In a study on biodiversity in heathland areas, Sjraar van Beek soon discovered that something was missing in the maintenance of the heathland. Based on this observation, he proposed that a flock of heathland sheep graze on the heath to ensure that the grass was eaten, making space for heathland plants.

For this purpose, he bought a flock of Kempen Heath sheep in Heeze. These heathland sheep were one of the last of their kind. Just as there was once a clear distinction between Catholics and Protestants, there were also two types of sheep that lived in these divided regions: the Kempen Heath sheep and the Veluwe Heath sheep, which, incidentally, look very much alike.

In the past, heathland sheep were very popular for their wool, manure, and grazing. However, due to industrialisation and the rise of large livestock, artificial fertilisers, and synthetic materials that would replace wool, heathland sheep were sidelined. Fortunately, Sjraar's "experiment" on the heath proved very useful. Before he knew it, Landschapsbeheer De Wassum (De Wassum Landscape Management) was established, with a last count of 13 flocks (about 4000) of heathland sheep and 20 shepherds. His flocks now mainly graze in Roermond and Heeze, where they contribute to healthy soil in this beautiful piece of nature.

Up until five years ago, there was still (limited) wool trade in the Netherlands. However, this gradually declined until there was almost no profit to be made from the fleeces. Because the wool federation no longer sorts the wool, good wool and less usable wool get mixed up. As a result, Kempen wool was no longer used because it often got dirty on the heath.

Upon further investigation, Sjraar discovered that his sheep did indeed produce good wool. This prompted an extensive study into wool quality, which ultimately led to the examination of wool from 2000 sheep. The study provided an incredible amount of information about the quality, the micron (thickness of the wool), and also the best time to shear. Sjraar now supplies micron-selected wool. He tries to keep this below 28 microns through breeding, which is the "itch point" for many people.

We at The Knitwit Stable purchase wool below 28 microns as A+ quality wool. For example, in 2021, we used approximately 1000 kilos of this wool to produce, among other things, the Yumeko plaids.

The collaboration between grazing company De Wassum and The Knitwit Stable ensures that we once again value Dutch wool and gain insight into how best to utilise it. This way, much less wool is wasted, and we can now make plaids from this previously unusable wool.

Read more about Landschapsbeheer de Wassum and sheep grazing on their website: wassum.nl