The Fleece:  Above all else the Shetland fleece should be soft.  An overly course fleece is a serious fault.  There are three accepted types of Shetland fleece- Kindly/Single-coated (usually short and very crimpy), Long/Wavy (medium length and crimp), and Beaver/Primitive/Double-Coated (very long, usually straighter, but still soft.)

 

  A single-coated ewe & fleece.

 

   A long/wavy ram & fleece.

 

   A double-coated ewe &fleece

 

As an “unimproved” breed, the Shetland was not originally intended to have a completely uniform fleece from head to tail.  Traditionally, one Shetland fleece was put to multiple uses by the crofters on the Shetland Islands.  It has been accepted that the neck wool is the finest and crimpiest part of the fleece, and was used to make lace shawls and hosiery.  The shoulder wool is also more fine and crimpy, and was used to make undergarments and baby clothes.  The wool from the midsection could be used for soft sweaters and outergarments.  The britch wool was used for socks.  This variability in the Shetland fleece is traditional, and should not be discriminated against in the show ring.  Again, the softness of the fleece is the most important trait.

 

Efforts have been made on Shetland and mainland Scotland to make the Shetland a more commercially viable breed.  The Modern type Shetland does have a more uniform fleece from head to tail, and is usually very soft and crimpy with a medium length single-coated fleece.  This type of fleece is more easily handled by commercial processors.