9781612120393

The characteristics of fleece — its structure, grease content, and fiber diameter — vary widely depending on the breed of sheep the fleece comes from. In this comprehensive guide, Beth Smith profiles 21 types of fleece, from bouncy and pliant to lacy and lightweight. A sheep-by-sheep reference describes the best way to wash and spin each fleece into rich, soft yarn. You’ll soon be confidently choosing the right fleece, spinning it to perfection, and enjoying the perfect yarn for your next fiber creation.

Beth Smith, author of How to Spin and The Spinner’s Book of Fleece, is renowned for her love of the variety and versatility of sheep breeds, and she teaches the whys and how-tos of preparing and spinning wool from different breeds. For seven years she owned The Spinning Loft, a shop celebrated for its selection of hard-to-find quality fleeces. She teaches internationally and writes for PLY, Spin Off, and Knittyspin magazines. She also sits on the editorial board of PLY magazine. She lives in Howell, Michigan.

Deborah Robson is co-author of The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook and Knitting in the Old Way. She is a former editor of both Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot and Spin-Off magazine, and she is currently the editor and publisher of Nomad Press, which publishes books on traditional and ethnic knitting and spinning. Robson is also an artist, working in textiles, printmaking, and oils. She lives in Colorado with her daughter.

Foreword by Deborah Robson
Introduction: Spinning with Purpose and Confidence

Chapter 1
THE VALUE OF RAW FLEECE
                A Consistent Yarn: Fantasy or Possibility?
                An Introduction to Hand Scouring

Chapter 2
BUYING A FLEECE: DOS AND DON’TS
                Deciding How Much to Buy
                First Consideration

Chapter 3
GETTING TO YARN
                Spinning Yarns for Knitting or Crochet
                Spinning Yarns for Weaving
                Spinning Singles

Chapter 4
FINE WOOLS
                Washing Techniques for Fine Wools
                Preparing to Spin Fine Wools
                Spinning Flicked Locks
                Merino

Chapter 5
LONGWOOLS
                Avoiding Stereotypes
                Appreciating Yarn Differences
                Washing Longwool Fleece
                Combing the Longwools
                Making Top after Combing
                A Short Lesson in Worsted Spinning
                Wensleydale
                Romney
                Lincoln
                Bluefaced Leicester

Chapter 6
DOWNS AND DOWN-TYPE BREEDS
                Skirting a Fleece
                Scouring Down-Type Wools
                Handcarding Techniques
                Drumcarders
                Suffolk
                Southdown
                Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset
                Black Welsh Mountain

Chapter 7
MULTICOATED BREEDS
                Working with the Multicoats
                American Karakul
                Scottish Blackface
                Shetland
                Icelandic

Chapter 8
OTHER BREEDS
                Hand Prepping Your Fleece
                California Red
                Jacob
                Tunis

Glossary of Terms
Metric Conversions
USDA Standard Wool Specifications
Reading List
Resources
Acknowledgements
Index

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The Spinner's Book of Fleece: A Breed-by-breed Guide to Choosing and Spinning the Perfect Fiber for Every Purpose

The Spinner's Book of Fleece: A Breed-by-breed Guide to Choosing and Spinning the Perfect Fiber for Every Purpose

1612120393

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials