Breed: Black Welsh Mountain
Wool Category: Naturally Coloured
Brand: Hannalin crafts
Form: 100g skein
Preparation: Unknown, aran

What does the wool or fibre feel like?
The hand-squish-grab:
Coarse. Hairy. Sheds fairly freely. Hardly any stretch in yarn. Tight/close texture. Beautiful dark, fullblack colour. Yarn stitcks to itself almost like velcors - due to it’s close hairiness? Seems to hold shape well. Smells fairly sheepy.
Initial thoughts on use:
Hardy. Good for outerwear, socks, hats etc. Seems fairly stiff so wouldn’t imagine it would be good for items which need drape.

Cast on:
How many stitches:
32st on 5mm metal needles.
What does this yarn feel like to knit with?
The yarn sheds very freely when knitting. Rustic. Very hairy feel. Feels quite coarse. There are coarser fibres which you can feel as they pass through your fingers.
Size of unwashed swatch:
8in x 8in
Describe the feel/observances of the unwashed swatch:
The swatch feels coarse. Not much squish. Garter quite plump but close feeling. Very stretchy. Stitch definition seems good but lose due to depth of colour.

Washing & Blocking & Wearing –Test One:
How did you block it and to which dimensions? Blocked in cold water without any soaks or washes so I could see how the yarn itself acts without anything else affecting it. Blocked at 7.5in by 7.5in.
How has the swatch shrunk or changed/observances after test one?
It has shrunk slightly. It has become a lot more ‘fuzzy’ as it has bloomed. It feels a lot softer. Feels less ‘velcro-y’. Some of the kempier fibres are more apparent as the other fibres have softened.
What is the feel and look of the washed blocked square?
Quite a halo. Fairly rustic. A strange mixture of coarse and soft. Still quite a dense feeling yarn. The stitch definition is less good as the bloom has come through. Certainly feels a lot less ‘itchy’ than the initial swatch might have been.
Wear test for a day:
It feels coarse against the skin with a slight prickle. Would be best worn on an area where there wouldn’t be too much movement. It is certainly wearable, perhaps best worn over another layer.

Washing & Blocking & Wearing –Test two:
How did you block it and to which dimensions?
Blocked in cold water with a eucalan soak to same dimensions as first block.
How has the swatch shrunk or changed/observances after test one?
Very similar to the first test.
What is the feel and look of the washed blocked square?
Velcro-y feeling. Still feels wirey and crisp with kempy fibres obvious.
Wear test for a day:
Same as for first test.

Rubbing against itself vigorously – has it piled, felted or changed?
A little extra fuzziness but not much else.

Final and Overall Assessment:
Describe the swatch and fabric now: include size of swatch
7.5in x 7.5in. Still feels a bit velcro-y. A bit coarse against the skin. Seems like it may be fairly waterproof!
Thoughts on the life, longevity and uses of this wool:
Do these differ from your initial thoughts?
Definitely a hardy workhorse. I think my socks and outerwear thoughts are on the button.
Would you consider using this breed wool again?
Not for everyday knits, maybe if I wanted some seriously workhorse outerwear or oversocks.
What else have you learned or observed from this test drive?
Same as the other swatches. Don’t trust the grab! Yarns can change in major or more subtle ways :)