Targhee sheep are named after the national forest station that housed the USDA sheep experiment, where the breed was developed. They took Rambouillet rams and bred them with Corriedale and lincoln/rambouillet ewes. The goal being to develop a hardy dual-purpose sheep that would thrive on range and farms in the west and high plains. This explains why Targhee sheep are so popular in Montana, Saskatchewan, Idaho and Alberta.
Phot by Dwane Morvik, Eastend, SK
Because of the influence of it's fine wool ancestors, targhee wool is very soft with a lovely handle. Targhee wool has a lot of loft and good elasticity. It feels soft and bouncy to work with and wears well too.
Targhee wool will felt and it takes dye very well with almost a matte surface. The wool is always white. Targhee wool is excellent for 'next to skin' items, and will also be resilient to harder wearing. You can't go wrong with hats, mittens, sweaters and shawls.
Staple length: 3 – 5” inches
Fibre diameter: 22 - 25microns
Fleece weight is between 10 - 14lbs
Structure: Dense uniform matte locks with lots of crimp.
Targhee Wool unwashed
We have sourced our wool from a few different farms in Southern Saskatchewan, but recently we get it from Terry and Kathy Towle. We had it recently micron tested and it was very fine - about 18 microns!
Terry and Kathy actually raise Targhee’s for the express purpose of training their herding dogs. They have a beautiful flock and they live a few miles from my extended family, so I get to visit their farm regularly!
I am currently knitting the Cider Sweater from Tin Can Knits - it has cables that the targhee wool exposes beautifully!