The Romney Icelandic X fleece came with a tag labelled Greystones. The receipt had no contact info at all! Later I asked about it and someone said it was Gord English, who had bought someone else's flock. I might be wrong about the first name, but the last was definately English. So I've no idea who owns the flock or where they are located. I've not even found any vendor's list in the information from the seminar packet.
The fleece is very crimpy and has a fair bit
of lanolin. It ranges from 4-6 inches long. So far it seems to be mainly on the longer side. There is next to no VM so far. Okay, I found one skinny bit of chaff which was about 1.5 in long. I've only check part of the fleece but there seem to be few 2nd cuts.
The tips are bleached and in a few places slightly matted. The vendor warned about this both verbally and on the tag. However from what I've seen so far, it pulls apart easily. This means that in carding or combing, it shouldn't cause any problem. The colour ranges from a soft silvery chocolate colour but mainly the silvery grey.
I washed some up yesterday to see what it was like and while the lanolin and dirt washed away easily, the colour was exactly the same! A plus in washing was that while it was dirty... I mean it is a raw fleece after all... it wasn't so bad it left the water muddy like I often find. I'm guessing that perhaps these are coated fleeces? If so, the hassle would be worth it 'cause I'm already impressed.
I'd hoped to have time to card up a bit and spin it to show the final result but I just haven't had time. Soon perhaps :)
Jody - Any other info that might be helpful? I wish I could tell you where it's from but I couldn't even find the info on-line.
of lanolin. It ranges from 4-6 inches long. So far it seems to be mainly on the longer side. There is next to no VM so far. Okay, I found one skinny bit of chaff which was about 1.5 in long. I've only check part of the fleece but there seem to be few 2nd cuts.The tips are bleached and in a few places slightly matted. The vendor warned about this both verbally and on the tag. However from what I've seen so far, it pulls apart easily. This means that in carding or combing, it shouldn't cause any problem. The colour ranges from a soft silvery chocolate colour but mainly the silvery grey.
I washed some up yesterday to see what it was like and while the lanolin and dirt washed away easily, the colour was exactly the same! A plus in washing was that while it was dirty... I mean it is a raw fleece after all... it wasn't so bad it left the water muddy like I often find. I'm guessing that perhaps these are coated fleeces? If so, the hassle would be worth it 'cause I'm already impressed.
I'd hoped to have time to card up a bit and spin it to show the final result but I just haven't had time. Soon perhaps :)
Jody - Any other info that might be helpful? I wish I could tell you where it's from but I couldn't even find the info on-line.
Thanks but I think I know who is or was the breeder. Chris English had a flock of Romneys that she was crossing with Icelandics to get more colour in her fleeces. I hear she sold her flock but I am not sure. She sold me a couple Romney fleeces about 3 years ago. It looks beautiful....I luv Romney fleece for the long staple and luster.
ReplyDelete