Gulf Coast - This breed is new to me. I'm not certain what the difference is between Gulf Coast and Gulf Coast Native, but it seems to be two names for the same breed.
In my SE2SE quest for prepared roving, I had exhausted the Colorado sources for roving, so I started to focus on the most critical breeds.
In my search, I found a farm in Connecticut that is breeding two of the most critical breeds, Gulf Coast and Santa Cruz, along with Shetland.
While I already have a Shetland provider, I felt it was important to support this farm's work.
She sent hand-prepared batts of Gulf Coast and Shetland as well as washed Santa Cruz.
Unfortunately I was disappointed to find that the Gulf Coast has been dyed.
I recognize that the majority of people who purchase yarn and roving like it to be dyed. I saw that at Stitches West last year. But, my preference is natural.... especially for an initiative that is focused on using each breed individually.
I sent a note to the farmer thanking her for the lovely fleece samples, as I have been doing for all of the Shave 'Em to Save 'Em farmers... and in a lovely turn of events, the grower offered to exchange the dyed fleece for natural.... if I was willing to wait for her to finish shearing her herd. Which, of course, I was!
As a shearer and farmer myself, I understand how busy the spring can be, and I would not be spinning this sample for several months anyway. :-D
The un-dyed fleece is a beautiful off-white.
This sample has a staple of about 1" and was processed into batts by the farmer.
The batts are quite lovely and soft, with a small amount of vegetable matter.
and feels very cottony. I'm so excited about this fleece.
It spins very much like Yak down. I love this wool so far.
Since this is a hand-sheared sample, there are a good amount of second cuts. I don't really mind them, sometimes I like a slubby yarn. I decided to run the batts thru my diz collection in order to align the fibers a little more.
In my SE2SE quest for prepared roving, I had exhausted the Colorado sources for roving, so I started to focus on the most critical breeds.
In my search, I found a farm in Connecticut that is breeding two of the most critical breeds, Gulf Coast and Santa Cruz, along with Shetland.
While I already have a Shetland provider, I felt it was important to support this farm's work.
She sent hand-prepared batts of Gulf Coast and Shetland as well as washed Santa Cruz.
Unfortunately I was disappointed to find that the Gulf Coast has been dyed.
I recognize that the majority of people who purchase yarn and roving like it to be dyed. I saw that at Stitches West last year. But, my preference is natural.... especially for an initiative that is focused on using each breed individually.
I sent a note to the farmer thanking her for the lovely fleece samples, as I have been doing for all of the Shave 'Em to Save 'Em farmers... and in a lovely turn of events, the grower offered to exchange the dyed fleece for natural.... if I was willing to wait for her to finish shearing her herd. Which, of course, I was!
As a shearer and farmer myself, I understand how busy the spring can be, and I would not be spinning this sample for several months anyway. :-D
The un-dyed fleece is a beautiful off-white.
This sample has a staple of about 1" and was processed into batts by the farmer.
The batts are quite lovely and soft, with a small amount of vegetable matter.
and feels very cottony. I'm so excited about this fleece.
It spins very much like Yak down. I love this wool so far.
Since this is a hand-sheared sample, there are a good amount of second cuts. I don't really mind them, sometimes I like a slubby yarn. I decided to run the batts thru my diz collection in order to align the fibers a little more.
I'm shocked that this sheep is considered critical... this wool is just wonderful. The next time I spin this breed, I would like to spend more time with the preparation.
The spinning and plying of this breed has gone very slow... partly due to the preparation, partly due to the gauge, and primarily due to time spent.
From the Livestock Concervancy: The Gulf Coast originated from sheep brought by the Spaniards to the New World. The Gulf Coast is listed as Critical, meaning that fewer than 200 sheep are registered in the US each year and that the estimated global population is less than 2000.
Final Yarn: Gulf Coast
Single Duration:November 27, 2019 - February 9, 2020
Ply Duration: February 9 - March 20, 2020
ounces: 3 5/8
yards: 211, 2-ply
wpi: 12
Ready to Submit: March 24, 2020
SE2SE Status:
Total Breeds: 22
Breeds Sourced: 16
Breeds Spun: 8
Breeds To Go: 14
Months Remaining: 21 (12/31/21)
Happy Fiber Arts Friday!
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