This story's a real Caithness yarn
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A CAITHNESS sheep farmer is not pulling the wool over your eyes when he talks of improving the health of his meadows by controlled grazing.
Graeme Bethune of Caithness Yarns runs his new business in the scenic surroundings of Houstry, Dunbeath. It's definitely not the average dreary looking office, as it has a stunning backdrop provided by the Scaraben hills – but then Caithness Yarns is not the average office or sheep farm, for that matter.
"I'm a sheep farmer who is looking to diversify for making more money to survive Brexit.
"To that end we have retooled to focus on selling our yarn. But there is so much more depth to our branding and the entire package of the farm and selling wool. I want to show people what makes us different to large-scale industrial production of wool."
Graeme says there are three certainties for his customers when they buy yarn. "They can feel the quality of the yarn or the garment they're wearing as it is something tangible that they can touch and experience daily.
"They can also expect that anything that has the Caithness Yarns tag on it is sourced from small/medium farmers who looks after their sheep in a responsible manner.
"Thirdly, the customer can be reassured the product is coming from a special place that uses centuries-old skills of husbandry, spinning, weaving and dyeing."
The flock at Graeme's farm consists of non-pedigree North Country Cheviot Hill sheep of a Lairg type which he calls "true North Cheviots" as a marketing strategy. The others are Castlemilk Moorit, a rare breed that are originally native to Dumfriesshire and have a fine chocolatey brown fleece. He also sources wool from a number of local farmers who share his commitment to high welfare standards in their flocks.
"This means, in short, that Caithness Yarns pays a decent price for wool, one that reflects the hard work and care that goes into proper sheep farming," Graeme says.
"Paying a wee bit more means better-kept sheep, which leads to better sheep and wool, which leads in turn to better yarn we can all feel better about, knowing everything has been done properly from the farm to your yarn."
The process of creating the final product involves a variety of skills from small local firms, starting with shearing. "Helga Sinclair from Nottingham Mains does the shearing far better than me," he says. "You spend years getting the wool to this quality so it's worth paying the money to shear properly."
Graeme carefully picks apart each fleece to discard the edges and the rough area from around the belly and rear end. "Last year I threw away about 250kg. Our customers may be paying a premium price but they get the best possible product for that and that involves getting rid of the bad bits."
Graeme takes his yarns around specialist agricultural shows and wool festivals, including this year's County Show in Wick as well as the Highland Games at Halkirk and Mey.
Alongside Graeme's commitment to high welfare and ethical standards for his sheep is a strong interest in the land he farms on at Houstry. His parents, Nan and George Bethune, are well known for their interest in local archaeology. Their love of the landscape and what treasures dwell within it has rubbed off on Graeme, he readily admits.
Surveying a hillside pasture, he says: "This field was about 30 per cent bracken eight or nine years ago. It was full of rocks and no good for normal cultivation. However, Plantlife Scotland came here and found about 50 or 60 lesser butterfly orchids which are actually very rare.
"In line with their advice I've changed the land management of this field to generate it as a wildflower meadow.
"This year we have counted over 160 orchids and their success is a reflection of the improving health of the farmland and the diversification of food available for the sheep. This leads in turn to better sheep health and better fleece and finally to better yarn."
Graeme said that this yarn might never have been told without the help of Lybster, Latheron and Clyth Community Council and Caithness Chamber of Commerce.
"I'm very indebted for their time, advice and money to help get this business off the ground," he says.
Caithness Yarns' website is www.caithnessyarns.com
