Today we are looking at some fleece samples that do not fit in any of the previous families.
Right to left: Clun Forest, California Red, Navajo Churro, Karakul
The Clun Forest had a lot of VM in it which made spinning not the most fun. This was carded and spun woolen. It has a soft hand. Parts are fluffy and other parts are quite fine.
The California Red fleece has a nice color that is unlike any other sample in the collection. There are reddish/brown kemp hairs throughout. Again this has a soft hand but with some crispness. This sample was also carded and spun using a woolen technique.
I was excited to spin the Navajo Churro sample. This is a double fleece with long guard hairs, in this sample about 6 inches long, and short wool down, about 2 inches in this. The dual coats separated very easily. The top that came from the combs was rather crisp and scratchy but it has a nice buttery color to it.
The Karakul is another dual coated fleece that I was eager to spin. People might be more familiar with this sheep as Persian lamb, a very common fur trim for vintage coats. This sample was a mixed brown and white wool. The long guard hairs are very coarse, almost horse hair like. This sample was combed and spun from top. It was a little difficult to wield given the length of the fibers. Definitely suitable for rugs.
Coopworth is on the side of being a longwool. This was prepped with the viking combs and spun worsted with a short forward draw. The sample is on the crisp side but would be wonderful for knitted lace. Unfortunately, I think I did not give the ply enough twist when I was spinning so the hank is a little on the loopy side.
In the next post we are going to look at another set of the unclassified family fleeces.
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