[clydesdaleclopper]

It's one of those fleeces that looks so gorgeous, but when I've spun it I've found it not so very wonderful after all.  Have you spun any of it yet?

I've just been going through my fleeces from this year's shearing and I have been rather disappointed with the fleece from my sole Lincoln Longwool. it is no where near as soft and lovely as my Gotland x Shetland ones.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

would citronella and quassia chip help? they do smell very strong and flies hate the smell.

[SallyintNorth]

It's odd really, given that Wensleydales originate from...well...Wensleydale.  You'd think that would be fairly similar to where you are Sally, but a bit more sheltered.

That was m'thinking when I bought some to try!  But perhaps it's more rocky and windswept where they normally are.  We're soft wet ground here, and do have lots of trees.

Mind, a friend had some white ones on a moorland farm, hardly any trees at all and one of the most windy places there is, and that didn't work out either.  Again, very wet ground.

Their feet have been good so far, though, so at the moment I am hoping I can at least get some Shetland x lambs off them then may have to find them new homes.  It'll be a wrench, especially the steely-blue one, they are so sweet and friendly. 

Hereabouts there are very few Wensleydales, and no-one keeps them for long, because of the muddy draggles they get in winter.  Same for other longwools.

Aye, we crutched them thoroughly in autumn last year and I am thinking about clipping them completely (but leaving about an inch of wool except on the legs) this year.

It's one of those fleeces that looks so gorgeous, but when I've spun it I've found it not so very wonderful after all.  Have you spun any of it yet?

I've spun Wensey that I've absolutely loved, and I've abandoned Wensey that was too much hard work to comb.  It's like BFL, in that once combed it's a dream, and the lustre is sublime, but some fleeces are too ringletty to be worth the effort of hand-combing.

Last year, m'moorland friend got a fleece drum-carded, which I thought was bonkers, and sure enough the batts were pretty lumpy-bumpy.  But then another friend, a much more experienced spinner than me, span a sample of it loose and thick on her Lonsdale, plied and washed it, and it was absolutely gorgeous yarn.

The fleeces off my two are still in the heap of all-my-fleeces, awaiting sorting.  Wincey, the really black one, looked like she had just walked out of a shower for weeks after clipping, so the lustre on hers will be fantastic.  Quincy is a beautiful steely-bluey-grey colour.  I won't be surprised it there's some felting in the fleeces, we've had some of the Mules quite felty, but hopefully there'll be at least some of each I can use.  I don't think they should be too ringletty to be useful, or at least, they certainly won't be too ringletty all over.

I really do want to get some Shetland x Wenseys...