Lincoln

The Lincoln breed is an English Longwool that can trace its roots all the way back to the Roman Empire. The early sheep had long but coarse wool and, being skinny animals, they didn’t provide very good meat. In the mid to late 1700’s they were bred with Leicester Longwools and through careful selection and breeding they became known as the dual-purpose sheep we know as Lincoln Longwool (often just referred to as Lincoln).

Lincoln wool is strong, with good luster, and accepts dye readily. It can be spun from the lock, is easily opened with a Lock Pop or flicker, cards well, and longer lengths are often combed. Like many of the long wools, some shepherds choose to shear twice a year to keep vegetable matter out of the fleece and to keep it from matting and felting while still on the sheep. They typically grow 7-10 inches per year, so we often find fleece measuring four to eight inches in length depending on the shearing schedule. Lincoln typically has a medium hand that is appropriate for garments that are just one layer out from the skin. Lincolns can exhibit a variety of colors from white to black; most notably a variegated silvery-gray that provides a stunning depth of color when processed.

Despite several flocks throughout the U.S. and an increasing population, Lincoln maintains a Threatened status on the Conservation Priority List from the National Livestock Conservancy, meaning there are fewer than 1,000 registered in the U.S. and fewer than 2,500 globally. Each order of four or more ounces of purebred fleece will include a passport sticker for the Conservancy’s Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em Iniatitive.