A new fiber discovery...

I discovered a new fiber!


I am not sure if I mentioned it earlier or not, but there aren't any LYSs or spinning shops within a hour's drive. That was one of the first things I did; googled yarn and spinning shops.


When that was a wash, I thought it might be my internet searching skills. So I turned to Ravelry.

I did a search for locals and found droolsoveryarn and her etsy store. She had what I was looking for...roving! Not much, but it is a breed called Wensleydale (http://www.wensleydalesheep.org/images/history.htm). The staple length is 8-12 and up to 17 inches! I thought, "I gotta try that!". My second thought was that I might be able to use it to blend with the shorter lamb's wool I have been saving.


I emailed the breed info to LC Guy for his opinion. Turns out, he sees them at the auction he attends. This makes sense, because the breed is also know for being a meat breed. He mentioned the texture was coarse and thought I wouldn't like it. He may be correct, but the staple length fasinates me. If nothing else, I could use it for the Shepard's Rug I am working on...for the last year (since NML&WF of Sept. 2008).

The breed is on the endangered breed list. It is an old breed. Most of the purebreds are in the UK. I checked sale prices and they start at about $1500 in the US. The sheep LC Guy is seeing at the auction are mutts, I'm sure, and they are priced by the pound. The Wensleydale is probably used to pump up the flock for either meat or the to increase staple length. That is just my thinking, and lately, my brain has had a bit too much of this Houston heat!

Yesterday the actual temperature was 101 and the "feels like" was 108! As far as I am concerned, it is only the "feels like" that counts. Yesterday, I fell asleep on the floatie in the shady end of the pool and I was still sick from the heat. I wasn't able to go to b-ball practice as planned. I just laid in front of the fan! lol

Well, I am done with my coffee intake and I am going to head to the pool to join everyone else in the pool. Yeah, 11am and my parents have been in the pool for a hour already!

I am still negociating the Wensleydale roving and should know more later today or tomorrow. Stay tuned...lol

Images are from flickr.com by EadaoinFlynn and rainsurfer01.