Mountain & Hill Breeds

I have been busy researching mountain and hill breeds. Which breed I use for my CofA will depend on what fleece I can get. Last year I bought some Whitefaced Woodland fleece from a local lady who is also a member of one of the guilds that I attend. The staples are quite long and I think that it will be interesting experimenting with different preparation methods as well as different spinning methods. Last year I also had a Cheviot fleece from the wool board and I don't think it would be difficult to obtain another fleece either from the wool board or locally.

Ashford Wild Drum Carder

My new Ashford Wild Drum Carder has arrived today. As soon as it came out of the box, my daughter Selina put some fibre on to try it. From the sound it made I think that the teeth are possibly a little bit too close, so I will be adjusting it slightly.

I am then planning to drum card some of the Hampshire Down fleece that I have already washed and dried for yet more longdraw practise.

Photos to follow....

Update on Hampshire Down Fleeces

I have now collected 7 hampshire down fleeces - as per my previous post. I have to say, that they were a lot grubbier than I expected and there was a lot of vegetable matter in the fleece too. I will have to spend a lot of time meticulously picking through and washing the fleece. They were also a little more expensive than I remember discussing - I didn't think it was worth arguing about - but I certainly wont be recommending her to the other ladies in the guild.

Anyway, I now have a bulkbag full of Hampshire Down fleece to work my way through. It may seem a lot, but I do need a lot of practise at longdraw. They have got to be spun longdraw - but that's what you expect from a short stapled down fleece anyway as the staples have got a lot of crimp and they are very, very short. . Longdraw is not my favourite technique and my practise attempts so far have given seriously fuzzy yarns with some inconsistences in thickness.

Once the CofA is over and done with, I can't see me wanting to go out and get another job lot of of hampshire down fleece.

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW .....