A Cycle in Sheep

This book was created to express the different uses of the local sheep in the Karoo region whether it’s geographically, culinary, or festively. Karoo lamb is distinctly flavored due to the variety of shrubs and indigenous vegetation that sheep would graze on in the veld. The Tankwa Karoo Nation Park is the best place to understand this vegetation as it hosts several different climates like Succulent Karoo, which is most similar to the veld. Sheep are also apart of the merino wool making process. This wool is globally used and brings in billions to South Africa.

Wool is celebrated through the community-based Winter Wool Festival. The festival provides workshops to understand this natural fiber like botanical dying, knitting, weaving, and more. It also allows local vendors to represent their skills through other activities like dancing, racing, and, of course, food. The celebration lasts over a couple of days with several different activities and focuses on anything authentically Karoo. Overall, the cycle in sheep goes from the earth, to the plate, and then it celebrates.