Bittersweet Farm is a small upstate New York farm specializing in yarn made from our registered Shetland Sheep and Alpaca as well as custom knit and crochet goods.
Shetland sheep are a small unimproved or primitive breed of sheep. They are part of the larger Northern European Short Tailed Sheep family which also includes Icelandics and Finnsheep. Shetlands are known for their lovely fleeces which come in the widest variety of colors of any breed of sheep! Being primitive, Shetland sheep are hardy, they lamb easily, and thrive in the cold. They enjoy browsing (eating shrubs and trees) as well as grazing (eating grass), making them ideal for a small, mixed use property like ours. Learn more about Shetland Sheep using the link below.
Meet the animals!
Spot (short for Spotless) was one of our 2 original sheep. She was a show lamb at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival prior to joining us here. Consequently she is quite comfortable with people and absolutely loves pets, frequently wagging her tail when she gets them.
Emily tends to be a bit shy of people. She can be seen here observing me safely from behind a tree while I took pictures of nearby Sonnet. Emily is quite the watch sheep, always keeping an eye on who is coming and going and sounding the alarm appropriately.
Buddy is our only male as evidenced by his beautiful horns. Female Shetlands tend to be polled (lacking horns). Buddy is a wether, he was castrated due to an underbite which made him a poor candidate for breeding. Underbite aside Buddy is a sweet, handsome fella with a gorgeous musket fleece.
Sonnet is the most recent addition to our flock. We were warned prior to bringing her home that she is a jumper, and sure enough we have had to make some adjustments to our fencing since. Sonnet can jump a 4 foot fence with ease! Sonnet’s fleece has been quite a surprise. When she first arrived as a 6 month old lamb her fleece was completely black, but as you can see she has greyed considerably!
Peaches came to us from a neighboring farm. Sadly her fellow alpacas on the farm had passed away and her owner asked if we could take her so she wouldn’t be lonely. Since then Peaches has made herself right at home with the sheep, and can frequently be seen hanging out with her best friend Toaster (seen here on her back).
Bittersweet Goods
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Yarn
Shetland yarn, Alpaca yarn, blended fibers, hand spun and machine spun. We work with Battenkill Fibers to make a shetland/alpaca blended yarn that shows off the natural colors of our flock. Our handspun yarn is made start to finish here on the farm. Our flock is shorn yearly, the fleece is washed, carded, and spun in small batches. Custom orders are welcome.
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Fiber
For all the crafters out there! We sell scoured fleece and small batch roving. Blend with other fibers or use alone for your spinning project. Great for needle and wet felting.
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Textiles
Knit and crocheted items made from Bittersweet Farm yarns. Hats, tees, sweaters, blankets. Custom orders welcome.
