The Rideau Arcott breed is the first in our special 'made in Canada' breed study.
The Rideau Arcott is a truly 'Canadian' breed. The government of Canada developed 3 breeds of sheep in the 70's and 80's: Canadian Arcott, Rideau Arcott and Outaouais Arcott. Arcott stands for Agricultural Research Centre of Ottawa. The Rideau was developed using Finnsheep, Suffolk, Shropshire, Dorset and East Friesian sheep and was designed mostly for meat, but their wool has found it's own niche. In Manitoba there are many farms still raising Canadian and Rideau Arcott sheep.
The Development of Canadian Arcott Sheep
If you want to read more about the development of the various Arcott breeds, check out this document from Agriculture Canada
Rideau Arcott Sheep from Ferme Fiola Farm
Rideau wool is considered a 'variable' wool, some can be fine, long and lustrous, while other can be more lofty and down. Rideau can be white, grey, brown and even black.
The wearability of Rideau wool often depends on the specific animal or flock it comes from, some can be worn next to the skin as shawls or hats, and some is better suited for outerwear like sweaters or mittens. The wool can have a brilliant lustre and takes dye well. It is a great wool for felting
Staple length: 2.5" - 4" inches
Fibre diameter: 25 - 35 microns
Fleece weight is between 5 - 7lbs
Form: tight, consistent crimp, tight lock formation, some lustre
Canadian Arcott wool - raw (not washed)
We source our Canadian Arcott wool from a few different places, but the majority comes from Sandy Ridge Sheep - Ingrid and Remco are the farmers and they run a commercial meat flock raising Rideau Arcott and Romonav sheep. Ingrid is passionate about the wool and lamb industry and I’ve appreciated her pragramtism towards building both side of the industry together!
I really fell in love with the breed through my neighbour and ‘farm wife’ as I call her Christel Lanthier of Ferme Fiola Farm. She has done an incredible job of focusing on the wool of her Rideau sheep and has some absolutely beautiful colour and quality. You can check her out here. (Christel is also the creative genius behind all the photos for my book Sheep, Shepherd & Land - you can pick up a copy here)
Ferme Fiola Farm Family
Thanks to steph for this photo and the pattern recommendation. She spun this yarn from the Breed of the Month roving, then dyed the yarn and knit the socks.
Steph said she chain plied the yarn to make the socks!
Find the pattern here.
This beautiful hat was designed by a local Manitoban designer! And used one skein of naturally dyed Rideau wool from Ferme Fiola Farm. (this is one of my favourite patterns)
Another Manitoba Designer - Ash Alberg designed this beautiful shawl with Ridea from Ferme Fiola Farm - if you can get your hands on more skeins of Ridea, this is a beautiful project