Monday, February 5, 2024
Breed Study #1 - Texel
I've been wanting to spend some time focusing on the different breeds available locally (Vancouver Island, Gulf Islands, and South Western BC) and decided to start with a great big Texel fleece that I was gifted. The Texel is primarily a meat breed whose origin is The Netherlands. It was next in my pile of fleeces to wash so... |
| Unwashed and Washed Locks |
From Deb Robson's The Field Guide to Fleece:
The fleece typically weighs 7-12 lbs (3.25 - 5.5 kg. Mine washed weighs 4 lbs. I forgot to weigh it before washing, but it may have lost a third of it's weight, so maybe 6 pounds.
The staple length is 3"-6" (8-15 cm). I certainly don't have any 6" locks but I also don't know if it was a full year since its last shearing.
Fibre Diameters: 26-36 microns. I would say mine is on the coarser side of this range.
I prepped some of the fleece by dizzing off my drum carder and some by creating rolags.
I spun the dizzed fleece using a short forward draft, and the rolags with a supported long draw. I preferred the long draw but then again that is my default spin. The resulting yarn was softer spun long draw but there wasn't a huge difference, nor in the knitted samples.
Woollen Spun Skein
Worsted Spun Skein
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| Knitted Swatches |
There will be some white Texel batts in the shop this week and dyed within a couple of weeks.
What's on the Needles
I'm still working on my teal hoodie. I've finished the fronts and have started the sleeves.
What's on the Wheel
I finished spinning and plying the nylon for my knitted cushion cover. I just dyed it in variegated greens and it's still wet in this image. It's very soft and I think will be a pleasure to knit.
Enjoy your fibres!!
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