Fiber Arts Friday: Shave 'Em to Save 'Em, Clun Forest

source: Wikipedia

Clun Forest - I had not heard of this breed before joining SE2SE.

My initial dive into the roving yielded an extremely fine yarn.

I realized quickly that I was working from the back end of the roving... so I re-wound the ball and started to spin again.... it's helpful to remember there is a front and back to roving.  ;-)

This was a very nice preparation, with a small amount of lanolin and very little vegetable matter (VM).

The staple in this sample is relatively short at about 1 inch.

My thoughts upon spinning this yarn is that Clun Forest would be nice to include in our alpaca-wool sock yarns.  I like that it isn't as slippery as alpaca or Tibetan Mastiff, and the small amount of lanolin in the roving feels nice on my fingertips.

My thoughts are reinforced in the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook which describes Clun Forest as an "ideal fiber for making textiles that are both comfortable and able to stand up to some abuse."

I enjoyed spinning this yarn.  I like that it's not as slippery as Tibetan Mastiff or Alpaca.

The single was very energetic, but the plied yarn is much more balanced.

While plying from both ends of the same cake allows for no joins in my final yarn, I think I will split my future SE2SE projects in half so I can ply from two cakes, which goes much faster.

The final yarn is not perfect.... but honestly, what handmade item is?  There are several over-spun portions in the single and my gauge is not as consistent as I would prefer.  I think both are due to me trying to spin thicker than my normal, not having enough take-up, and periodically loosing my concentration.  ;-)

But I love this yarn.  :-)

From the Livestock Concervancy:  The Clun Forest originated in Shropshire, England and were first imported to the US in 1970.  The Clun Forest is listed as Threatened, meaning that fewer than 1000 sheep are registered in the US each year and that the estimated global population is less than 5000.

This Clun Forest roving was sourced locally at the Left Hand Wool Company,

It feels good knowing that I am able to support a local conservation breeder of rare breed livestock.  :-)

Final Yarn: Clun Forest
Single Duration: April 13 - June 2, 2019
Ply Duration: June 2 - June 15, 2019
Date Submitted: June 21, 2019
ounces: 4.625
yards: 283, 2-ply
wpi:  14

SE2SE Status:
Total Breeds: 22
Breeds Sourced: 11
Breeds Spun: 1
Breeds To Go: 21

Months Remaining: 30 (12/31/21)

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!