Happy Saturday! Sorry I’ve missed a couple of weeks – I’ll explain further down what’s been happening.
For today’s main focus, I want to talk about the difference between different breeds of sheep and how it makes an impact on your knitting and crochet.
Sheep Breeds – It’s not ‘all just wool’!
So, lets get things started by explaining what wool is. Wool is another name for hair or fur, and tends to refer specifically to the fibre that grows on sheep, as opposed to other animals.
As you can see in this picture, there are lots of similarities between all fibre from mammals, this is because they are all created in the same way. The reason they differ is down to the needs of the animal they are growing on.
The four fibres on the left are all types of hair/wool. The difference, as you can see, is in how thick the strands are and how many scales they have – and how coarse those scales are. Quite simply, the thinner and less scaly the wool, the softer it will be. Generally, if we think of ‘hair’ as opposed to wool, we are thinking of a straighter, more dense strand than if we think about ‘wool’, but there is no dictionary definition to separate the two.
Ok, so technically it IS all wool… but as you can see in the image above, there is a big difference between the thickness and the scalyness of the fibres.
At the shop we are very frequently asked for ‘Welsh Wool’, and people are often perplexed that we seldom have any other than handspun in the shop. The reason being that the coarser the wool, the less you would like to use it for your knitting or crochet. Unfortunately, Welsh Mountain Sheep have a very rough coat (think the image of coarse wool on the left) and also have a lot of ‘guard hairs’ – these are almost like bristles that stick through the hair to help with insulation and strength in the harsh mountain climate. This means that although there are a lot of sheep on the hills around the shop – you would not want to have a sweater made from them! They are, however, perfect for rugs, carpets and insulation because they are very hard wearing and insulating!
Every sheep breed has a different style of fleece, and this means that they have different properties to offer. I’m going to go through a few of the most common breeds that you might have heard of.
Wensleydale Sheep.
These sheep have a long and silky coat. It is very heavy in comparisson to other sheep fleece and so a Wensleydale yarn will be denser and have a lower meterage for the same weight of yarn to other breeds. It can be worn next to the skin, but is better for outerwear. Lots of drape, lots of lustre!!
Bluefaced Leicester Sheep
These are widely regarded as the softest of the British sheep breeds. Their coat is beautifully soft with a crimp to it. It also has a lovely sheen which makes this fibre perfect for yarns you want to make something special with. Look at the WYS BFL Fleece!
Merino Sheep
These sheep are saught after the world over for their unrivaled soft fleece. Perfect for wearing next to the skin, it is widely used for everything from shawls to socks to base layers. It is worth being careful about how you source your Merino though as there are some welfare concerns with this breed. We love it and a lot of our indie dyers use merino in their favourite bases!
Shetland Sheep
These sheep, as per the name, originated in the Shetland Islands. Their fleece is nice and soft but also hard wearing. It is very nice to spin with and suitable for socks or outerwear for the most part. It is a strong fibre which stands up to being spun thinly, as well as working well as a thicker yarn. Great for warmth and strength. The WYS Croft uses Shetland wool. It’s been a joy to work with for making my Coast and Castles Blanket!
Manx Loaghtan
These sheep are well known for their many horns. They are stunning to look at and are considered a rare breed. Their fibre is a special brown colour called ‘moorit’ which can vary from light to dark caramel. Their fleece is lovely to work with as a hand spinner, and personally I find it very soft. It can be worn next to the skin but is also hard wearing and can be used for socks. Very stunning sheep!
Welsh Mountain
The sheep that you will be familiar with if you visit the shop – they are everywhere! Very fluffy looking sheep with long tails, and the males have horns. These sheep are primarily bread for meat rather than fleece. Good for rug making, insulation, carpets, and some felting projects, they are very hard wearing and warm to stand up to the rough Welsh mountain weather. Conversely, Welsh Black sheep are fleece sheep, and considered lucky, so you will often see one black sheep in a field with a lot of Welsh Mountain.
There are thought to be more sheep breeds in the UK than anywhere else in the world – estimated to be between 90-106 depending on who you ask. You can check out the National Sheep Association for lots of information on the different breeds, where to find them, their histories etc.
What’s new?
So I was able to come into the shop this afternoon for the first time in about a month. It was lovely to see it doing well, and we’ve just had a delivery of some new kits from Hawthorn Handmade to try out!
We are also wrestling with our broadband and phone after some wonderful company decided to poach our contract without our permission… so bear with us if you can’t get through – we’re hoping to have things sorted out this week. We are open as normal!
Here’s a few photos!
Finally…
Just thought I’d give you all an update on what’s happening at home.
My eldest is still having seizures approximately daily. They last anywhere from 1-6 hours, depending on precisely which gods we’ve angered at any one time. We haven’t managed to get any support in from social services yet, although I’m told this is on it’s way over the next month (fingers crossed!). He isn’t in any danger but is in a lot of pain and tired because of the seizures.
Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive whilst I’ve been needing to look after him. I am still around, but not necessarily ‘in’ the shop.
I’m hoping that as things start to settle over the next couple of weeks that I’ll be able to get the last of the blanket and capedigan designs out for you.
In the meantime, I’m still knitting socks. Currently on pair 6 (I think!)
Nikki
x