Recently I got a kilo of shearling Romney fleece from Pippajo123 on eBay (recommended!). eBay can be a gamble when it comes to fiber, but I've been lucky and gotten some great stuff, and this fleece is no exception. Lustrous, long, fine, and a lovely crimp too. Before this I wouldn't have described longwools as 'versatile' - but I'm spinning this fleece in three different ways.
The majority of the fleece is getting spun worsted style into a DK/light worsted 2-ply yarn, tightly plied. This yarn has the best of both worlds - luster and bounce.
![UK Romney wool handspun on a drop spindle](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqvXLfr8pjCAxDuWhS-USotdRTPDO1NrYGOvuiNb5mSPGOJJ3k9yMydR9VODVj-zmWcSNIdLRWCB9l44FMZni-Am3TnTCAG8V2X5QIo8QwRdGQaNEX_uPj1nkv4fnDlgc73QJA1PvjWs/s320/NW_-_Romney_medium2.jpg)
Next, I took some dark grey mohair and blended it into the Romney, and I'm spinning this (chain-ply on the fly) into some sock yarn.
![Navajo ply on the fly Romney wool and mohair hand blended handspun sock yarn](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8521/8624555432_c7ce8641c2_z.jpg)
Finally, I've given some locks the individual hand washing treatment and flicked them out into beautiful smooth handfuls. I'm spinning this finely into a gorgeous lace yarn. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm really excited about it.
![Flicked locks of Romney shearling wool being spun into laceweight yarn](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8648826726_74241aba14_z.jpg)
Basically, this fleece can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. I wasn't even sure if I was going to love it, when I made the purchase - I mostly favor the springy bouncy wools. But this stuff is just divine. It definitely warrants a different kind of spinning than a downs breed - namely All Worsted, All the Time. I did spin up a little sample in a more woolen draw... It just took all the magic out of the yarn. It definitely wasn't what this wool wanted to be. So, I obeyed the wool, and am spinning it all strictly worsted to bring out the gorgeous pearly shine of these locks.
~Joyuna
Looks like some really nice yarns are coming out of that, and I'm amazed you can get so much out of one kilo!
ReplyDeleteA kilo is really a lot! (2.2 lbs)
DeleteIf it were a kilo of processed fiber or yarn, I would be able to get 2 sweaters out of that (and I'm not a small girl :).
A kilo of fleece, there's going to be waste and loss that comes with processing - the lanolin and other gunk that washes out, short bits that shouldn't go into the final yarn, and so forth. This fleece is good because it doesn't have a lot of short bits and it's been skirted well, so I'm able to use most of it.