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| The
bluffs and bottom land of the Missouri River in central Missouri are
home
to our family farm and our flock of naturally colored
sheep.
That's what Genopalette means, a palette of sheep created colors.
Colored
sheep are rare. Among predominant wool breeds, only about 1 in
1,000
occur naturally. For centuries they have been culled
because
of the difficulties posed by colored wool to industrial wool
mills.
However, intrigued by the unusual beauty of these
naturally
colored sheep, a few pioneering shepherds
worldwide
produce small amounts of colored wool.
In
1988, compelled by the glowing shades of naturally
colored
Romney and Merino sheep seen in New Zealand, we imported and
began
breeding world class colored sheep. Under our farm name of Humble
Hills Sheep and Wool, our raw fleeces have been sold
to fiber artists nationwide.
As
our wool regularly takes top
honors at leading fleece
competitions,
it has also brought premium prices,
and that is where Genopalette items begin, with
not only an innate palette of luminous undyed colors but also an award
winning palette of exceptional textures.
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| Our
sheep graze green
pastures
much of the year and in the
spirit
of pre-Industrial revolution cottage industry,
their
wool is hand woven by us on our
farm.
Hand weaving brings a luxurious, yet subtle elegance and
welcoming
texture to each piece we create. Also inherent to our hand
woven products are durable woven selvages and
hand
finished hems. We protect the natural beauty of our virgin
,
undyed wool through minimal processing. In fact, our
sheep stay so clean that many of the artisans who purchase our
fleeces
do not even wash them before use. |
| We
shear the sheep, sort and "class" their wool.
It
is then gently washed and spun to our specifications.
Since each year we have a new growth of wool and because we mix our
wool
by
hand, it is never exactly the same from year to year, much like vintage
wine. Finally, a gentle shampoo wash completes each woven
item.
We do not use moth or shrink proofing chemicals.
This
limited edition of hand woven goods is produced entirely from the
virgin
wool of our sheep. Our Romney wool is
exceptional
for its lustre and supple drape while our Merino wool
exhibits the coveted qualities of
fineness
and extreme softness. Our
foundation
genetics were developed in New Zealand by leading wool producers.
These colored sheep were bred specifically for the qualities sought
after
by the ever discriminating fiber artist. We have carried this
tradition
well into its second decade.
It
is our sincere desire that you will find the award winning undyed
colors,
sofness, texture and resilience which make up each
Genopalette
item to be a warm blessing and comfort to you and
yours
for years to come.
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