Teddy's Free Life on the Spinning C

 I was contacted by a spinner that wanted a raw fleece, she wanted to wash and do the whole nine yards.  I told her that I washed most of my fleeces before selling but I would go out to the barn and see what I had left. 
Well, there is several left but this nice lady had also said that she would like a longer staple.  As I went through the fleeces I was mentally doing a check list.  Then when I came across Teddy's or sometimes called Therador, I knew that this guy always produced a nice healthy fleece with longer stable, soft handle, and crimp.  In fact, Teddy's fleece has always been put back into my own private stash.  His mother was Bonnie, a large Oxford that did not have the typical Down wool, her wool had a slight sheen, lots of crimp and a very silky handle.  Teddy has a twin sister, Speckles.  I kept all of Bonnie's off spring and she has not disappointed me in the least with her off-spring.

 

Teddy is the biggest doll baby.  He loves to be petted and he also loves to come and go as he pleases.  Yes, Teddy is a jumper.  He jumps over fences with 2 rows of barb wire to get to where he wants to go.  When he is ready to come back into the barn lot, he just jumps over.  When the rest of the flock comes in at evening, Teddy comes if he choses to come, he may just raise his head and look at you when you call him in and then lower it back down to eat...Oh, well Teddy isn't coming in yet.  But when I go out later, there he will be, laying with the other sheep in the barn lot.  A couple of years ago when Teddy was a yearling, Ang and I would go out to get him in and we would literally have to push him.  He is a pretty big guy so it didn't take us long to throw our arms up and let him do what he wanted.  I have told him many times that he is coyote bait but to no avail.  In fact, a pack of coyotes could run past him and he wouldn't flinch one bit.  Nothing ruffles his feather.  He is easy going, carefree. 

But Teddy's Shepherd has to pay the price for having a rouge like him.  He gets right in with about 30 heads of cows and eats like they don't exist.  He comes up with vm in his long wool.  I sit and pick at his wool and have even been known to take scissors and trim off the tips of any staples with attached seeds.  I have contacted the lady to see if she really wants the raw fleece, if not, I shall wash it up and put it with my stash.

Teddy and close ups of Teddy's wool.  See the crimp?       and the length?                                               

One large bag of Teddy wool.

Teddy is always on the move.