CVM

The California Variegated Mutant, or CVM, is a distinct-looking breed that originated in our home state in the 1960s. Sheep from the Romeldale breed – a white fine wool – were selectively bred for a naturally occurring genetic mutation that produces a fleece of variegated colors.

From tan to gray to brown to black, several colors can often be found in the same fleece and occasionally even in the same lock of wool. A typical one-year growth is three to four inches, making this breed ideally suited for woolen spinning projects. Likewise, the relative fineness and soft hand usually found in CVM lends it to being used next to skin. The crimp style and lock structure vary from being distinct locks with a merino-like crimp to open, undefined locks. While often compared to Merino, CVM tends to be a couple microns larger in diameter, producing a more durable and easier to process fleece, albeit with a slightly less soft feel. When crossbred with long wools, CVM tends to impart its variegated coloration and add fineness to the resulting fleece – often creating an ideal fiber for worsted spinning projects.

While once considered two distinct breeds, CVM and Romeldale have both seen their global populations shrink in recent years and are now considered a single breed. They are often referred to as the Romeldale/CVM breed, though many people refer to the white fleece from the breed as Romeldale and naturally colored fleece as CVM. They are in the Threatened category of the Conservation Priority List from the National Livestock Conservancy, meaning there are fewer than 1,000 registered Romeldale/CVM sheep in the US.

BFL x CVM #22253
Price range: $20.00 through $117.00
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Thin and squiggly locks abound in this highly energized crossbreed. It is bright white and measures 5″ in length when stretched but is closer to 4″ when relaxed. It has a medium to soft handle and will be next to skin soft for most people.
BFL x CVM #25360
Price range: $41.00 through $136.00
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A highly energized crossbreed whose lineage is 3/4 BFL and 1/4 CVM – and it shows. This fleece looks and acts like a BFL, albeit with a softer hand than usual and without those tight tips that are tough to process. It is bright white, with sproingy locks measuring around 5 inches but that will stretch out as long as 7 inches.
BFL x CVM #622250
$174.00
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A springy white crossbreed with lots of energy and a medium to soft hand. The distinct, curly locks measure five to six inches in length. Sold as a half pound weighing 1.7 pounds.
BFL x Teeswater x CVM x Wensleydale #24189
Price range: $21.00 through $124.00
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Get your shades out for this bright white fleece with lots of luster! It is a four breed cross with a medium to soft hand and distinct, wavy locks measuring six to seven inches in length.
BFL x Teeswater x CVM x Wensleydale #25331
Price range: $43.00 through $142.00
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This is a high sheen, bright white, and uber-curly crossbreed. Its locks measure 7″ and longer and have a medium to soft handle. Yummy!
BFL x Wensleydale x CVM #23180
$44.00
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A 7″ long, bright white crossbreed featuring lustrous locks with open tips. This fleece has a medium to soft hand and will be a joy to spin in your next worsted project.
Border Leicester x CVM #22252
Price range: $18.00 through $104.00
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Bright white and big crimp! This unique cross of Border Leicester and CVM looks like someone took a CVM and just made everything bigger: 5″ long locks, big french fry crimp, and slightly larger fiber diameter – resulting in a medium hand rather than the typically silky soft hand of CVM. Still, this is an all around fun and squishy fleece.
Shave 'em to Save 'em
CVM #18139
$41.00
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A white CVM fleece with blocky, non-distinct locks measuring 3.5 to 4 inches in length and a medium to soft handle. This breed is on the National Livestock Conservancy’s Priority Conservation List; purchase of 4 ounces or more will include a passport stamp for the Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em Iniatitive.
CVM #23172
Price range: $24.00 through $44.00
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A stunning California Variegated Mutant (CVM) fleece with loads of crimp, a soft hand, and distinct locks measuring 4″ in length. This fleece has a very fun variegated color, running the gamut from bright white to tan to champagne to medium brown. CVM is a Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em breed, and each order of four or more ounces will include a SE2SE passport sticker.
Shave 'em to Save 'em
CVM #618130
$145.00
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A white CVM fleece with soft, indistinct locks measuring around four inches in length. This versatile fleece can be processed in either a woolen or worsted manner. This rare breed is on the Conservation Priority List and will include a SE2SE passport sticker. Sold as a half fleece weighing 1.7 pounds.
CVM x Corriedale x Wensleydale #23183
Price range: $38.00 through $66.00
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Outside of a Jacob fleece, you do not typically see the stark white and brown coloring this fleece exhibits. Outside of a BFL fleece, you do not typically see the uber-curly, highly energized locks this fleece exhibits. So, obviously, this fleece has neither of those breeds in its lineage! This is a brown and white, 4″ long, sproingy, three way crossbreed of CVM, Corriedale, and Wensleydale, that will be next to skin soft for most people.
CVM x Corriedale x Wensleydale #24188
Price range: $40.00 through $70.00
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What’s white and brown and soft all over? This fleece! This crossbreed has a fun color variegation thanks to its CVM lineage, as well as energized 4″ locks and a handle that will be next to skin soft for most people.
CVM x Cotswold x Wensleydale x Lincoln #2135
Price range: $40.00 through $133.00
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A fun four-breed cross measuring 4.5″ in length. The locks are both crimpy and wavy, as sometimes happens in a crossbreed. This fleece did pick up some variegation in its color from the CVM lineage and the tans and light grays are best described as oatmeal in color. Don’t you need more fiber in your diet?
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CVM x Romney x Corriedale #2090
Original price was: $36.00.Current price is: $28.00.
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A bright white crossbreed with locks measuring 4 to 5″ in length. Medium hand, with a tight CVM-like crimp in blocky, easy to process locks.
CVM x Romney x Corriedale #22255
Price range: $25.00 through $81.00
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A four-inch-long crossbreed with a medium hand. The big, crimpy locks are bright white throughout this fleece.
CVM x Wensleydale #2177
Price range: $38.00 through $126.00
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A CVM and Wensleydale crossbreed that definitely exhibits the “V” in CVM: variegation. Lock structure ranges from thin french fries to bold and Corriedale-like, color ranges from white to medium gray with blonde tips, and length is in the four to five inch long range. Handle is medium but may be soft enough for next to skin for some people.
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CVM x Wensleydale #25239
Price range: $23.00 through $73.00
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A rare white version of this crossbreed. Some of the variegation of the CVM lingers here, as there are occassional pops of tan, brown, and gray in this fleece. It measures around five inches in length with a medium to soft hand and wavy, open locks.
CVM x Wensleydale x Lincoln #2140
Price range: $47.00 through $158.00
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A 4.5″ crossbreed with lots of sproing and medium to soft hand. We landed on “oatmeal” as a color designation on this fleece, as it is a mottled light gray and tan.
Imperfect BFL x CVM Lamb #424175A
$98.00
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Cream white, highly energized crossbreed with a luxuriously soft hand. The crimpy white locks have high sheen, measure four to five inches in length, and end in telltale curlicue lamb tips. This naughty lamb shook off its coat, and this fleece will require a little extra work to clean the vegetable matter out, which is why it is in our Imperfect category. Sold as a half fleece weighing 1.4 pounds.
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Imperfect Teeswater x CVM x Wensleydale Lamb #425334
$167.00
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This lovely lamb fleece comes from a crossbreed of 50% Teeswater, 25% CVM, and 25% Wensleydale, so it’s not surprising that it measures seven inches and longer and has plenty of luster. It is crimpy and soft, and about 2/3 white and 1/3 black with a smattering of grays. This fleece is in our Imperfect category for having more vegetable matter than we typically allow; it is mostly large pieces that come out easily but it does need to be processed by hand. Sold as a whole fleece weighing 2.1 pounds.
Teeswater x CVM x Wensleydale #624194
$195.00
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A fun crossbreed measuring around six inches in length with a medium to soft hand that will be next to skin soft for most people. Thanks to the influence of the CVM, this fleece is mostly black with some white and light gray variegation throughout. Sold as a half fleece weighing 1.6 pounds.
Wensleydale x CVM x Lincoln #23181
Price range: $23.00 through $72.00
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A creamy white crossbreed with occasional touches of light gray. Its french fry style locks are mostly distinct and four to five inches in length. The handle is medium to soft and will be next to skin soft for most people.