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Lost Flock [Us Edition]: Rare Wool, Wild Isles and One Woman's Journey to Save Scotland's Original Sheep
Lost Flock [Us Edition]: Rare Wool, Wild Isles and One Woman's Journey to Save Scotland's Original Sheep | Jane Cooper
3 posts | 1 read | 1 to read
"A windswept love letter"--Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment From Viking times to pastoral Highland crofts to odious research experiments, this is the untold, real-life detective story of the remarkable little horned sheep known as the Orkney Boreray and the determined woman who moved to one of Scotland's wildest islands to save them. It was Jane Cooper's passion for knitting that led her to search for rare-breed sheep and their distinctive wool. When she found a 'lost flock' of Boreray sheep--the UK's rarest breed of sheep--it ignited a quest that would ultimately change her life. Uprooting her suburban existence in Newcastle, she embarked on a new adventure as a farmer and shepherd in the faraway Orkney Islands. There, to her astonishment, Jane realized that she was the sole custodian of the last remnants of a unique group of Boreray sheep, what then became her Orkney Boreray flock. She began investigating its mysterious and ancient history, tracking down the origins of the breed, its significance to Scotland's natural heritage, and the importance of protecting the Orkney Boreray from extinction. "Jane Cooper combines intelligence, heart and passion to create a life of integrity not only for herself but for one of the rarest breeds of sheep on the planet. . . . Her trials and triumphs offer a stellar example for others to follow in their own ways. Bravo!"--Deborah Robson, author of The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook
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bookishbitch
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Part history book and part memoir of this author's journey into becoming a shepherd and custodian for the breed. It also delves into the difficulties living on a small island with the sheep when it comes to getting then processed into meat and tanned hides as well. I appreciated the author's commitment to living as naturally on the land as possible, and finding ethical processing. I look forward to spinning this wool some day.

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bookishbitch
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This is the 1st time I've heard of a grab and hold method for sheepdog work. Pretty smart of the farmers to come up with this. Necessity is the mother of invention indeed! Hopefully the teeth file down wasn't to the dogs detriment.

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bookishbitch
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A friend sent me the info for this book. Of course I couldn't resist. I'm currently participating in a rare breed wool study so this is my kind of jam. (Hand spinning yarn.)

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