International Fleeces

Fleecewood Leicester image ©Anne Grassham

Introduction:

While browsing through eBay about fifteen years ago, when I was a relatively new spinner with a love of longwool, I had a chance encounter with a wool that I continue to treasure. I was like many new spinners looking for a new flavor of wool so I took to the internet in my quest for something new and interesting.

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How many spindles does one need? Do we collect them purely for beauty? Does functionality play a role?

Thank you sir! May I have another?

Most spinners will tell you they have at least tried spindle spinning even if they do not own a spindle. The spindle bug has also bit plenty of knitters and weavers along the way.

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You love them. You need them! Let the countdown begin:

Image: Ifremer/A. Fifis

#10: A yeti crab’s pincers are covered with sinuous, hair-like strands. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4785482.stm

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Welcome to our new site.

©Krokuswww, creative commons

As I sit looking at our home page on our staging site, I feel humbled and empowered by all of you who expressed their support towards the new direction of International Fleeces. We were happily surprised at the positive response towards our new concept. We will try very hard not to let you down.

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©Brian and Jennifer Larson of Larson Lincoln Longwool Sheep, Facebook

Introduction:

The Lincoln was one of the first sheep breeds that really spoke to me. It kick started my intense and ever lasting love of long wools. After all, what is not to love? Lincoln fiber and longwools in general have irresistible locks that are lustrous, silky smooth, and, of course, long.

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©Potter Park Zoo blog

Camel is one of the softest fibers out there yet one of the least spun. We absolutely adore it and recommend it to spinners who want to learn how to spin long draw for future cashmere spinning. It is a great fiber to practice this technique on. At less than 1/2 the price of cashmere, camel is nearly as soft with a micron count of 15 – 22. (Cashmere falls in the micron range of 14 – 18.5.)

The bactrian camel (with two humps) is the animal from which camel hair is harvested. There are only 800 wild camels in the world which makes them crictically endangered. The domesticated bactrian camel numbers in at approximately 1.4 million. These camels are often used to carry heavy loads weighing up to 400 pounds. It is common for a basket to be placed on the back of the last camel in a caravan, as the animals shed, the person last in line can pick up the discarded hair, putting it in the basket for sale along their route.

©kuibo of flickr

One camel grows about 5 pounds of hair a year. Camel hair is warm without being heavy or bulky. A finely spun yarn knit into lace can be as warm to your neck as a heavy knit wool scarf. It is a beautiful luxury fiber that is often paired with wool or with silk, which gives the garment extra luster and beauty.

Camel Down

So how do you spin it? Here are some tips for you to try.

1. Spin a yarn with multiple plies. Try spinning fine singles to create a lofty, bouncy soft 3-ply yarn instead of spinning thicker singles for a 2-ply. The yarn will be airy, soft, and stunning. A round 3-ply yarn will show off the true potential of the fiber and you also get the added benefit of spinning an extra ply of fiber meant for royalty.

2. Use a lot of twist. Camel fiber is very slippery which is why I consider it a great primer fiber before the pricey jump into cashmere. When spinning this fiber for the first time, relax! Spinners often worry about putting too much twist into their wool yarns. Here is your chance to use your smallest whorl without fear of over-twisting. How refreshing is that?

3. Use low tension. Set your spinning wheel up for as little tension as you can. You do not want the wheel to be pulling the yarn in until there is sufficient twist. Check to make sure that your single yarn will not drift apart before winding on. Once you get the hang of it, you will no longer have to check.

4. The most recommended way of spinning camel is using a long draw or supported long draw technique. This is where the fun begins! Make sure your wheel is well oiled and get started. Newbies who are trying long draw for the first time may sometimes be discouraged by a yarn that isn’t as consistent as the yarns they have spun as they mastered a short forward/backward draw. Don’t worry about it especially if you are making a 3-ply as the inconsistencies in the singles yarn won’t show up as much in a 3-ply. This is a technique that you will need to practice but, as a newbie who is already making pretty nice worsted yarns, you will conquer it in no time. Make sure to keep an eye on your drafting triangle to stay a little ahead of the twist as you draft backward.

5. Want to spin short draw? No problem. It will take more care and patience but the smooth worsted yarn you produce using this method will be something to be proud of. Try different drafting techniques when sampling to see which one you like best.

Resources:

Anderson, Enid, “The Spinner’s Encyclopedia,” 1987, David and Charles Publishers, Devon, UK, 288pp, ISBN: 0-7153-8794-4

Casey, Maggie, “Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn,” 2008, Interweave Press, Loveland, CO, 119pp, ISBN: 978-59668-065-4

Fournier, Jane, “Fiber Basics: Camel,” Spin-Off magazine, Vol XIX, Number 1, Spring 1995, Interweave Press, Loveland, CO, pp 26-29

Kadolph, Sara J., “Textiles, 10th edition,” 2007, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 496 pp, ISBN: 0-13-118769-4

MacKenzie McCuin, Judith, “Down Fibers Handout,” Exotics Fiber Class, Boston Area Spinners & Dyers workshop

Image ©Bellvalley

Introduction:

My first introduction to Blue Faced Leicester wool was in a wonderful class that I took at the Maine Spinner’s Weekend given by the Maine Spinners Registry in 1999. The class was taught by Karen Hoedtke and Diane Trussell, and was called “Three Bags Full.” We had 10 different samples of raw wool from 10 different sheep breeds. The purpose of the class was to experiment with different fiber preparation and spinning techniques and, afterwards, to share your thoughts with the other students and teachers. It was such a fabulous class. The funny thing is that when I went back to look at my notes – yes, I still have some of each of the raw wools and my samples – next to the Blue Faced Leicester entry, I found that I wrote “Awesome.” It is the only one of the 10 fleeces that I had written a note about but when I went on to read more of my notes on the BFL, the fleece actually had a break in it. But I still loved it! That is one special fiber.

I hope you will love this fiber from a very notable sheep breed. It is so soft yet has the luster that often attracts me to fibers. See if you can resist!

History of Breed:

Image ©Carol Bator

To really appreciate the Blue Faced Leicester’s origins, we will begin with a quick glance at typical and haphazard sheep breeding practices of the 18th century. It was common practice to keep all one’s sheep, regardless of sex or breed, together in one field. Of course, breeding happened at random. Whatever qualities came forth in the resulting lambs in regards to conformation, health, and wool were by chance. It must have made for some fun spinning and surprises.

A young man named Robert Bakewell changed all that. He revolutionized the way people approached agriculture. His ideas of irrigation and land management were quite extraordinary. But what matters most to us and our interest in the Blue Faced Leicester is his innovative technique of selective breeding where he kept the sexes apart and would choose which sheep he wanted to have mate to bring out desired traits in the lambs.

Robert Bakewell

His efforts began with bringing out the best qualities of the old Leicester longwool breed. He bred the sheep to develop a certain body type and flavor for mutton sales. At first, wool quality was disregarded as longwool sales were on the downward slide. His new breed of improved sheep was called many names including Bakewell Leicester, New Leicester, but mostly identified with the name Dishley Leiceseter in modern times. It is from this sheep breed that we get our Blue Faced Leicester.

Blue Faced Leicester sheep, also known as Hexham Leicester, BFL, or just Blues for short, developed in the early 1900’s in Northumberland England near the town of Hexham from which it gets one of its names. It was originally conceived as a cross breeding sheep to improve the carcass quality and increase lamb production of the hill breeds, a function of the BFL that is still widely used today. In fact, the Blue Faced Leicester is one of the most often crossed sheep in the UK. One of the marketable crosses to come from Blues is the North of England Mule where a BFL ram is bred with a Swaledale ewe. Mule wool is so popular that it makes up 20% of total commercial British wool.

The Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association of the UK was established in 1963 to create a definitive breed standard. Quality fleeces is an important part of the standard and is reflected in the wool’s high caliber.

Breed Characteristics:

Image ©Borough Farm

The Blue Faced Leicester is a hornless, broad muzzle sheep with a distinctive Roman nose. They hold their long ears straight up in a dignified manner. The bluish skin, which gave them their name, shows through the white hairs on their heads. BFL’s should have broad shoulders and be strong boned. BFL ewes are known for being wonderful mothers and prolific breeders. Luckily, their excellent wool qualities seem to be inherited by their lambs when cross-bred with other sheep breeds.

The Wool:

Blue Faced Leicester Wool, the stuff dreams are made of!

One Blue Faced Leicester adult will produce a fleece weighing about 2 – 4 ½ pounds. The locks should be tightly curled. Staple length is 3 – 6 inches long. The wool is semi-lustrous and is one of the finest wools of the UK breeds. Thus, it has a silky hand that is pleasing to the skin. Fiber diameter is 24-28 microns and a Bradford Count of 60s – 56s. BFL wool is perfect for any project that requires a smooth, silky yarn with a lustrous appearance. It truly is a fiber that has captured the heart of the handspinner. Will yours be next?

Resources:

BBC, Historic Figures: Robert Bakewell, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bakewell_robert.shtml, Retrieved on Jan 5, 2011.

Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders Association, Breed Description, http://www.blueleicester.co.uk/breed/breed.html, Retrieved on Jan 5, 2011.

British Wool Marketing Board, British Sheep Breeds: Their Wool and Its Uses, 1984, 84 pp

Dohner, Janet Vorwald, The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 2001

Dun, Kathryn, Beautiful Sheep: Portraits of Champion Breeds, 2008, Thomas Dunne Books, 112pp, ISBN-13: 978-0312385125

Fournier, Nola and Jane, S, In Sheep’s Clothing, A Handspinners Guide to Wool, 1995, Interweave Press, Loveland, CO, 222p, Hardback (ISBN 1-883010-11-X)

Henson, Elizabeth, British Sheep Breeds (Shire Book), 2009 8th Printing, Shire Publications Ltd., Buckinghamshire, UK, 32pp, ISBN: 978-0-8526-3779-1

Wikipedia, Robert Blakewell (agriculturalist), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bakewell_%28agriculturalist%29, Retrieved on Jan 5, 2011.

©Lenora Genovese, Lenora of flickr

Introduction:

“The Flemish (Texel) sheep carries nothing about him that in the least detracts from his beauty. His wool is white without spot – it is of a dazzling whiteness; he is contented everywhere—everywhere he becomes a citizen of the place he inhabits.”

—Anonymous French writer, in 1763 (Report of The Commissioner of Agriculture for The Year 1864)

Let us savor these words of high praise for the Texel sheep breed for they are now mostly prized for their lean, muscle mass that produces another thing that people savor: their meat. Where is the love? Our French writer appreciated the charms of our friend the Texel’s wool and so do I. Their fleece is somewhat spongy, lofty, bouncy, and fun. Let us introduce you to a breed of sheep that you may have overlooked or may not have heard of before now. Perhaps after meeting the Texel and spinning her wool, this beautiful sheep breed will inhabit a place in your heart.

History of Breed:

Island of Texel, marked in red

According to the Texel Sheep Breeders of the Netherlands, Texel sheep have been listed in recorded history from 1477. They originally inhabited the island of Texel, which lies off the northern coast of Holland. Texel Island is the largest of a chain of islands known as the Wadden Islands. A rare and beautiful habitat for all kinds of wildlife, approximately one third of the island has been made into a nature preserve. It is perfect place for our story to begin.

©OP of flickr, Texel sheep on Texel Island

Texel sheep of yore were not the muscle bound sheep that we know today but were native sheep called Pielsteert, meaning “pin tail” due to its short tail. They were less muscled than our modern day Texel but had desirable wool. The first written record of cross breeding dates back to the early seventeenth century where “long-legged African or Guinea sheep” were crossbred to the native sheep of Texel Island. Tales of their incredible lambing ability and fine, long wool abounded when these animals were introduced into Europe. This crossbreed sheep was further crossed with English Leicester and Lincoln sheep around 1860.

The first imports to the USA take place around this time. There are reports that “long wooled” sheep from the Netherlands were imported to Somerville and Brookline Massachusetts as early as 1823 but they were not specifically listed as Texels. Nathaniel Sylvester, the first white settler of Shelter Island, NY, is rumored to have raised Texel sheep around the mid 1600’s.

It is the Hon Winthrop W. Chenery who writes of importing 1 ram and 7 ewes in 1863 to Highland Park Farm in Belmont, Massachusetts. He was pleased to receive not the 8 sheep he purchased but a total of 17 animals. The ewes gave birth to 9 lambs on the voyage. Mr Chenery recorded 30 head of sheep a year later. He writes, “Their fleeces average over ten pounds each, and their wool is considered by manufacturers superior to either the Cotswold or Leicester.” (Report of The Commissioner of Agriculture for The Year 1864) It is interesting to note that it is widely accepted that the first Texels were not imported to the US until 1985 by the Meat Animal Research Center in Nebraska. There is written evidence to indicate that this is incorrect. Hon Winthrop Chenery sold Texel sheep to farmers across the country including shipping them by “rail” to California and “are probably the first consignment of improved stock that crossed the Rocky Mountains by the Pacific Railroad.” (New England Farmer, 1870)

Chenery, Winthrop W., “‘Texel’ or ‘Mouton Flandrin’ Sheep”, Plate XL from Report of The Commissioner of Agriculture for The Year 1864

The Texel Sheep Herdbook of North Holland was created in 1909 in order to promote high meat quality and breed standard but breed development programs were instituted as early as 1802 by the government. To this day, the breed plays an important economic role for Holland. Seventy percent of the nation’s flocks are Texel sheep.

France has the second oldest national flock of Texels, starting in 1933. It was in the 1960s that Texels made their way to Ireland and the UK. Australia and New Zealand imported Texel sheep from Finland and Denmark in the late eighties and early nineties. Texel sheep can now be found all over the world including Africa and South America.

© Copyright Evelyn Simak and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Most Expensive Sheep in History:

In August of 2009, Texel sheep became famous for more than its brawny frame and lovely wool. Mr Morrison, a sheep farmer in Banffshire, UK, sold “Deveronvale Perfection” for a staggering £231,000. Jimmy Douglas who said, “Perfection had a good body”, purchased the eight-month old lamb. The previous record holder of most valuable sheep (£128,000) earned over £1 million in siring lambs. His name was “Tophill Joe” and he was a Texel too.

Breed Characteristics:

©Ralf Schulze, rs-foto of flickr

Texel sheep are exceptionally well-muscled sheep with a sweet and cheerful disposition. They have white faces and legs that are free of wool. Rams weigh about 250 lbs and the ewes weigh about 200 pounds. The breed is easily recognized from their distinct wide heads and black noses.

The Wool:

Soft, white, and beautiful, Texel wool has been spun by handspinners for outerwear for centuries. It is listed as a medium wool by the British Wool Marketing Board, and as a longwool and crossbred wool in the book In Sheep’s Clothing, by Nola and Jane Fournier. Average fleece weight is 8 – 12 pounds. The staple length of this moderately crimped wool is 3-6 inches. Fiber fineness can vary from 26-34 microns (Bradford count: 56s-46s). I find Texel to be fine enough to be made into a scarf but some Texel wool may be coarser. It would be perfect for knitwear and for woven projects, would take dye well, and would also blend well with fibers like mohair and alpaca.

The French writer who described Texel wool as “dazzling” certainly knew quality when he saw it as Texel wool is a welcome addition to any handspinner’s fiber palette.

©Evelyn Simak and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Resources:

Australian Texel Stud Breeders Association Inc, “About The Breed,” http://www.texel.org.au/_asn/About_the_Breed.htm, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

BBC News, “£231,000 sheep sets price record,” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8226054.stm, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

BBC News, “UK’s most expensive sheep is dead,” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8191563.stm, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

British Wool Marketing Board, British Sheep and Their Wool, http://www.britishwool.org.uk/factsheet1.asp?pageid=94, Retrieved on Dec, 1, 2010.

Chenery, Winthrop W., “‘Texel’ or ‘Mouton Flandrin’ Sheep” from United States Dept of Agriculture, Report of The Commissioner of Agriculture for The Year 1864, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1865, pp 248, http://books.google.com/books?id=mWcTAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA242&sig=KA4Pzqs7s3Y2KQdsKV9YAMJ0msw&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

The Cultivator and Country Gentleman, Advertisement: Winthrop W. Chenery, 1867, Volumes 29-30, pp 341, http://books.google.com/books?id=NqtMAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA341&lpg=RA1-PA341&dq=Winthrop+W.+Chenery+sheep&source=bl&ots=qOVsuN5a5n&sig=fpFNBcTRLGXgqmy4DptYJCOc9NQ&hl=en#v=onepage&q=Winthrop%20W.%20Chenery%20sheep&f=false, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

Irish Texel Sheep Society, “History of Texels in Ireland,” http://www.irishtexel.com/origins.asp, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

Martin, James, “Texel Island Travel,” http://goeurope.about.com/od/texelisland/a/Texel-Island-Travel.htm, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

New England Farmer, Sales of Improved Stock, 1870, Volume 4, pp 17, http://books.google.com/books?id=QLIEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=Winthrop+W.+Chenery+texel+sheep&source=bl&ots=GZTCubxPq9&sig=wD_mvN0HPirsGA7lLPR7ANWMN74&hl=en#v=onepage&q=Winthrop%20W.%20Chenery%20texel%20sheep&f=false, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

New Zealand Sheep Breeders Association, “Texel New Zealand,” http://www.nzsheep.co.nz/site/texel/index.htm, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

NorthShed, “Texel Sheep,” http://www.rala.is/beta/15%20Texel%20sheep.htm, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

Oklahoma State University Breeds of Livestock, “Texel,” http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/texel/index.htm, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

Texel Sheep Breeders, http://www.texels-schaap.nl/engels/, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

Texel Sheep Breeders Society, “Texel Breed Information,” http://www.usatexels.org/, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

Texel Sheep Society, http://www.texel.co.uk/thebreed/thebreed.php, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.

Wikipedia, “Shelter Island (town), New York,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelter_Island_%28town%29,_New_York, Retrieved Nov 30, 2010.

Wikipedia, “Texel (sheep),” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texel_%28sheep%29, Retrieved on Nov 30, 2010.