When you look at a merino wool sweater, it is easy to think about the finished product and forget everything that came before. First there is an animal, and before that, a whole year of seasons. This is the story of a year in the life of a Sopravissana sheep, the breed from Central Italy that provides the wool for our Filiera Corta line, from the May shearing to the ball of yarn.
An honest premise: the cycle we describe is typical of the breed and of Italian farms. Exact dates vary from flock to flock and from year to year, so we refer to seasons rather than calendar days.
May: shearing
Our year begins in May, because that is when shearing takes place here. In Controra's flock, in Norma in the Lepini Mountains, shearing takes place once a year. The fleece obtained is called "sucida" wool: this means it is still raw, with its natural grease (lanolin) and the impurities collected during the year. From a flock of around 70 sheep, we obtain approximately 250 kilos of sucida wool in a year.
Shearing is not a painful operation, as it might seem: it is a relief for the animal on the eve of summer, and it is carried out by people with expert hands. The fleece of an adult female Sopravissana sheep generally weighs between 3.5 and 4.5 kilos and is white and very fine, the characteristic for which this breed is valued.
Summer: shade, water and pasture
After shearing comes the warm season. For the sheep, this means pasture, fresh water, shade and regular checks by the farmer. Traditionally, the Sopravissana is a breed accustomed to high-altitude summer pastures, and this calling to life outdoors is part of its hardiness: it is an animal that knows how to move around and adapt to its surroundings.
Autumn: the mating season
As the days grow shorter, the life of the flock changes. Sheep are seasonally breeding animals: mating can take place from summer through winter, with a peak in late autumn. Estrus lasts about 48 hours and recurs every 19-20 days until the ewe becomes pregnant. This is the period when the farmer watches the flock most closely, because the entire following season depends on this phase.
Winter: the waiting
Gestation lasts an average of 150 days, or around five months. For the Sopravissana, data collected by breed associations indicate fertility of around 90% and prolificacy of around 130%, with approximately one-quarter of births being twins. The first lambing generally occurs at around 18 months of age. Winter is therefore the time to care for the future mothers and prepare the shelters.
Spring: the lambs, then shearing again
Lambs are born in spring. It is the most beautiful and also the most demanding season of the year, and it ends with the return of May and a new shearing. The cycle closes and begins again.
From fleece to ball of yarn
And what about the wool? After shearing, the sucida fleece begins its journey:
- Washing. The wool is washed to remove lanolin, dirt and impurities.
- Carding. The fibers are combed and aligned so that they become a continuous, orderly web.
- Spinning. The carded fibers are twisted together to form yarn. For us, washing, carding and spinning are handled by Lanatura Filati, in Pedemonte, in the province of Vicenza.
- Dyeing. The yarn is colored by specialized Italian companies.
- Knitwear. The yarn arrives at Maria Grazia's workshop in Piacenza, where it becomes knitwear. If you would like to know how, we wrote about it in the report from her workshop.
From pasture to garment, therefore, everything remains in Italy, and every step has a name and an address. That is why we call it a short supply chain.
Why tell this story
The Sopravissana is a historic breed that now has very few animals and is at risk of disappearing. We discussed it in the article about the Sopravissana breed and the landscape that is home to it. A breed survives when there is an economic reason to raise it, and wool is one of them. Every Sopravissana wool sweater helps keep a flock and a piece of the landscape alive.
Understanding that twelve months of work lie behind a single thread is also the simplest way to change how we buy: fewer garments, chosen better and made to last. And if a sweater ever needs care, our repair service is there for precisely that reason.
You can discover the garments in the Filiera Corta Merino wool collection.
