# Spinning- Just a question?



## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

I saw a post about a kinda of sheep and thought we might do a spot for different types of wool. Do we want to know more about different breeds and fleeces? 
What unusual breeds have you spun/ processed from a fleece? 
I am learning about spinning new and different fleeces and what can be made with them. 

My list:
Rambouillet is very soft and a kind of Merino.

Finn- Still in the bag needs a good washing. lol

Buffalo- Very short fiber spun short draw with lots of twist.

Baby camel- Short fiber spun short draw with lots of twist.

Tunis -This is OOOHHH so soft but very short fiber will have to mix with something maybe the Finn.

Teeswater -Great for lock spinning and dyeing

Cotwold/blx /dorset cross - seems a bit rough but still in the bags needs to be washed.

I have coming in, These are all in fleeces. 
White faced woodland -This is a a rare breed only 950 animals in the Netherlands

Coburger Fuch German fox- Still learning what to do with this fiber. Is on the list of endangered sheep breeds.

Coopworth- The fleece, with pointed locks and bright luster, has a well-defined crimp averaging 3.5 crimps per inch and a fiber diameter of 35 to 39 microns. The staple length is 6 to 8 inches.


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## MaryA (Jan 26, 2011)

Wow! I'm impressed with your knowledge. Spinni,g is something I've always wanted to learn, but at this point in my life that is unlikely. But I still enjoy learning bits and pieces about it. Thank you for sharing this, to me, fascinating information.


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

Do you belong to Sherry's wholesale wool group?


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## BirchPoint (Feb 12, 2016)

What is Sherry's website?


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

Tenny's wholesale fleece and fiber group . sherry Tenny. We get all kinds of rare and luscious wools from the UK and wonderful fleece from here in the U S too.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

spinlouet said:


> Do you belong to Sherry's wholesale wool group?


Yes I have so much fun on her sales. I started this past summer and most of the fleeces I have now are from here I just finished washing my Rambouillet have Finn to wash and my Tunnis to wash. Sherry's wholesale group is on FB. She is in PA. She sells RAW fleeces that have Dirt and VM need work but some of her breeds are amazing. I have learned a lot about them. Her pricing is great. You would have to join in. She sends out 400 packages a week so she ships very slow so anything you purchase should not be something you need right away I have waited 2 months for an order and her fleeces need a lot of work but are worth every penny and the time waiting.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

MaryA said:


> Wow! I'm impressed with your knowledge. Spinni,g is something I've always wanted to learn, but at this point in my life that is unlikely. But I still enjoy learning bits and pieces about it. Thank you for sharing this, to me, fascinating information.


Spinning is not the only reason to learn about different kinds of sheep and there fiber if you like to knit or crochet with different fibers wool, Alpaca, Buffalo, Camel etc. There is a lot info so maybe you want to see what else you would like to knit or crochet with. Why would you not be able to start spinning? There are drop spindles inexpensive you can purchase and learn on it not so hard to do and you could spin yarn to use. Some even have packages that come with the fiber. You can spin watching TV at the Dr's office waiting for a bus on a break at work you would be surprised to see your yarn at the end of a good spin. You can do a lot on a drop spindle I learned on one now I have a couple. I still use them off and on.


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## Jennydan (Apr 6, 2016)

I bought a few kilos of Finn recently fortunately very clean, well skirted and a good length of staple. Spins up as a lovely soft, bouncy yarn.


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## IndigoSpinner (Jul 9, 2011)

Rambouillet is a breed of merino. There are three breeds, or sub-breeds that are all merino. Rambouillet Deboullet, and Merino are all considered merino.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambouillet_sheep


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## wordancer (May 4, 2011)

spinlouet said:


> Tenny's wholesale fleece and fiber group . sherry Tenny. We get all kinds of rare and luscious wools from the UK and wonderful fleece from here in the U S too.


I found and bookmarked.
Besides the merino and a few others more common wool, I have and spun with Old Norwegian


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## a fool for fiber (Nov 18, 2014)

Thank you for sharing. I recently read about a sheep breed I've never heard of called Ryeland. The article says that the wool does not felt. 
http://needleandspindle.com/?p=4647

I'm also interested in learning the characteristics of non wool fibers. I just received some pearl infused fiber, seacell fiber and soysilk fiber. There are so many choices today to experiment with.

"So much fiber, so little time!"


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## Spindoctor (Sep 6, 2016)

I suggest the book "The Field Guide To Fleece" by D Robson & C. Ekarius, Storey Publishing 2013. WWW.storey.com. 100 sheep breeds with pictures and uses for their fibers. Fun and fascinating. Definitely "so much fiber, so little time"!


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## spinninggill (Apr 9, 2011)

The 'Fleece and Fibre Source Book' is an excellent guide to most fibres, animal and vegetable. You might also like to link up with 'Knit British' - she has an ' experiment' running at the moment, testing out different (British) breeds - I think she also has a group on Ravelry.
At present I' m spinning Castlemilk Moorit which is the rarest of British breeds. It is moorit(brown in colour) and is a Northern Short tailed, primitive breed. The sheep are very small. The fleece is very short between 1 and 1.5 inches, with no crimp,not particularly coarse, but quite harsh in handle. It can be spun on its own (I've done nearly a kilo),but is better blended (I'm using Texel as these are fleeces for a client - all 10 of them!! - not doing them all at once,it's a rolling commission.)


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## crivitz (Apr 12, 2015)

I've been spinning since 1994 but I've never heard of some of the breeds you mentioned mama879, so I could definitely use more information. I've spun a few different breeds.

Karakul: I was given the fleece of an elderly lady. She didn't even produce black anymore, it was charcoal colored. It was curly and springy after being washed and easy to spin but as bristly as it comes when spun up. I spun it intending to crochet two rugs. Then I dyed it in blues and green and with the darker shades of black and charcoal showing through the yarn was beautiful. It shed something fierce when first washed and felted but now they should wear forever.

Navajo Churra: Long poker straight staple, known for use in Navajo rugs. Easy but boring to spin. Beautiful earth tone colors.

Romney: Not an unusual breed at all but my absolute favorite fleece to spin. Washes so easily. Cards and takes dyes so easily. I love to spin it because it is so springy and cushy and spins so easily. I don't do much with the yarn I spin ( it is kind of taking over the house), I just love to spin.


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## crivitz (Apr 12, 2015)

Spinninggill, those Castlemilk Moorits sound really intriguing. It doesn't sound like a prime choice for a spinning fleece. Is there is a special reason your client wants them done. What ratio do you blend the Morrit and the Texel? Do you have any trouble with the blending working with the two different lengths? What is the yarn used for that is spun with straight Moorit? Sorry for so many questions but I really do want to know


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

Ask any questions you want. This is how we all learn. Never say sorry here on this topic for a question asked. We like them.


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## Goodshepfarm (Jul 20, 2014)

I happen to love Finn. It is extremely soft.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

Just washing some up now. It will be dyed.
Just dyed 8 oz of the most gorgeous blue in rambouillet it is cooling down.


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## Nanamel14 (Aug 4, 2016)

mama879 said:


> Just washing some up now. It will be dyed.
> Just dyed 8 oz of the most gorgeous blue in rambouillet it is cooling down.


Sounds beautiful ☺


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

I had cto comb all of it still have a pillow case full to work on. but the color is amazing. Going to blend it with some bamboo I have. Next week another batch in red and mixing with bamboo. I have Merino/silk mix to dye to going to post the braids.


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## spinninggill (Apr 9, 2011)

crivitz said:


> Spinninggill, those Castlemilk Moorits sound really intriguing. It doesn't sound like a prime choice for a spinning fleece. Is there is a special reason your client wants them done. What ratio do you blend the Morrit and the Texel? Do you have any trouble with the blending working with the two different lengths? What is the yarn used for that is spun with straight Moorit? Sorry for so many questions but I really do want to know


Glad you ask the questions.. It isn't a prime choice for a spinning fleece!!! The reason she wants them done, is they are her sheep - she has a smallholding and wants to sell on some of the yarn and also have some knitted up by a friend into garments for her family. This has been an ongoing commission,but it got delayed when I was out of action for a few months last year due to an injury. Texel is not a particularly long staple -2 to 4ins, so it carries the shorter moorit quite well. I do 2 different blends for her 70/30 Moorit/texel and 50/50. the 50/50 is the nicest to spin, as you can get a reasonable draft. I'm spinning it worsted as it is a little smoother. Woollen spun would make it very 'Jaggy'. The sheep themselves are pretty little things,no bigger than a labrador dog - smaller in fact. I don't have too much left to spin - maybe 2 fleeces of the Moorit. (Texels are a modern commercial crossbreed sheep for meat -they are large and very square, but their fleece is quite nice to spin)

I have been sent 100gms of commercially prepared tops from the Butana sheep - virtually no info available, just that it is a South African sheep (which in the pics I've managed to find has virtually no fleece). A friend's son in law is a conservationist out there, working with these breeds, so she is going to ask him, but that may be a wee while as his wife is in hospital at the moment.

I'm happy to chat about UK sheep breeds if anyone has questions - I'll do my best to answer them.


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

So far the only wool that I have spun that I do not like it all is Herdwick. Does anyone here like Herdwick?


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

Spinninggil, what is considered the softest next to the skin UK fleece. There are differences between the same breeds here in the U.S. and UK as far as softness goes.


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## spinninggill (Apr 9, 2011)

spinlouet said:


> Spinninggil, what is considered the softest next to the skin UK fleece. There are differences between the same breeds here in the U.S. and UK as far as softness goes.


Shetland. It has a very fine fleece as low as 18 micron in some cases and generally from 18 to 23 micron,has a lovely crimp and reasonable staple length of around 4 to 5 ins.
Softness in fleece can also depend on the habitat.For example a Jacob living on lowland pasture is much softer than those living in a high fell (mountainous) environment.


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## crivitz (Apr 12, 2015)

spinninggill said:


> Shetland. It has a very fine fleece as low as 18 micron in some cases and generally from 18 to 23 micron,has a lovely crimp and reasonable staple length of around 4 to 5 ins.
> Softness in fleece can also depend on the habitat.For example a Jacob living on lowland pasture is much softer than those living in a high fell (mountainous) environment.


I'm surprised by your answer. Here in America Shetland is not particularly nice. It is scratchy. The undercoat is lovely but the longer outercoat is long, straight and harsh. I would never use it for anything next to the skin.


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## spinninggill (Apr 9, 2011)

spinlouet said:


> So far the only wool that I have spun that I do not like it all is Herdwick. Does anyone here like Herdwick?


Herdwick is naturally a very harsh, coarse fleece, most often used in carpets and for wool insulation in buildings. The higher quality fleeces are normally spun worsted and woven into cloth which is warm and hard wearing as outer garments such as jackets and coats. Some is also used for skirts. It has a high quantity of kemp too. Very occasionally a shearling fleece will produce a nice soft yarn, but that's unusual. Spinning it is a bit like trying to spin wire! The breed itself is really quite interesting. it is a primitive breed and the only one that I know of that can dissolve the embryo if food is scarce. They also have a great 'home' attachment - they will climb walls to return to their 'home' field. they are extremely hardy and have been known to survive for substantial lengths of time buried in snow drifts, as long as they have sufficient air.


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## Condia (Jul 24, 2012)

Our Shetland here can go both ways,
I have gotten and continue to get my Shetland from a particular farm that has wonderfully soft next to the skin qualities. But there is always the chance of getting some that is not as nice when buying from different places. My only experience with Jacob was the most filthy vm filled fleece so I can't give a fair account of Jacob but would like to try it again with a better fleece.



spinninggill said:


> Shetland. It has a very fine fleece as low as 18 micron in some cases and generally from 18 to 23 micron,has a lovely crimp and reasonable staple length of around 4 to 5 ins.
> Softness in fleece can also depend on the habitat.For example a Jacob living on lowland pasture is much softer than those living in a high fell (mountainous) environment.


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## Krmn8r (Dec 10, 2012)

I have also spun a little Navajo Churro (pretty darn scratchy) and some Jacob that had been cleaned of VM & carded but not washed (it had a very nice feel). I have no experience with raw fleeces but I'm happy to say that with all the advice I've gotten here, I can now spin for quite awhile without injuring myself! I now take short breaks, stretch those hands, arms & shoulders and switch back and forth between overhand draft and short forward "inch worm" drafting. Thank you for all the great advice!


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## spinninggill (Apr 9, 2011)

spinlouet said:


> Our Shetland here can go both ways,
> I have gotten and continue to get my Shetland from a particular farm that has wonderfully soft next to the skin qualities. But there is always the chance of getting some that is not as nice when buying from different places. My only experience with Jacob was the most filthy vm filled fleece so I can't give a fair account of Jacob but would like to try it again with a better fleece.


true Shetlands are very fine - almost as fine as merino. again habitat can play a part,but also if at some point the blood line has been crossed with something else, then brought back to pure bred, you can get a 'throw back gene',which could make it coarser if crossed with a coarser breed. 
A good Jacob fleece is beautiful to spin - almost spins itself. It is naturally a coarser fibre averaging 28 to 35 microns, but it can produce a beautiful tweedy lace weight worsted spun yarn. When I get the time (!!!!) I plan to spin enough and design a shawl. Please don't hold your breath for pics - it won't happen for a while

:sm01:


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## Reba1 (Feb 5, 2012)

Oh, reading all this has me itching to get back to my wheel (well, not literally itching... ) I know I have some Jacob and some BFL (blue faced Leicester) that I bought at Halcyon or Harrisville Designs last year. Not a lot, just enough to test if I like spinning it. 

Since I can't decide on my next machine knitting project, and I just took a failed project off the loom - maybe I should SPIN!


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## desireeross (Jun 2, 2013)

I wouldn’t mind trying some if they’ve been processed. I’m not into prepping fleeces


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