Knitting with Sheep Locks – A Journey of Texture, Character, and Colour
For over 20 years, I’ve been working with raw sheep fleece — wet-felting rugs, wall art pieces, and soft furnishings using natural shorn fleece straight from the farm. Back when I started, there were no YouTube tutorials or friendly Facebook groups to ask questions in. It was a real learning curve (one that my pets appreciated — they made great use of those early “learning” projects!).
But lately, I’ve been enjoying a new phase in my fleece journey: knitting with sheep locks.
Why Locks?
Locks bring an incredible texture, depth, and movement to knitted items. Whether you’re after rustic charm, funky flair, or dramatic softness, locks offer endless possibilities. You can add colour, curl, bounce, and warmth — and no two projects will ever look the same.
Over the past few months, I’ve written six different knitting-with-locks patterns, each one designed to make the most of the locks’ unique textures and characters. Whether you’re knitting a scarf, waistcoat, bag, my popular weighted sheep doorstop or my tiny sheep key ring, there’s a pattern to suit your style and your stash.
Browse the full set of patterns here
Choosing the Right Locks for Your Project
Not all locks are created equal. The type of project you’re working on will dictate the type of locks you need:
- Weighted Sheep Doorstop – Coarser, curlier locks like mature Lincolnshire Longwool or Leicester Longwool or Valais Blacknose are perfect.
- Scarves & Waistcoats – These sit close to the skin and need softness; lamb’s locks or finer breeds like Wensleydale, Teeswater and Gotland work beautifully.
- Bags & Decorative Items – Here you can experiment with a mix of structure and texture. All of the breeds already mentioned along with Masham and Mule crosses are great options.
Sourcing Locks – Raw or Washed?
You have two main options:
1. Buy Raw Fleece and Wash It Yourself
A brilliant source of raw locks is The UK Greasy Fleece Marketplace, lots of raw locks on there at the moment!
This gives you full control — from skirting to sorting and dyeing. It’s how I started and still my favourite method. A few things I’ve learned along the way:
- Always ask for photos before you buy. Sellers’ descriptions can vary wildly in honesty or experience. What one person calls “soft” might feel like a scouring pad to you.
- Check for vegetable matter (VM) and ask how clean the fleece is.
- Don’t be shy about asking detailed questions.
Here are some of the people I trust and regularly buy from:
- Alison Lewiston (North Yorkshire) – A brilliant variety of breeds on her farm. You’ll find everything from part-felted curls to structured mules. You can contact Alison on messenger or email. This is Alison up to date breed list, Bluefaced Leicester, Swaledale, North of England Mule, Texel, Texdale (Texel x Swaledale), Herdwick, Hebridean, Roussin, Zwartbles, Grey faced Dartmoor, Berrichon, Berrichon x Texel, Cheviot, Shetland,Scotch Blackface, Suffolk x Charollais, Zwartbles x Texel.
- Alison’s felted ones are Shetland, Hebridean and Mule. shhhh don’t tell everyone BUT, (when I was at the farm a few days ago she had some lovely fleece that will felt brilliantly and a small super soft white Shetland part felted fleece, I would have bought it if still wet felting). Alisons loose locks are Blue Faced Leicester.
- Vicky (Peak District) – Her Ryeland fleece comes in beautiful natural colours, and she always sends clean, well-described fleece, with the sheep name and age.
- Mark from Cefn Clan Fibre Flock – Follow Mark on Facebook
He specialises in stunning, long, soft locks (some over 11 inches!). Washed to perfection using a gentle, secret method — no harsh scouring. These locks are a dream to knit with, especially for next-to-skin wearables. His lamb’s locks are soft and fluffy, perfect for my scarf pattern — and people were snapping them up after seeing my sample at the Eden Wool Gathering.
2. Buy Washed or Dyed Locks
If you’re not up for washing fleece yourself, there are great options on platforms like Etsy — just search for your preferred breed and check reviews.
You’ll also find an amazing variety at wool shows and gatherings around the UK during the summer months. Take your pattern or project plans with you so you know what staple length or texture you’re after.
Sheep Breeds and Their Locks
Here’s a quick guide to some fleece types I’ve worked with and recommend:
- Wensleydale – Long and lustrous, great drape. Perfect for waistcoats and showpiece scarves.
- Teeswater – Similar to Wensleydale, with beautiful shine and definition.
- Gotland – Come in an array of shades and usually very soft. Ideal for scarves, waistcoats and textural pieces like doorstops.
- Valais Blacknose (lamb) – Gorgeous first-shear fleece. Soft and curly before it toughens with age (it is a mountain breed after all). Because it is a mountain breed it will get itchy and not next to the skin locks.
- Masham – Soft from young sheep; produces a mix of long structured staple and fluffier sections. I used just the structured parts for a sheep doorstop.
- Mules & Crossbreeds – Often overlooked, but some have surprisingly beautiful locks if you sort through.
- This is only the fleece I use personally use regularly, hopefully others will jump on the post and add breeds that work for them.
Ready to Start?
Knitting with locks is one of the most creative, characterful techniques I’ve ever used. Whether you’re making a bold accessory or something wildly whimsical, locks let you play with texture, movement, and natural beauty in every stitch.
Check out my full pattern collection here
And if you haven’t already, follow Mark’s Fibre Flock page — you won’t want to miss his latest batches of lamb locks and long staples. I’ve got more ideas on the way using his extra-long locks in wearable next-to-skin pieces!
Have you tried knitting with locks? What breeds have you had the best results with? I’d love to hear in the comments or on social — and don’t forget to tag me in your projects!
