Ellen writes:
<<I'm contemplating Border Leicester, Scottish Blackface, Finnsheep, and
Tunis>>
I've not used or handled Tunis, so can't speak to that. I've never seen
a Scottish Blackface fleece I'd use for anything but rugs. Possibly
some shepherds have selected for finer wool, but it's still going to be
quite coarse.
Finn can be lovely, but is highly variable. That can be an asset, if
you want a wide range of wools in a small flock.
BL can vary a lot too. I got my first experience with buying American
wool and sheep-sitting from a friend with a BL flock. The BLs I've
known have been calm, almost majestic in temperament, and I believe
they're considered a medium-sized breed. Wool can range from 5-12
inches, depending on the stock the shepherd started with and selects for
(I like 6-7 inches best). Some is a bit coarse--I used britch wool for
a very long-wearing handspun rug--but most is good for outerwear, and
some, including the ewe we have now, is next-to-the-skin soft. About
the only thing they have in common across all these fleece types is a
cute little corkscrew curl on the end of each lock--one way to tell BL
from Romney wool, which it is quite similar to :)
BLs will probably produce the most useable wool per sheep of these
breeds (not sure about Tunis).
BL crossed with Corriedale is my all-time favorite wool.
Next-to-the-skin soft, good all-purpose staple length and crimp, very
easy to handle, a dream to card and spin, somewhat resistent to pilling
in use. That's what I wanted our flock to be...but the dh wanted
Shetlands...
Holly
To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
