Our goal
We had an ambitious plan: to grow the finest wool in this country
and to re-introduce Merino sheep to New England. Once a wool grower’s
pride and joy, the Merino sheep had all but disappeared from New England farms.
With the rising popularity of synthetic fibers in the forties and fifties and
sinking wool prices, the fine-wooled sheep had lost favor with farmers.
100% natural is popular again
The early eighties brought re-newed interest in all things natural, including
natural fibers for clothing. And fine Merino wool became the industry standard
for luxuriously soft wool. 100% pure Merino Wool was (and still is) a coveted
label for high-end wool clothing. The chances for a fine-wool Merino sheep
operation to succeed looked promising to us.
The first American superfine imports
In 1987 we imported the first two superfine Merino rams from Australia
into America. Superfine Merino are bred in Australia and New Zealand
for their superior fine wool. Now our breeding program involved testing
and re-testing of our wool for fineness to make sure that our stud rams
were producing high-quality progeny. Not only fineness of wool mattered
to us, we wanted our fleeces to be brilliantly white, dense and long stapled.
Best-selling Merino rams
With fine wool prices at an all-time high, progeny of the two super-fine rams
attracted a lot of attention at stud ram sales across the country. We were busy
delivering rams from Texas to Wyoming, and California to Maine. Within three years
we had surpassed our five-year business plan and Merino sheep were, once again, a
familiar sight at New England Country Fairs and Shows.
Our sheep and wool have won many prestigous awards and our stud rams can be found
at leading fine-wool sheep ranches and farms across the country and Canada.
Our Merino sheep are busy producing offspring and growing their incredibly
soft wool. The future for this amazing wool producing animal looks bright
because there is nothing like wearing pure Merino wool.
Morehouse Knitting Designs
In 1988 we started a new venture with Morehouse Merino Knitting Yarn.
Processed and spun entirely in the USA, our supersoft Morehouse Merino
is a pleasure to knit with and is guaranteed not to itch. Our ready-to-knit
kits, from critter scarves to fine lace shawls, are popular with knitters
of all ages and skill levels.
Our yarns and kits are available at our online store at
www.MorehouseFarm.com
An eNewsletter, featuring new knitting designs and patterns monthly,
keeps customers informed of the goings on at Morehouse Farm.
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