Flock has ties to the old country

Upperbrook Farm has about 120 sheep, including a flock of registered North Country Cheviot and some Romney crosses. Some of the ewes were bred with semen imported from the U.K. and a few of the offspring will be available at the fall sheep sale.

“Dad was from Scotland and the North County Cheviot are hill sheep from Scotland,” explained Ruth Mathewson. “Their wool is coarse and very springy so it makes great bedding, but it’s not good for felting.”

Greta had been doing hand carding for more than 25 years but the Mathewsons got a mill in 2011.

When it comes to shearing, that’s left to someone else.

“I tried it and some things are worth paying money for,” said Ruth. “Val and Amber Peterson do the shearing and they can do one in a couple of minutes. I took about an hour because I was so nervous about nicking them.”

There is a Woolies of Upperbrook Farm shop on the property where items made there are sold, including comforters, pet beds, stadium pillows, slippers and mittens, and lavender sachets. They also sell yarn, Greta’s home made jams and free range meat from their sheep and chickens.

Ruth is a director of the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers Limited and taught the lab part of the sheep course at Dal AC.

Ruth and Greta can be contacted at ruth@woolies.ca or 902895-4708. More information can also be found online at http:// www.woolies.ca or by visiting their stall at the Truro Farmers’ Market, where Greta has been a vendor for about 25 years.