A while back, one of the lovely spinners on Instagram asked if within the breed study we could focus on conservation listed wool breeds. I thought that was an excellent idea.
So, I made an executive decision (laughing, because how executive can you get on Instagram), then researched and decided on six wool breeds to spin.
Dorset Horn Sheep – Wikipedia
Here is the list with the corresponding month to spin them and their level of conservation:
January 2019: Dorset Horn – threated
February 2019: Teeswater – watch
March 2019: Lincoln – threatened
April 2019: Manx Loaghtan – at risk
May 2019: Southdown – recovering
June 2019: Shetland – recovering
Finding resources to spin for the breed study each month:
No. 1: Stash Dive…dive deep, really deep. Find that bit of wool for the breed that corresponds to the month and spin it up. Don’t spend when you don’t have to. At least until you decide if it is a wool breed you enjoy working with…then buy to your heart’s content.
No. 2: I’ll have 1 oz. samples of the breeds available in the #spin15aday store near the first of the year. I haven’t decided yet if I will put together packets as I did before or go with individual tastings. I want to keep the costs down for both you and I. Boxes, shipping, it all adds up. The less it costs to get the wool to you is for the better.
No. 3: Make a trade with some IG folks. Maybe a listing in the Ravelry #spin15aday group for spinners to contact each other to trade wool breeds. Maybe someone has multiple of one breed and can exchange with you for a wool breed you may have that they don’t. The cost would be postage to each other. I think that’s a swell way to work things out.
Once we get to June 2019, we will have completed a full year of study with so many more breeds to try. We will revisit this in the late spring.
Until then, spin 15 a day….
Manx Loaghtan are in the “at risk” category for the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
For a PDF I’ve prepared that lists the current status of sheep breeds as determined by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (UK) and The Livestock Conservancy (US), there’s a link on my website. The page also has links to spreadsheets that I maintain tracking the changes from year to year in those listings, as far as I’ve been able to collect the data.
https://independentstitch.com/2018/07/2018-rare-sheep-breeds-lists.html
The current sheep list for the Rare Breeds Survival Trust is here:
https://www.rbst.org.uk/Pages/Category/sheep-watchlist
Thanks for the link and the info on the Manx Loaghtan breed, Deborah. The group is excited to learn more about these breeds.
Your list was the first one I reviewed and then looked up a few more. Again, thank you for the work you do to make this information available to spinners.
You’re welcome. I’m digging further into five breeds right now, most of them rare.