Fibres: Jacob Sheep

It is thought that Jacob sheep arrived in Britain from the Middle East (via Spain) in the 16th Century. They are very attractive animals and were often kept in English parks as ornamental animals.
Their fleece is black and white patched and fades to brown and white the older they get. They usually have 2-4 horns but can have up to 6 horns and are found in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

Working with Jacob fibres
The fibres are open and lofty and can have a moderately developed crimp. The dual tones of the fleece allows endless possibilities of playing around with black and white tones when spinning.

I bought a fleece not long ago and am spinning it into yarn for a nice sweater for John, who is in charge of the carding. It has a lovely fluffy texture and is easy to draft for spinning.

Have you ever worked with Jacobs sheep? Comment and let me know!

Organisations:
Jacob Sheep Society - UK
Jacob SHeep Conservancy - US
Jacob Sheep Breeders Association - US

The images in this post are copyright of Eddie Roued-Cunliffe. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Fibres: Cotswold Sheep

[caption id="attachment_2617" align="alignright" width="263" caption="Cotswold fibres, spun and knitted"][/caption]

Introduced to the Cotswold Hills of Gloucestershire, Britain in Roman times the Cotswold Sheep (also known as the Cotswold Lion) are classified as a longwool. They are heavily built sheep with white faces similar to Leicester and Lincoln breed, which they have been interbreed with over the years. Today the Cotswold is classified as a rare sheep breed.

Working with Cotswold fibres
Cotswold wool fibres are coarse and wavy. They are best for heavy outerwear and carpets. But they are thought to be good for dyeing as they will give the colours great depth and life.

Do you have any experience working with Cotswold fibre? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Organisations:
The Cotswold Sheep Society - UK
American Cotswold Record Association - US
Cotswold Breeders Association - US

The images in this post are copyright of Eddie Roued-Cunliffe. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Fibres: Black Welsh Mountain Sheep

[caption id="attachment_2608" align="alignright" width="262" caption="Black Welsh Mountain fibres, spun and knitted"][/caption]

In Medieval times, black wool, known as 'Cochddu' (reddish brown) was much sought-after by merchants. In the 19th century Welsh flockmasters recognised the commercial potential of the black lambs and began to select and breed them carefully to produce a pure and separate strain of Black Welsh Mountain Sheep.
Black Welsh Mountain sheep are small, the ewes are polled and the rams are horned.

Working with Black Welsh Mountain Fibres
The fleece is fairly coarse and is sought after for it's natural black colour. I just bought a bag with a friend this Sunday and I can't wait to have a go at spinning it.

Organisations:
Black Welsh Mountain Sheep Breeders' Association - UK

The images in this post are copyright of Eddie Roued-Cunliffe. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Fibres: Bluefaced Leicester Sheep

[caption id="attachment_2590" align="alignright" width="266" caption="Blue Faced Leicester fibres, spun and knitted"][/caption]

Bluefaced Leicesters are very majestic sheep with a broad muzzle, good mouth and a tendency towards a roman nose, bright alert eyes and long erect ears. The wool fibres are normally whitish and the name comes from the dark blue skin which can be seen through the hair on their heads.

Previously known as the Hexam Leicester it is now known as the Bluefaced Leicester and is the most popular crossing sire throughout the British isles. The term Mule sheep means any crossbred sired by a Bluefaced Leicester. The 'Mule ewe' makes up almost half of the UK's crossbred ewe population. Bluefaced Leicesters can be found in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

Working with Bluefaced Leicester


Bluefaced Leicester fibres are long and fine and forms  long, narrow, curly locks. It works well for strong, smooth fabrics that will drape well.

'I found that Bluefaced Leicester, with it's longish fibres, drafts very easily, which makes my spinning much more even. It is very soft and nice to knit - you might even say it is bouncy!' (quote by Cecile Renaud)




Organisations:

Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association - UK

Bluefaced Leicester Breeders Association (BFLBA) - US

Bluefaced Leicester Union of North America




The images in this post are copyright of Eddie Roued-Cunliffe. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Dyeing with Blackberries

Blackberries are in season at the moment and we have quite a few in our garden. I have already used the best ones for Blackberry Jelly. After being inspired by the Hampshire Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Guild Exhibition, I decided to go home and give natural dyeing a try.

I picked as many blackberries as I could find (there were not many left). Not being very well prepared I didn't have a mordant, but I read the 'Making Natural Dyes from Plants' tutorial, which mentioned that you could use a salt fixative for berry dyes.

I made a mixture of 16 parts water and 1 part sea salt. I then put the yarn into the mixture and brought it to a boil. When it began to boil I turned the heat of and left it to rest in the salt water for 1 hour. I then gave the yarn a rinse and began to prepare the dye soup.

I added the blackberries to some water (c. 1 part berries and 4 parts water). I cooked the mixture for about 30 min after which I removed the pot from the heat and mashed the berries. I then let the mixture boil for another 30 min after which I strained the pump carefully. When there was no more pulp in the juice I put it back on the stove and added the pre-prepared yarn. I brought this to a boil again, turned of the heat and left it to stand till the next morning.

Next day I pulled the yarn out of the dye soup and gave it a good rinse, adding a splash of vinegar to one of the rinse baths. I then hung it to dry and used the end of my wooden spoon as a nostepinne to wind it into a neat ball.

[caption id="attachment_2367" align="aligncenter" width="476" caption="Ball of yarn dyed with Blackberries"][/caption]

I would like to note that a couple of weeks later I made a little tester by putting a strand of this yarn in the window for a week or so. It faded and became a more yellowish version of the original colour. Never having tried dyeing with a mordant like Alum I don't know what level of fading you would expect if you put your dyed item in the sun for a week. But I don't think you will ever expect it not to fade at all. Would be fun to experiment with. If anyone else has any experience with this I would love to hear your comment

The images in this post are copyright of Eddie Roued-Cunliffe. You are hereby granted permission to use them for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Eddie and link back to this page. If you are using them and talking about this post I would love to hear from you in the comments.