Sarah Knits and Weaves

I thought I would write up a list of sheep breeds I've used fiber from and a short review.

A few definitions
Top is fibers that have been lined up on combs, with the short fibers cleaned out. Commercial top is a step in the line to making commercial yarn, hand done top is done on combs and not in a factory situation.

Roving is fiber that has been carded or brushed instead of combs. The short fibers are not removed and the fibers present are going lots of directions. This can be done on cards which are a pair of metal tipped brushes, a drum carder, or professional carders. When I say something is done semi commercially it was sent from the farm to a small mill that processes batches for farmers.

Merino-Always in lined up commercial top. I really like it and can spin it to my own standards, though I know others don't like it and find it too slippery. It's incredibly soft and can be almost "cottony." I have found that I perfer Louet's merino top to Ashland Bay's, both are serviceable.

Shetland- All of the Shetland I've used has been raised at two local farms and processed "semi commercially" into roving. It is soft but has more body than merino. I really haven't spun much of it since i've been a decent spinner, maybe I should try again.

Blue Faced Leicester- I've spun roving done on a friend's drum carder from her sheep, more commercial BFL roving, and some BFL top. All are lovely and fun. It's almost as soft as Merino, but more crimpy with a long length of fiber, which is why it's so popular and recommended for beginners right now.

California Variagaged Mutant- CVM is really soft but has a very short staple. I haven't had trouble spinning it and it's really springy, but the finished yarn doesn't really appeal to me. That could just be my ADD going on with the natural colors though. It wouldn't spin thick for anything I tried.

Targhee- This fiber felt kind of stiff, not at all scratchy, just not super soft and pliable. When I spun it, it was very squooshy and fun to use, it wanted to be very thick (though I started out spinning 4 ply sock yarn and that could work, it just wasn't what the fiber wanted to be). I want more quite desperately.

Wensleydale- I've only spun this from locks directly off the sheep (well dyed first). It's corkscrewey and shiny. It is willing to spin out really thin because of the locks and slight stiffness. I want more!

Mohair- So this isn't wool or from a sheep, but rather from angora goats. What I spun was roving mixed with a bit of wool. It spun very nicely into thick singles and then was plied with thread for a flowered yarn, shiny and smooth. I wasn't happy when I spun it thin, it just seemed hairy.

I'm sure there are many more breeds of sheep I need to try now.

I also love the idea of the perfect blend. As I am very passionate about knit socks (which are not the majority of my knitting, but I find it hard to care about the contents of the purses it takes me a day to knit), I have been researching what should go in sock yarn. Most commercial sock yarn is 25% nylon and 75% superwash treated merino. Those wear pretty well but not amazingly. One suggestion I've read says use something with a longer fiber length (staple) like BFL, Targhee, or Shetland with a bit of Mohair or Wensleydale, some Silk, and the nylon is optional and can be used as a thread held with the yarn on the heel and toe. Fibers like Alpaca, CVM, and Merino don't hold up well and wear out, even when mixed with nylon. Oh well, then you just have to knit more.