Karakuls grow about the coarsest of all fleeces. The wool grows an average
of an inch per month although some animals produce less than that. The wool
appears more like hair than what most people think of as wool. It is a
long, straight staple, Because the karakuls were brought to this country to
produce pelts which fell out of favor, the breed here in the US was mixed
with other breeds way back when. (I have a National Geographic from the
1920's? with pictures of black Karakuk rams out with a flock of white
Cotswold or Lincoln ewes.)
The Karakul has a dominant black gene so many of them are black. I strive
for a mix of colors in my flock as I want that variety. I have red, various
browns, gray and, yes, black. Of my two rams, one is white with some brown
spots and the other is mainly red with white patches. The color is strong
in the lamb and fades as the animal matures. Ditto with the curls present
at birth. By the time the animal is a year old, the color is pretty much
gone unless the animal was born black. Then the color fades to gray. The
red and browns fade to a cream color. I have a spectacular Karakul pelt
that is a golden rust color. The fleece tips are curly and deep color. The
staple is about 6" long and fades to a beige color next to the skin.
The wool is easy to spin because of the staple length. This is the wool
that I learned to spin with lo these many years ago as it was all that I
had. It can be used for outer wear like a coat or something but is not
recommended for near the skin. On the double coated animals, the undercoat
can be used for more purposed as it isn't so scratchy. There is a tendency
toward kemp in the fleeces, however. Years ago, I had a show ewe whose
fleece was so colorful and spectacular that a judge used her to demonstrate
to the audience. She was auburn on the fleece ends, white about three
inches down and the undercoat was a lavender color. Quite a rainbow. She
was my first sheep to show to Champion and then neighborhood dogs attacked
the flock and killed her before she could produce any lambs.
The wool is a very durable fiber and was and still is used to make Persian
rugs. I have had antique rug restoration companies contact me to get the
wool because their restoration expert didn't like the commerically available
yarns. The karakul wool was preferred. It will felt well and is often used
for felted saddle blankets. Because the staple is straight with lamb
fleeces having a curl on the tip, lots of felting folks will use locks for
embellishments.
I don't think I can send pictures to the list so if you are interestedto see
what they look like, go to the karakul registry's website.
www.karakulsheep.com The Karakuls don't look like most breeds of sheep and
I've had many a person think they were goats.
Robin Snyder, spinner, weaver, shepherd
Border Collie Rescue - California www.bcrescue.net
San Diego County, CA
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