafted roving is becoming increasingly popular, especially for beginner handspinners, allowing for easier drawing of the fibers while spinning since the fibers are aligned and more parallel to one another.

The following are just a few creative ways Maggie & Molly’s (and our other) pin drafted roving may be used for:

~Handspinning (spin as is for a next-to-skin-soft 100% Merino wool yarn of your desired weight, or combine with other wools or fibers to create a yarn blend of your preference).

~Needle felting (the art of matting wool fibers with a special notched or barbed needle for countless creative projects, such as felted landscape artwork, miniature felted animals, and countless other fun and intricate felted projects. The list goes on and on!

~Wet felting (the process of using water, soap, and agitation to create a felted wool fabric or product such as felted wool boot liners and slippers, small felted floor rugs, felted trivets, et cetera.

Product Details:

~Maggie & Molly’s next-to-skin soft, 100% Wool Haven Merino wool pin drafted roving, medium sliver, sold in 4 ounce bundles of washed fiber that is ready to spin.

~Together Maggie and Molly’s pin drafted roving is a combination of their own individual natural colors, a lovely blend of bistre, tudor, and mocha brown tones, with grey fiber strands throughout, given their mature ages, providing an evenly variegated sliver to create with.

~Approximate staple length of wool fibers:

As is: 3 1/4”

Stretched end to end: 4”

~Our yarns and roving are grown and produced in West Michigan, supporting our local fiber mill.

Please note:

~Our selection of Wool Haven yarns and roving are in limited quantities from the fleeces of our own sheep. We encourage you to precisely estimate (or slightly over-estimate) the amount of fiber you will need to ensure you may complete your desired project(s) with our fibers.

~Although we labor to make sure we skirt our flock’s fiber well and do several thorough washings before we bring it to our local mill, our fiber and yarns may contain traces of vegetable matter, such as small pieces of hay and/or straw.

~If your purchase is intended as a gift for someone, please let us know by making a note for us at the time of purchase!