More wool talk!
This week’s breed of choice: Shropshire
You can find loads of pictures for Shropshire sheep over on these websites:
Via books:
-
- The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook, Robson, Deborah & Ekarius, Carol, page 78-79
- British Sheep & Wool, British Wool Marketing Board, page 39
What there is to know about Shropshire:
- It’s in the down family of wool
- Considered a fine wool
- Established in the UK in the 19th century
- Breed society established in 1882
- The fleeces are white/creamy in color
- They have black ears, face and legs
- Staple length is 2.5 – 4 inches (6 – 10 cm)
- Fleeces weigh in 4.5 – 10 pounds (2 – 3 kg) average
- Shorter staples can be carded; longer staples can be combed or flicked
- Great for knitwear and weaving
- Takes dyes well
I love the wools that are unusual to the current trends, so those are the wool breeds I’ll order from the UK to share with you.
When talking about taking dye well, here is a braid that I dyed:
Spring is almost here, so get outside with your spindle or wheel to get a little #spin15aday in.
Until next time, spin on…
I just scoured up a pound of Shropshire for SE2SE and the more it dries on the rack the bigger and fluffier it gets. I think I’m gonna need a bigger bag (said in my best Robert Shaw voice) Looks like it will be lovely to spin.
I love these type of wools to spin. I like to spin off the beaten path more than not! Have fun and enjoy that spin.