 |
| Picture from Life With Sheep blog. |
I have also been informed by my mother who has done the genealogy of the family, that my Great Grandmother came from the Black Mountains. Perhaps she spun her own Black Welsh Mountain wool from local sheep - who knows!
Due to the small amount of wool I have, I decided to spin this on my Russian support spindle so that I could make a finer yarn for more yardage, as well as allow more control over the wool so I didnt mess it up as I am not too confident on my wheel yet.
It is a lovely deep colour and has some white fibres speckled through the wool:
This breed of sheep are the only completely black sheep amongst the British breeds. They are also catagorised as a primitive breed, which means these breeds have been untouched by recent breeding programs and can be traced back hundreds/thousands of years. A feature of primitive breeds is their coat which consists of two coats - the soft fibres further in and the harder fibres, or guard hairs, on the outside. Considering the weather these guys endure (rain, hail and snow) they need that sturdy coat.
It is noted that the meat from the Black Welsh Mountain sheep was prized in the Middle Ages for its richness and excellence. I wonder why it is not so today, considering that the breed's status is endangered you would think that if these sheep provided a tasty meat that it would then be in demand. I will have to do some further research on that.
It is noted that the meat from the Black Welsh Mountain sheep was prized in the Middle Ages for its richness and excellence. I wonder why it is not so today, considering that the breed's status is endangered you would think that if these sheep provided a tasty meat that it would then be in demand. I will have to do some further research on that.
 |
| Pic from mutinybayfarm.com |
Due to the small amount of wool I have, I decided to spin this on my Russian support spindle so that I could make a finer yarn for more yardage, as well as allow more control over the wool so I didnt mess it up as I am not too confident on my wheel yet.
It is a lovely deep colour and has some white fibres speckled through the wool:
The roving I have, the staple was from a couple inches and hitting past 8 inches! Long staple! So a bit of a mixture of inner and outer coat. Hopefully you can make out the staple length in this pic:
 |
| Yes, yes. My photo skills aren't the greatest - but you get the point. |
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy spinning wool with such a long staple. Instead, I found it so easy to draft and spin! The fibres slipped past each other very easily and I was able to make a fairly thin yarn.
Although, the micron count of this wool is between 28-35. It is fairly course when you are used to dealing with the finer fibres such as merino.
This yarn would definitely suit outerwear, and even though I have not yet attempted weaving (one day soon!) I could imagine this as a good thread for weaving.
I had two samples of this fibre, and the first sample I spun up I found that it didn't produce a particularly bouncy yarn even though the roving felt fairly airy. The first sample I spun it fairly thin so I think that has squeezed out any air in the twist. On the second sample I tried to not spin it as thin (still fairly thin though) and found that it made the yarn a bit bouncier and softer. So, I am guessing that this fibre would suite a thicker yarn weight perhaps.
Here are the final products. Two smalls samples, both 2 ply;
The mini skein on the bottom is the first sample which I spun thinner. Its WPI is 15 and 39 yards.
2nd mini skein on the top I spun a wee bit thicker. Its WPI is 12 - 13 and 32 yards. You can see the difference in the two below.
Well, I decided to knit up the sample from the yarn and was pleasantly surprised. Its not as harsh as I thought it would be and I like the fabric it knits up. I did two 4 inch by 4 inch (approx) squares, used garter stitch which is a simple way to showcase the wool and used 3.15mm needles.
I'd like to try this wool again as it was fun to spin with, easy to spin, was an interesting texture and knits up well. I did see some roving on Etsy and it was blended with baby alpaca fibre. I think that would be very nice, interesting and add extra softness.
If you have spun with Black Welsh Mountain fibre, what has been your experience?
Stay spun!
- Mokosh
Although, the micron count of this wool is between 28-35. It is fairly course when you are used to dealing with the finer fibres such as merino.
This yarn would definitely suit outerwear, and even though I have not yet attempted weaving (one day soon!) I could imagine this as a good thread for weaving.
I had two samples of this fibre, and the first sample I spun up I found that it didn't produce a particularly bouncy yarn even though the roving felt fairly airy. The first sample I spun it fairly thin so I think that has squeezed out any air in the twist. On the second sample I tried to not spin it as thin (still fairly thin though) and found that it made the yarn a bit bouncier and softer. So, I am guessing that this fibre would suite a thicker yarn weight perhaps.
Here are the final products. Two smalls samples, both 2 ply;
The mini skein on the bottom is the first sample which I spun thinner. Its WPI is 15 and 39 yards.
2nd mini skein on the top I spun a wee bit thicker. Its WPI is 12 - 13 and 32 yards. You can see the difference in the two below.
Well, I decided to knit up the sample from the yarn and was pleasantly surprised. Its not as harsh as I thought it would be and I like the fabric it knits up. I did two 4 inch by 4 inch (approx) squares, used garter stitch which is a simple way to showcase the wool and used 3.15mm needles.
I'd like to try this wool again as it was fun to spin with, easy to spin, was an interesting texture and knits up well. I did see some roving on Etsy and it was blended with baby alpaca fibre. I think that would be very nice, interesting and add extra softness.
If you have spun with Black Welsh Mountain fibre, what has been your experience?
Stay spun!
- Mokosh
An interesting post . I once went to a weaving and spinning class. Spinning caused me the odd problem like umm making the wheel go forward at all times. Backwards was it's fall back position.
ReplyDeleteGo well and keep spinning .