Jessica and Russell Steer farm on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon with a flock of 300 sheep. Requests for fleeces from local spinners saw the start of The Rushlade Wool Company in 2017 and today they sell raw fleece, yarns, sheepskins and garments all direct from the farm.
Rushlade Wool has a variety of sheep breeds from Dalesbreds that roam the upland tors of Dartmoor to the Merinos nestled in the meadows near to the farmhouse. In 2018 a cross with the local rare breed Whiteface Dartmoor Ram and the Merino ewes saw the first of the Dartmoor Merinos. The sheep brought a longer staple of fleece and a more durable but still soft Merino fibre. Their wool is available raw and as yarn.
The Masham, like the Teeswaters and North Country Mules add further variety to the flock with lustrous locks of gorgeous British wool available every year alongside a range of cross bred fleeces, providing variety and interest.
Raw fleeces are available late summer and carefully skirted, picked and packed by hand before being sent out to our customers (Many by pre order so it is recommended to get in touch if you have something in mind!). Yarns are either hand spun on farm or the bulk are spun in Cornwall and return to the farm to be hand dyed in our workshop. Our Yarns are available in three bases: Merino, Dartmoor Merino and Masham. The incredibly soft Merino fleece is a stand out product of ours and is perfect for next to skin garments. The Dartmoor Merino is a very popular Merino cross and the Masham is a lustrous fleece perfect for shawls or blankets.
Yarn, raw fleeces, sheepskins and knitwear are all available through our online shop and we work with trade customers on larger projects, spinning etc, for trade please contact Jess by Email.
We are starting the conversation about how the South West can produce more home-grown textiles and garments in a more healthy, resilient and regenerative textile ecosystem.
Become a member of South West England Fibreshed for community support, industry introductions, collaboration opportunities, and the ability to apply for a micro-grant of up to £2,500.
We plan to launch a Supporter membership soon. Sign up here to receive updates and news.
To provide the best experience we use cookies to store and/or access information. Consenting will allow us to process data on this site. Not consenting may adversely affect certain features and functions.
We will be launching a Supporter membership shortly. If you are interested in receiving more information on this and other news from our fibreshed, please sign up here.