| Fleece & Fiber I first fell in love with Leicester Longwool sheep through their fleece. I had been on a quest for a longwool fleece to weave with. After purchasing fleeces from other longwool breeds, I discovered the Leicester Longwool and a breeder who was producing clean and well grown, healthy fleeces. I have been weaving fleece rugs and wanted a lustrous, crimpy, long lock that held its structure well. I became so enamoured of the fleece of these sheep that I started to research the breed. The Leicester Longwool has great historical signifcance and unfortunately is now critically endangered; this convinced me that this was a breed that I would enjoy raising. Our first Leicester Longwools arrived from Virginia in July 2011. Once the sheep arrived, I fell totally in love with the sheep themselves. |
| Leicester Longwool |
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| Leicester Longwool Fleece Characteristics Length: per year up to 10" or 5" (half-year) Weight: 5 lbs. (half year) - 18 lbs. (full-year) Fiber Diameter: 32-38 microns Lock: Long, distinct locks with crimp that is well defined from pointed tips to flat base. Very high lustre. Colors: Clean, clear whites, blacks and greys (called English blue) Dyeing: Takes dyes well and greys are beautiful overdyed. |
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| Washing Raw Fleeces - Be sure to skirt the fleece well before washing -- I put the fleeces on a table that has a screen top on it (1/2"-1" spacing in the screen is good) and then I pull out any thorns, hay or straw chaff, bugs, and manure. Also shake well to remove any small second cuts. At left is a photo of the fleece from one of the lambs sheared in the fall. Below is the same fleece after washing. The key to getting the fleeces really clean is to get the lanolin dissolved in very hot water. Most hot water heaters are not hot enough to do this. So after I fill the washing machine with hot water, I add boiling water (from a pan off the stove) to bring up the water temperature. Then I put in about 2 lbs. of raw fleece to soak. Be sure not to let the machine agitate! I let the fleece soak for about 45 min. or so and then set it to spin cycle to spin out the water. Pull the wool out and repeat. For those who don't want to use their (top loading) washers, you can do this in large plastic or metal tubs. |
| Yarn for Sale-- I have limited quantities of Leicester Longwool yarn made from our lambs' wool. It is spun into a beautiful 3 ply worsted weight; white and dark charcoal grey. $30 (approximately 250 yards) |
| "It is said that the immortal Bakewell kept a black ram for use in improving the Leicester. ...In Quebec the common stock of the country appears to all intents and purposes to be of the pure Leicester blood, and no doubt it is, as the foundation of that stock is said to be from an early importation of that breed. The flocks are very uniform in type, but one thing...there was the large number of black individuals found in every flock. In quite a number of cases 25% of the flock was made up of black sheep." (p158) |
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| An Interesting Experiment: "...at the Iowa experiment station with the view of testing the relative merits of several of the more prominent breeds of sheep. Ten lambs of each variety were selected and fed in the same way. Of the British breeds the Cotswolds gained the most rapidly in weight, the Suffolk and Lincoln breeds coming next on the list, the Oxfords and Dorsets being last. In the yield of wool the Lincolns came first with a fleece averaging 12.85 lb.; the Cotswolds were next with the fleece of 12.65 lb.; the Leicester next with 11.50 lb.; the Oxfords next with 10.95 lb.; the Shropshires next with 8.75 lb.; the Suffolks next with 7.65 lb.; the Dorsets next with 6.8 lb.; the Southdowns next with 6.75 lb. The Merinos sheared 9.9 lb. The most valuable fleeces in natural condition were the Leicesters, the Lincolns, Cotswolds and Oxfords in the order named. The Merino fleeces were estimated as being worth the least money per pound in their natural condition, but after scouring commanded by far the highest price. The Merino fleeces shrank 67 per cent in weight. The Leicesters showed the least shrinkage-- 38 per cent." (p160) |
| Reference: --Modern Sheep Breeds and Management by "Shepherd Boy" Associate Editor. American Sheep Breeder Co., Chicago, IL 1907. |
| I have used many different products for washing the raw fleeces, such as Eucalan, Kookabura, and Unicorn. All worked pretty much the same. But one day, I had run out of commercial wool wash products so out of desperation, I used some cheap shampoo that was in the cupboard! This actually worked just as well as any of the other products I had used. Depending on how dirty it is-- or how much lanolin an individual fleece has - it may take up to 4 soaks and spin cycles to get the wool clean. Then I dry the wool on screens in our greenhouse. Or, if we have the wood stove going, I'll put screens across chairs and dry it by the wood stove! |