Sabrina Ross of Heatherlea Black Cheviots is a keen advocate of sustainable agriculture and has found a niche market for her growing enterprise which focuses on producing traceable wool from her own Scottish flock.

Having originally practised as a vet and was born and brought up in Austria, Sabrina with her husband, George, now resides at Heatherlea Croft, in a remote Sutherland strath, near Ardgay.

The croft was assigned to George by his late father, Robin, and the couple now run a 600-ewe flock of standard white Lairg-type hill North Country Cheviots, as well as a separate small flock of black Cheviots.

The couple has diversified the croft’s livestock enterprise by running a special business that sells wool and woollen products to local and worldwide customers, including New Zealand, Canada and Europe.

Here Sabrina told us about her business:

What’s your story?

We are fifth-generation crofters and run a flock of hill North Country Cheviot sheep alongside our smaller flock of the rare black hill North Country Cheviot.

A Scottish superstition states that having some black sheep in your flock will bring good luck, so we have always kept a couple of black Cheviot ewes to run alongside the white Cheviots.

I’ve always loved working with animals and having enjoyed my holidays on granny’s self-sufficient farm throughout my childhood, I always imagined myself working as a vet for cattle and sheep – or having a lot of my own animals to care for.

Many might have thought it was wishful thinking back then, but fast forward 40 years and here I am living my dream.

My husband, George, who shares my love for animals and the rich biodiversity on the croft, supported my decision to leave the full-time vet profession, which was not an easy one. However, being a part time agricultural officer has given me the freedom to have more involvement in croft work and focus on my other love – working with wool.

How did you find your way into working with wool?

Wool has always played an important role in my life and I especially connect to it since I am fortunate to have a mother who is an expert knitter and crocheter. I always loved wearing the finished garments – from her handmade socks to pullovers, blankets to couch throws, her woollens have travelled the world with me and lasted a lifetime.

I learnt knitting in primary school in Austria, however I was not patient enough to appreciate it at the time! Little did I know back then that shearing time, following lambing, would turn out to be my favourite time of the year.

By combining my knowledge of genetics and the science of wool fibres, I have managed to develop a black North Country Cheviot flock with a very desirable fleece. North Country Cheviot (NCC) fleece has a medium to long staple, amazing crimp, is springy, soft and durable – a very rare combination.

In this modern world, sheep wool is very much undervalued but I am an optimist. In my eyes, NCC wool is often overlooked because is not a rare breed but it really does offer what most fibre friends are looking for.

The idea of showing people what is possible with real wool kept me motivated and the idea of a small wool business was born.

What is the process?

Don’t expect to get rich ... unless your wool is golden!

There is a heck of a lot of work and time involved. Local women taught me how to spin and the feeling of connection to the sheep and the land, for me, is vital to stay motivated.

We shear the hand-spun range with hand clippers, with the remainder of the flock being clipped with an electric headpiece. After clipping, the fleeces are graded, washed, carded and spun into skeins. As we are both fond of our croft biodiversity, animal welfare and carbon footprint, we try to carry out most of these processes in an eco-friendly, traditional way...by hand.

By selling our wool in local village markets, with some going abroad, we wanted to learn more about our product in the hands of experts. All our machine-spun wool is 100% traceable to our own flock and the hand-spun skeins are traceable to the individual sheep too.

Your business?

The public perception of real wool mostly involves a negative memory of a scratchy childhood pullover.

Wool has come a long way since then and due to our selective breeding, our wool is soft and warm and can be worn directly on your skin.

The majority of our range is undyed and unbleached and ideal for sensitive skin.

Our closed flock only welcomes new tups that have a dense coat, tight crimp and no kemp, and must have a fleece that can withstand the harsh Highland climate.

For those willing to overcome negative memories, there is a special ‘Cheviot starter kit’ to tackle that issue.

Next to hand and mill-spun knitting wool, I provide raw fleece for crafters, and washed and carded fleece for fibre artists.

I also have various knitting kits available and designed different patterns to purchase, with the newest set being for a knitted skirt.

The starter kit is a great first step to working with real wool and hand-felted slippers are available too.

I also enjoy entertaining and educating small knitting groups via appointment – mainly out with the farming community – and showing how natural wool is processed, as well as how sheep are kept and handled. The majority of people are delighted to learn where their wool comes from.

With farmers struggling to make a profit from wool, what is the future?

I am curious about what the future brings for versatile wool. These days, it costs most farmers and crofters more to shear the sheep than they will get paid for the fleece it provides.

Consumers often buy plastic wool, which really dumps prices to a bare minimum and even below that. Thankfully, quality is appreciated by my customers and although each material has its place, wool has often been associated with heritage and it is woven into tradition.

I can see that wool is something that is still proving very positive and will always be part of our culture and local identity, passing on knowledge for generations to come. The more natural wool worn, the less micro-plastic in the ocean and it will also encourage slow fashion in the future. With more demand for natural wool, surely the prices for raw fleece will improve.

The future for my wool business is hopefully positive. There are a few new projects in the line. I am fascinated by the idea of teaching children the way that sheep survive and mature, letting them understand where wool comes from and contributing to this, I am currently working on a children’s book about this topic.

For more information or to purchase yarn, please visit: https://blackcheviot.com/