Fiber Arts Friday: Shave 'Em to Save 'Em, Getting Started

I joined the Shave 'Em to Save 'Em initiative on Saturday, April 6th.  Background on why I decided to join the initiative is here, which began on January 1st of this year.

I instantly knew I wanted to support the project, but it took me some time to decide how.  So after a bit of reading, I realized that spinning a yarn counts as a project... as long as it's at least 4 ounces.

There are 22 breeds listed on the Livestock Conservancy's Watch List and 32 months until the end of the initiative.

So while my general preference is to start from raw fleece, I don't have much available time, beyond the fleeces we grow here at Alpacamundo and Colorado Tibetan Mastiffs.  So I decided to start with locally sourced roving.

Clun Forest and Navajo-Churro

Both of these sheep were raised about an hour from our farm.  At first touch, it's interesting to see how similar they feel, but also different.  They both have an immediate coarse feel, but the Navajo-Churro has an underpinning silky feel.  The colors are very similar as are the preparations, but they do look different.

Clun Forest on top, Navajo-Churro on bottom

I have started spinning the Clun Forest, and am loving it.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!