11-01-2021

Susan G providing me with:
Blue Texel
Boreray
Castlemilk Moorit
Cheviot
Gotland
Romney
Suffolk
Texel
Zwartble

Annie providing:
Beltex
Soay (blonde)

Ruth providing:
Blackface (Scottish)
Hebridean (needs washing)

If I decide to dye then I also have Perendale, Rambouillet and Border Leicester. Also some very badly spun Portland from BritSpin sprint…emergency only.

20-04-2021

Polwarth (Incl. in top 10)
Commercial top spun on Traditional, short forward, split into a few strips. 2 ply from handy Andy, 10 wpi, 20⁰, DK, grist is worsted. Spun quickly for me, spun and plied in 70 mins. This is one of my favourite fibres to spin. It practically spins itself and produces a lovely soft and bouncy skein.

08-05-2021

Dorset Horn
Commercial top spun on Traditional, 2 ply from handy Andy, 10 wpi, 20⁰, DK/light worsted, grist is worsted. A bit scratchy, very long staple of about 7-8”! 37.6m, 25g, DK, 10 wpi, 2 ply

05-01-2022

Wensleydale
Commercial top spun on Traditional…started doing spin15, short fwd worsted, 2 ply from handy Andy. Started 1st Jan - Plied 5th Jan. 14wpi fingering/4 ply, worsted grist 1,711.2k/m. There’s a slight sheen to the yarn but still a little halo on it, an enjoyable fibre to spin.

12-01-2022

Teeswater (set)
Very long staple and it wanted to pull in quite quickly. Spun on my Ashford Traditional, short forward worsted, 2 ply from handy andy. Started 10/1/2022 and plied 12/1/2022. 13wpi 4ply/sport, worsted grist 1573k/m 20º. This was a little trickier to get the uptake right, it is a little scratchier than I’d expected. 39.3m, 25g, Sport, 13 wpi, 2 ply.

18-01-2022

Shetland (set)
Commercial top. Spun on Ashford Traditional, short forward worsted. Lovely soft fibre, I split the fibre in 3 and spun on one bobbin, transferred to handy andy and then plied. 2ply Thought initial single was overspun but it ended up a lovely balanced and soft yarn. It is a little toothy/halo/scratchy. Started and plied 18/1/2022. 10wpi 10º worsted/dk, worsted grist 1,949. 48.3m, 24g, light Worsted/heavy DK, 2 ply.

24-01-2022

BFL (set)
Commercial top spun on Traditional, 2 ply from handy Andy, 12 wpi, Sport, 10-20⁰ not well plied as it kept snagging, worsted grist 1857

06-01-2023

Beltex(set)
(not a pure breed, Belgian and Texel cross breed)
Fibre from Annie, I had washed and carded it in 6/4/2019 but it still has a little grease left in. Ashford Traditional wheel. I filled the first bobbing using short forward draw and half way through the 2nd bobbin I switched to long draw which worked surprisingly well. I made an andean bracelet on my wrist to finish the last bit from the bobbin. Washed, snapped and swung around on 11/01/2023. 1st skein 76.59m 67.44g and 2nd skein 6.9m 6.9g! Grist 1135. 2 ply, roughly Aran/Bulky.

09-01-2023

Soay (blonde) (set)
Fibre from Annie, it isn’t great, it is very greasy despite washing and carding, it has a short staple and lots of nepps. Spun on my Ashford Traditional, short forward and I tried to add more twist to keep it together. Washed.

14-01-2023

Masham (set)
Commercial top spun on Ashford Traditional, short forward. Very easy to spin but a little scratchy. 2 ply (from 2 bobbins) DK. Washed and snapped. 49.68m 25g 20° DK

14-01-2023

Manx Loaghtan
Commercial top spun on Ashford Traditional. Spun short forward. 3 (chain) ply. 31.74m 25g 10 wpi heavy DK/light worsted.

16-01-2023

Herdwick (incl in worst 10) (set)
Commercial top spun on Ashford Traditional, short forward. Horrible to spin, razor like hairs in it. 2 ply from 2 bobbins. Aran. Washed and snapped. 28.98m 26g.

17-01-2023

Norwegian (set)
Commercial top spun on Ashford Traditional short forward. Scratchy and some hairs but better than Herdwick. Long staple, short forward spun but prone to over twisting so drafted almost 2” per treddle. Not suitable for next to my skin. 2 ply from 2 bobbins, worsted 9wpi 27.6g 37.95m

29-01-2023

Links to other breeds that I have spun that aren’t in this study as they are dyed.

Border Leicester
Fibre given to me by our team sponsor in BritSpin 2020
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

Corriedale
I won some dyed Corriedale during TDF 2018 and spun it up. I made a hat with the yarn but my husband says it isn’t very warm.
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

Falkland
Spun in 2019 on Traditional, beautiful fibre to spin, lovely and soft.
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

Merino
I got my wheel in Spring 2018 and it seems to be merino that I used for the first few attempts and I still have the items I knit with those first few attempts. Although it’s soft itisn’t my favourite to spin.

North Ronaldsay
Spun in 2019.
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

Perendale
Spun as part of BritSpin 2019, I dyed it myself. https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

Portland
Speed spun as part of BritSpin 2020. It was a little greasy and not well combed by myself and was part of a speed challenge so overall not a good test of the fibre.
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

Rambouillet (Incl. in top 10)
First spun during BritSpin 2019 and in 2022 spun 2 x US Rambouillet dyed tops. A gorgeous fibre to spin, definitely a favourite.
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

White Faced Woodland
Spun as part of BritSpin 2019, mostly done on my Russian supported spindle. Some of the undyed was used to make the icord hanger for my Smitten garland, the rest was dyed to using up some old dye from a dye pot. Not a very enjoyable fibre, quite hairy and messy to spin.
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Highlandheffalump/handspun...

24-01-2023

Texel
Commercial top from World of Wool. Spun short forward on my Traditional and plied from 2 bobbins with remaining bit Andean plied.
I over spun it and it was very hyper when plying but it has a nice sheen and has produced a bouncy almost soft yarn. 26g 28.98m Aran/Bulky 7.5wpi 1,114 Grist bulky.

27-01-2023

Cheviot
Commercial top from World of Wool, spun short forward on Traditional. 2 ply from 2 bobbins and remainder Andean plied. Fairly easy to spin but quite lively. Softer than expected. 26g 31.74m 1,220 grist Aran. 9wpi worsted.

30-01-2023

Corriedale
Top from World of Wool bought 2019 1kg, most was dyed but 25g kept aside for spinning. Spun on my EEW Nano 2, 2 ply. So much softer feel to it than the carded corriedale I use in needlefelting. Lovely to spin on my EEW Nano 2. Quite a halo but soft. 8wpi Aran 26.2g 46.9m 1,790 grist Worsted.

12-02-2023

Suffolk
Top from Adelaide Walker bought 2023, spun short forward on Ashford Traditional. 2 ply from 2 bobbins. Nice to spin but not super soft, has some toothiness to it. Drafted easily with about an inch per treddle, maybe more than an inch. DK 11spi, 46.57m, 22.9g Supposed to be a 25g sample! Grist 2,033 DK. Slight sheen to the finished yarn.

18-02-2023

Southdown (Inc in top 10)
Top from Adelaide Walker bought 2023, spun short forward on EEW Nano 2. 2 ply from 2 bobbins onto Ashford Traditional. Lovely to spin and it seemed to want to spin finely. I spun it slowly during a 2 hour call and then plied it after resting for an hour. The yarn is lovely, it is soft, light, has a little fluffiness to it/halo. Close to skin soft and I enjoyed spinning it. Definitely one of my favourites so far. Sport 12wpi, 23.75g, 79m, 3,326 grist Sport.

20-02-2023

Hill Radnor
Top spun on EEW Nano 2, made into 2 ply on Ashford Traditional. Less hairy than expected for a hill breed. Probably not for against neck as it’s a little scratchy and has quite a halo. Sport, 12 wpi, 24g 66.9m. 2787 grist Sport.

23-02-2023

Romney (Incl in top 10)
Spun on EEW Nano 2 plied on Ashford Traditional, 2 ply, 10 wpi, Aran/DK, 57.27m, 25.6g. 2237 grist DK. Enjoyable to spin and I like the finished yarn. It is quite fluffy but soft. I think it would be ok against neck.

28-02-2023

Gotland (incl in worst 10) (set)
Yuck! Spun on my EEW Nano 2 and plied on Ashford Traditional. Horrible to spin, ridiculously long staple length of 6-7” and felt like human hair. Hard to spin without being wiry and then when I plied it there was no energy in it to twist. 2 ply, 14 wpi, 45.54m, 23.4g, 1944m/k grist . I have more to sample but my eagerness to spin more is non-existent. I’ll use a different wheel and try drafting much thicker. 4 ply/Worsted grist.

21-06-2023

Swaledale (incl worst yarns) (set)
Not an enjoyable fibre to spin. Lots of guard hairs and difficult to get the EEW Nano to take it up and there were wiry guard hairs flying around. Spun on EEW, plied on Traditional with jumbo flyer. 2 ply. 33.4m 24g 9 wpi Grist 1391 worsted.

12-10-2023

White Welsh Mountain
I forgot to make notes at the time. Spun on EEW Nano 2 I think and plied on Traditional probably. 2 ply. 24.1g 41.4m Aran weight. Grist 1717. It’s pretty hairy and has lots of little bits still flying off it even after plied.

01-07-2023

Cheviot (black) (set)
I forgot to write notes at the time. Very rustic feel to the yarn though, browner than other black breeds I’ve spun. Not as soft as the white I spun but that was from another supplier. This I won from Black Cheviots at the Strathpeffer wool fair. It was spun on Ashford Traveller,, plied on Ashford Traveller jumbo bobbin. Chain plied. Not strictly part of breed study as I’ve already spun a sample of white, but included as it has a different softness. 116.19m, 100g, 3 ply 7 wpi grist 1161.9.
This was absolutely filthy. Wash after wash, not greasy, filthy. Don’t buy from this company.

10-03-2024

Icelandic (black)
Spun in February 2024 on EEW Nano 2, plied from Handy Andy on Ashford Traveller. 34.5m, 31g, Aran/Bulky, 8 wpi, 2 ply.
Not very enjoyable to spin as hairy bits flinging about and white curly and wiry bits needed to be pulled out regularly. It’s not very soft, softer than the black Cheviot but because it’s so hairy I’d not likely use close to skin. I’m assured by someone who owns Icelandic sheep that they can be much softer. Perhaps it was just the batch I got.

13-05-2024

Lleyn
Spun in May 2024 on EEW Nano 2, plied from 2 bobbins on Ashford Traveller. 36.2m, 26.71g, Aran, 8 wpi, 2 ply, 1,355 grist (worsted/aran). Creamy white. Enjoyable to spin, softer than expected as this is mostly bred for its meat.  Only a small amount of guard hairs and they mostly fell out during drafting. Quite toothy but not scratchy and I enjoyed that. It seemed to want to be spun a little thicker.  Spun on the same day as the Lonk which was very similar, although the finished yarn isn’t as nice as Lonk. A creamy white colour.

Lonk
Spun in May 2024 on EEW Nano 2, plied from 2 bobbins on Ashford Traveller. 43.19m, 27.54g, Aran, 8 wpi, 2 ply, 1,570 grist (worsted/aran). White. As mentioned under Lleyn this was a very similar experience to spin.  A few guard hairs that easily fell out, a bit softer than some of the other hill breeds I’ve spun and one I’d happily spin more of and would try against my neck. Its a whiter yarn.

Charollais
Spun in May 2024 on EEW Nano 2, plied from 2 bobbins on Ashford Traveller. 73.8m, 33.29g, Worsted, 9 wpi, 2 ply, 2,216 grist (DK). Creamy colour. Spun on the same day as Lleyn and Lonk which I’ll cover below, but of the 3 this was my favourite.  It had almost no hairs and was toothy but soft and preferred to be spun a little thinner than the other two spun on the same day. Definitely will spin more of this.  Not as soft as a Polwarth, Merino or Rambouillet but I’d possibly be happy with something for my neck with this. I think it would be squishy if spun thicker, which I may do with the rest in my stash. A creamy colour.

23-05-2024

Jacob (Set)
Spun and plied in May 2024 on Ashford Traveller, plied from 2 bobbins mostly with a small amount from Navajo bracelet. 106.3m, 48.4g, Aran, 8 wpi, 2 ply, 2,2195 grist (DK). Carded fleece with lanolin still in and quite a lot of VM and nepps in. Maybe not a good example of a breed test as I do not enjoy spinning greasy fibre and this was carded not top. Very uneven but roughly 8 wpi as it is quite puffed up, but some bits are much thinner, averaging at DK grist. The yarn was set using the Australian wool scour and hot water, but even after drying it is still slightly greasy. The finished yarn isn’t quite soft, but certainly doesn’t seem scratchy and it doesn’t have any hairs or halo and was quite lofty after washing. Could describe it as rustic or toothy but not scratchy. I think I’d like to try some commercially combed top of this fibre to compare.

Coopworth (Set)
Spun and plied in May 2024 on EEW Nano 2 and plied on Ashford Traveller, plied from 2 bobbins mostly with a small amount from Navajo bracelet. 40m, 29.5g, Heavy DK, 10wpi, 2 ply, grist (Worsted). Another breed that was greasy, so not enjoyable to spin. The fibre appeared to be processed top, but upon spinning it became clear the processing had been quite light and the fibres were not parallel and still had some lanolin in. I really struggled to spin it and didn’t like the feel of my hands getting stickier as I was spinning it. A little challenging to draft it, I suspect the mill had carded it and then pulled top from that rather than it being combed. (Combed top usually has all the fibres lined up in one direction.) The finished yarn was hot washed with Australian wool scour. The yarn is soft, but it has a fuzzy halo so probably wouldn’t be close to neck for me, but I could see others being able to tolerate it. It has a slight sheen and a creamy colour.

01-07-2024

Suffolk fleece spun this day (set)
I washed this, and some lanolin came out but I suspect it had been washed previously. I combed it on my hackle with my small wool combs and there was quite a bit of waste. Like when I spun the commercial tops of this breed, I enjoyed spinning it. Very easy to draft, pretty consistent thickness. I spun the comb waste at the end of each single so when plied one end is a bit lumpy. Squishy feel, dry feel.. I spun it on two bobbins and plied it on my Ashford Traveller. 35.88m, 24.2g, bulky, 7 wpi, 2 ply, 1,482 Aran grist. .

Zwatbles fleece spun this day (set)
I washed this although it was quite clean fleece already. I combed it on my hackle with my small wool combs. It was easy to comb, but there was quite a bit of loom waste. Spun and plied July 2024 on Ashford Traveller from 2 bobbins. It just looked charcoal grey but when spinning I could see the lighter shades of grey in which gave a nice look. Easy to spin, surprised by the soft feel and has a nice sheen. 26.22m, 19.75g, aran, 8 wpi, 2 ply, grist 1,327 worsted!. I could see me spinning more of this.

03-07-2024

Blue Texel (set)
I washed it although it was pretty clean when given to me as fleece sample. Came from Susan G who got it from Terry. Combed very easily and was dense on the combs. It pulled off the hackle nice and thickly and felt very squishy as tops. I enjoyed spinning, there were some nepps and VM to pull out. Feels dry/rustic (more so than the Suffolk) but it’s very squishy and bouncy when you stretch it it bounces back, this is very much the type of yarn I like and would spin more. Spun and plied on Ashford Traveller. 38.64m, 18.1g, bulky, 7 wpi, 2 ply, grist 2,134 DK!!!

04-07-2024

Boreray (set)
I washed and combed and there was a lot of comb waste. Some of which I tried to spin at the end of the nice fibre. It had lots of nepps in and spun quite finely so it’s ended up thinner than a lot of breeds. I feel it’s at a disadvantage of being spun after the blue Texel which I enjoyed so much. Probably wouldn’t want it against my neck but it isn’t hairy, just a bit scratchy. Slight sheen. Spun and plied on Ashford Traveller. 32.43m, 16g, heavy DK, 10 wpi, 2 ply, grist 2,026

05-07-2024

Romney (fleece)
I think it had been washed before I got it but it still had some lanolin in I should have washed out before combing it. It was ok to comb but quite a bit of combing waste. Nice to spin and the finished washed yarn is soft but with a hint of rustic so I really like it. I think it would be ok next to my neck but maybe not for very sensitive people. Spun and plied on my Ashford Traveller. 37.26m, 19g, DK, 11 wpi, 2 ply, grist 1,961.

07-07-2024

Castlemilk Moorit (fleece) (set)
This wasn’t a great fleece, lots of scurf and some VM, looked unattractive and unappealing to touch. However when I combed it I was surprised it was quite nice to comb, very dense on the combs and so much crimp. Very similar to the blue Texel but not as soft as that and maybe the brown puts me off. Spun and plied on Ashford Traveller. 30.5m, 15.3g, Aran, 8 wpi, 2 ply, grist 1,993 worsted

09-07-2024

Exmoor Horn (top)
Top from World of Wool, spun and plied on my Ashford Traveller. This fibre really got up my nose, literally. There seems to be 3 types of fibre within the top, a few hairs, regular fleece and some very small flyaway fine fibres that liked to fly up my nose and on my jumper! It’s pretty scratchy but not as harsh as Herdwick or some of the other rustic wools but I couldn’t see me wanting a garment with this and as I bought 100g I may try to felt the rest. 33.12m, 27.9g, worsted, 9 wpi, 2 ply, grist 1,187 bulky!

09-07-2024

North Ronaldsay (carded slivers I think) (set)
I actually spun in 2019 but I’ve wound off 26g from that to go towards the study. I remember it had lots of guard hairs in and it’s pretty rustic but that’s no surprise given these are sheep that live on the seashores of an Orkney isle. Spun and plied on Ashford Traditional, 38.64m, 26g, worsted, 9 wpi, 3 ply, grist 1,486.

10-07-2024

Devon
Very rough, very scratchy, not pleasant to spin, quite hairy but not very thick hairs but it creates scratchy halo to the yarn. Spun and plied on Ashford Traveller. 24.5g, 26.9m, 11 wpi, DK, grist 1,098.36.

11-07-2024

Lincoln Longwool (set)
Locks bought from a Guild member. I should have washed them before combing them. Lots of comb waste. Very challenging to comb. Not easy to spin as staple length around 30cm. 23.5g 27.6m, 11 wpi, DK, 10⁰, 1,174 grist.

16-07-2024

The spinning is all finished, the photographs have been taken. Not all yarns have been set, but from a breed study point of view I’m classing it as finished.