I've raised Karakuls for nearly 20 years and seen a wide variety in their fleeces.
At this point in time, no American Karakul is a purebred Karakul. They were imported into this country very early in the 20th century for the fur trade which quickly fizzled. The sheep were mostly scattered and not maintained as a breed. Rams were used to "improve" other breeds, mainly the Cotswolds or Lincolns, it's hard to tell from the photos. American Karakuls all have some traits that are unlike their ancestors in the Middle East. Mine are as "purebred" as American Karakuls get and yet I have Middle Eastern lamb customers that ask why they have_____. Theirs at home didn't have it. The main difference seems to be the size and configuration of the tail. That said, fleece types vary. I learned to spin with Karakul wool and was mightily challenged with some of the fleeces with undercoat of several different lengths. Karakul wool looks more like hair than what everyone thinks of as wool. The wool grows an average of 1" per month but that's an average. I have a fall ram lamb who will be a year old at the end of this month. He is currently carrying about 15"of wool as he is on my show string and won't be shorn until October after the last fair. I also have brood ewes who only grow about 8" in a year. As a spinner, you could separate the undercoat and spin top coat and undercoat separately or card them together. Although the undercoat is minor in comparison, the fleeces are similar in type to the Icelandic. The outer coat is coarser than the Icelandic and the undercoat is minor but there are similarities. The breed standard for the Karakul fleece is as follows: Texture and Grade: Medium dense, long staple usually considered as carpet wool but often actually grading breaid, low quarter or quarter-blood and sometimes three eights, showing good natural luster(not to be confused with artificial luster coming from yolk) with long open crimp, free from cotting, parting easily and cleanly to the skin, and falling naturally into numerous locks; fleece should be as similar as possible over entire body in density, character and staple, and consists of a fine undercoat mixed with a longer, coarser outercoat. Fiber diameter varying from 80s to 12s in any one individual is common; greater proportion of the shorter, finer wool is found as an undercoat just noticeable near maturity and increasing in quantity with advanced age; kemp or extremely coast brittle fiberts are undesireable and should not be present; has a very light yolk content and light shrinkage. Length and wieght: 12 months growth about 8-10 inches; weighing 4-10 pounds in ewes, more in rams, Longer staple and heavier fleeces occasionally occur and may be indicators of lower quality in fur production. Recently shorn Karakuls show high luster and often a definite pattern caused by the new wool growing in several different planes. That is from the breed standard. As a spinner, I use the wool for felting rugs and saddlepads. I also spin it and will, when I get enough different colors, weave a slant-weave rug. I just have to stop using the waiting yarns for other projects! Robin Snyder, spinner, weaver, shepherd Border Collie Rescue - California www.bcrescue.net San Diego County, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
