My next pair of socks will be with this yarn. Look how it resembles plaid after I put it in a cake. I will be knitting Anne Hanson's Movie Night Socks. The yarn is from Sweet Fiber and the color is called Sour Watermelon.
I haven't written much about my spinning lately. I think it is because I haven't spun much lately. Although I have received some pretty fiber from the fiber club.
I do have some fiber to share. In the Crown Mountain Fiber Club we receive 4 oz. monthly a wool from a breed that we would not usually buy. I am loving testing out all the different types of sheep wool.
Last time I posted the fiber club fiber was a partial list of 2010 CMF 2011 club. I left off the BFL which isn't uncommon so in this post I will only show what I have received in 2011.
2011 CMF fiber club
Jan. 2011 - South African Top.
| South African Sheep Information |
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In the late 1960's a new breed was established in South Africa - 25% Merino/ 25% Ronderib Afrikaner and 50% South African Mutton Merino
was their perfect choice for a dual purpose sheep breed. The breed is called AFRINO. Guess we hardly ever heard about it - yet when you start spinning with this wool you will be delighted - it is a merino type wool with a micron count range from 19-22. What more does a spinner want? You will be delighted. Give it a chance. |
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 Color Celtic Glow |
Feb. 2011-Swalesdale |
This breed traces itself back to the same origin where the Blackface, Rough Fell came from - the genetic group of horned sheep. Established as a breed shortly after WWI near North Yorkshire moors,Cumbria and Durham in England. The wool is white, thick with a curly top in medium length.Staple length approx. 4-8 inches - micron count about 35 - meaning a coarser wool used for themanufacture of tweeds, rug wool and wool carpets. Yet it is of interest to the hand spinner.Try it for yourself. You will be surprised.
Colorway: Scarlet Letter.
March 2011- Coopworth
Coopworth Top |
This will be a great adventure to actually spin this fiber. When I was in NZ in 1998 I had no idea that Coopworth are a majority of the sheep on the island. I was too ignorant - I only saw sheep. Today I wished to have known better. |
April 2011- Border Leicester  Aren't they the cutest? Don't confuse this fiber with the Blue Faced Leicester. This fiber is rather coarse. |
  Clapping with one Hand May 2011  |
Columbia Top
The Columbia breed was developed here in the USA in 1912 from Lincoln and Rambouillet crosses at Laramie, Wyoming. Created at that time for range conditions.
And this foundation of the government flock was moved to the Sheep Experiment Station at Dubois, ID in 1918. The wool is classified as medium wool with a numeric count of 50's-60's which means the wool varies from 31 to 24 microns. Staple length is approx. 4 inches. From the Pacific Northwest through the Mid-West farmers enjoy nowadays the Columbia breed. The fiber you're spinning is from Montana breeders and processed in Debbie McDermott's Stonehedge mill in MI and with the last touch of our personal local mill: Bel-Tine Farm here in WA. On a personal note: I have to admire these breeders of Columbia sheep - in 2003 I had the opportunity to participate in a sheep shearing with Columbia sheep with my sheep shearer Marcia Adams from Kingston, WA. At that time I only was used to my own flock of Shetland sheep - tiny little ones compared to these overpowering embodiments of Columbias. Imagine me with my shepherds crook hanging on/actually flying after them to prepare them for the shearer. It is still a puzzle to me how I survived that day and I am a viking by heart.
The Columbia breed was developed here in the USA in 1912 from Lincoln and Rambouillet crosses at Laramie, Wyoming. Created at that time for range conditions.And this foundation of the government flock was moved to the Sheep Experiment Station at Dubois, ID in 1918. The wool is classified as medium wool with a numeric count of 50's-60's which means the wool varies from 31 to 24 microns. Staple length is approx. 4 inches. From the Pacific Northwest through the Mid-West farmers enjoy nowadays the Columbia breed.
The fiber you're spinning is from Montana breeders and processed in Debbie McDermott's Stonehedge mill in MI and with the last touch of our personal local mill: Bel-Tine Farm here in WA. On a personal note: I have to admire these breeders of Columbia sheep - in 2003 I had the opportunity to participate in a sheep shearing with Columbia sheep with my sheep shearer Marcia Adams from Kingston, WA. At that time I only was used to my own flock of Shetland sheep - tiny little ones compared to these overpowering embodiments of Columbias. Imagine me with my shepherds crook hanging on/actually flying after them to prepare them for the shearer. It is still a puzzle to me how I survived that day and I am a viking by heart.
Eye of the Tiger.
Here is my photo:
I have started spinning this columbia fiber. It is very wooly. The fibers don't lay straight but in squiggly bunches. I am spinning thin yet when you do a check and let it ply on itself it puffs up. Very cool fiber.
JUNE 2011- Perendale
Perendale Top
Perendale is a relatively new speciality breed developed and promoted by NZ Professor Peren of Massey University NZ. It is a derivative of the Romney and Cheviot breeds and was developed to increase the bulk and bounce of romney while ensuring length and sturdiness in industrial applications. The bounce and bulk create a soft and fluffy final product. Staple length 4-6 inches. Micron count 30. The Perendale you're spinning came to us in the fleece and was processed by Debbie McDermott from Stonehedge Mill in MI, USA
My photo. Colorway: The Fifth Element.
I love this fiber. It is a little coarse but soft too. The fiber is long 4"-6" and so fun to spin.
Here is my finished yarn
JULY 2011- Romney
White Romney sheep
Colored Romney sheep from England
The Romney, formerly called the Romney Marsh sheep but generally referred-to by the local farmers as the Kent, is a breed of sheeporiginating in England. The Romney is a "long-wool" breed recognized in England by 1800. Exported to other continents, the Romney is aneconomically important sheep breed, especially in the sheep-meat and wool export trades of New Zealand.
Fleece characteristics
Romneys produce a heavy fleece. A healthy mature ram can yield at shearing upwards of 10 kg per year, while flock averages in NZ for breeding ewes are typically above 5 kg. The increased fleece weight of a long-wooled sheep comes from the longer fiber length produced. A finer-wooled sheep (e.g. Merino, Rambouillet) actually has far more wool follicles than the long-wooled sheep, but each supports a slower-growing fiber that is therefore shorter at periodic shearing. The “clean yield” (net weight after thorough washing) is typically high for Romneys, 75-80%; this is a higher yield than is got for most fine-wooled sheep.
Perhaps the most important dimension of wool, which above all else determines its best use, is average fiber diameter (AFD). Romneys are strong-wooled sheep, with an AFD higher than many sheep breeds. High AFD indicates best use in carpeting and other rugged uses; lowest AFD wools (from Merinos, for example) are ideal for fine suit fabrics and luxury wear. AFD must be measured with instruments. The time-honored “Bradford system”, which uses the eyes and hands of experienced humans, has some correlation to measured AFD but can be biased. The American Romney Breeders Association declares the Romney fleece should be [Bradford system] “44s to 50s.” Transformed arbitrarily into microns[12] by the United States Department of Agriculture this range would correspond to 29.30 to 36.19 microns. In New Zealand the standard says “44s to 52s” but gives a different AFD range: 33 to 37 microns. There is no international agreement on converting Bradford counts into AFD in microns.
The Romney’s fleece is ideal for hand-spinning, and is often recommended to beginners. In the United States, where there is no commercial end-use for domestic strong wools, the most desired outlet for Romney wool is to hand-spinners. Only a small fraction of the thousands of Romney fleeces shorn in the US each year, however, go to this “niche-market” use.
Photo to come. Sorry
GOTLAND TOP
When costume designers for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy were making the elaborate capes used in the film, they looked no further than New Zealand's Gotland sheep for the wool. While the Gotland sheep may now reside primarily in New Zealand, it originally came from a small island south of Sweden by the same name. Excellent for felting, outerwear garments and rug making, Gotland fleece is a coarse, dense, long and lustrous fiber.
The Gotland, also called the Gotland Pelt (Swedish: Pälsfår), is a breed of domestic sheep named for the Swedish island of Gotland. They are one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds, and are thought to be the product of crossbreeding between the native landrace of the island — called the Gute — with Karakuls and Romanovs during the 1920s and 30s.[1]
Primitive horned Gute sheep still exist on the island of Gotland today, though they are now rare. The main differences between the original Gute sheep and the improved Gotlands are that the latter are entirely polled and have more uniform confirmation and fleeces. The improved Gotland sheep may be found in Sweden, Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia. Through the use of artificial insemination starting in 2003, Gotland Sheep are being established in the United States of America through two breed associations: the American Gotland Sheep Society and the Gotland Sheep Breeders Association of North America.[2] They are raised primarily as a meatbreed.[3]
[edit]Breed characteristics
Gotland sheep are fine-boned and of medium size. Gotlands are polled and have no wool on their black heads and legs. Sometimes there may be white markings on the top of the head or around the nose and mouth. They have alert medium sized ears that stand outwards with a small neat muzzle, an even jaw and even teeth. Their slender neck and shoulders set smoothly into a level back with good depth and reasonable breadth of body. The slender legs are well spaced and upright. The tail is short with a hair covered tip. The fleece is fine, long, lustrous and dense and can be all shades of grey from silver to charcoal grey and dark enough to be almost black. They have a clearly defined even curl (purl) and staple that is soft to the touch. Their disposition is docile and friendly. The fleece is typically 29 to 34 micrometres in diameter. Lambs wool can be in the low to mid 20's micrometre range. The fleece is prized in the US by handspinners and in Europe they are most desired for their pelts.
My photo: Colorway Hammer of the Gods
This month’s fiber is heavy, dense and substantial. Unlike most of the other breeds we’ve spun this year, the Gotland is a three-crop sheep. They are bred for meat, fiber and pelts. The lambs are born black and lighten to grey as they age. The fleece is lustrous and curly, with well-defined staples.
Because of the natural grey color of this fiber, Klaus chose a dark and I think nicely subtle colorway: “Hammer of the Gods”
SEPTEMBER 2011- CORMO
The Cormo breed has its origin in Tasmania, Australia and the name is from the parent breeds: Corriedale and Merino (superfine saxony merino). Cormo sheep are available in the USA since 1976 We buy the Cormo fleeces directly from the farmers in Montana and have it processed into combed top in a fiber mill in Michigan. The Cormo sheep produces fine wool with a long staple and a micron count of 21-23.
The Cormo is an Australian breed of sheep developed in Tasmania by crossing Corriedale rams with superfine Saxon Merino ewes in the early 1960s. The name Cormo is derived from the names of two of the parent breeds, Corriedale and Merino. The breed was fixed through intense selection criteria, assessed by objective measurement. [1]Cormo sheep have a polled, open face, are possessed of a fast growing, medium frame carrying a fleece of about 18 to 23 microns[2] in diameter. High fertility is an attribute, too.
The breed is mostly found in the south eastern states of Australia.
My photo: Colorway: Annunaki Oh Tiamat
ALWAYS when we sign up for the fiber club year we are offered a mystery fiber.
This years Mystery Fiber arrived in September.
Mystery Fiber 2011- Debouillet
From Crown Mountain Farms for the Fiber club 2011. This is the mystery fiber that we get each year as a bonus.
The fiber is Debouillet, a rare breed from the US, developed in New Mexico in 1920 through cross breeding Delaine Merino and Rambouillet crosses.
This breed is raised primarily for its long, fine wool - staple length 3-5 inches, the micron count is between 18.5 - 23.5 , am sure you will enjoy this roving despite the VM content.
The fiber is Debouillet, a rare breed from the US, developed in New Mexico in 1920 through cross breeding Delaine Merino and Rambouillet crosses.
This breed is raised primarily for its long, fine wool - staple length 3-5 inches, the micron count is between 18.5 - 23.5 , am sure you will enjoy this roving despite the VM content.
My Photo: Colorway: Eternity
Out of the ten fiber packages I have only spun up the Perendale. I have spun half of the Columbia. That is very bad. I should spin it each month.
I bought a "wooly winder" which is a flier and bobbin combination that will wind your single on the bobbin much like you fill a bobbin on a sewing machine. I will get a photo of that and update this post.
One of the fibers, the Border Leicester I sold. I didn't like the coarse hairs. The Swalesdale I wound onto some very old textile bobbins you can partially seen in the 1st photo of this post. The Gotland might just stay in the bump because it is like hair.
Here is a photo of my Swalesdale. These sit on my mantle of my fireplace. I like looking at it like this.
This is a long post. But I like to do a post like this so that I have the information for myself to refer to later. I hope ya'll enjoy it.
Happy spinning!!!!
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