Pine Knoll Sheep & Wool
ABOUT US
We began our flock as Peeper Hollow Farm on a small acreage in eastern Iowa in the spring of 2000. We were doing a lot of mowing back then, so we bought a few sheep to manage the vegetation for us. Before long, those sheep had more sheep, then more sheep. In 2004, we began to add strong purebred Romney genetics to our line from both the east and the west coasts, emphasizing soft, lustrous fleeces and strong, correct conformations. Our Romney flock grew to about two dozen purebred and registered breeding ewes who consistently produced award-winning fleeces and beautiful, well-built lambs. Peeper Hollow Farm had established itself as a premier producer of animals and fleece.
In the spring of 2007, our desire to help protect the genetic diversity of sheep culminated in the purchase of a small starter flock of Romeldale/CVMs. We continued to add more of this breed to our flock in order to be able to offer a line of finer fleeces as well as increase the numbers of this beautiful but endangered breed. When it came time to consider retirement, we made the decision to sell off the Romney flock and continue to breed Romeldale/CVMs for their lovely wool and many interesting colors and patterns. We bought a farm in western Virginia in late 2017 and made the move in May of 2018 — all twenty-one adult ewes, five rams, twenty lambs, six llamas, three border collie dogs, and the two of us!
With the move came a change in farm name. Pine Knoll Sheep and Wool reflects the pine trees lining the property and provides for an opportunity to expand on what has worked best for us over the years.
Phebi, one of our original CVMs, and her lambs in 2007.
Phebi, one of our original CVMs, and her lambs in 2007.
The sheep at Pine Knoll Sheep and Wool have free access to pasture year-round, are supplemented during the snowy months with high-quality grass and alfalfa hay. The ewe flock is sheared in spring to keep them cool during the hot summers.
All of our sheep are covered with coats (also sometimes called covers) immediately after shearing. Even the lambs wear them, usually beginning within minutes after birth. The coats keep the fleeces clean of the vegetable matter (VM) or foreign fibers and dirt that normally find their way into uncovered sheep fleeces. Each sheep’s coat is changed for a larger size at least twice over the course of the year as required by the wool growth (or the sheep’s own physical growth, especially in the case of lambs!). Many of the sheep will be eight to ten inches wider at the end of one year’s growth of wool than right after shearing!
To find out how the fleeces are processed for shipping to you, please check the information at Shipping and Policies.
Our Goals
To maintain the highest-quality standards for our products.
To provide the best customer service possible.