In 2021 I decided to spin about 25g of lots of different breeds of sheep. I did an Initial Idea post that March. In January 2023 I published the results of the first 12 breeds I spun, this post covers the next 12 (well 11 technically but two different Cheviots).

There has been a mix of commercial top and fleeces that I’ve washed and processed myself. This post is my record of the spinning. I’ve detailed where I got the fibre from and which year, which year I spun it, my thoughts on the fibre, metres, grams spun and finished yarn weight.

My wheels are an Ashford Traditional, Ashford Traveller and EEW Nano 2. Part way through this period I converted my Ashford Traditional wheel to have a Jumbo Flyer and bobbin, so this has become my go to plying wheel.

• Cheviot (black) – tops from Heatherlea Black Cheviot, won at local wool fair, in about June 2023.
  • Spun in June 2023 on Ashford Traveller and chain plied on Traditional with Jumbo bobbin. 116.2m, 100g, Bulky, 7 wpi, 3 ply.
  • Very rustic feel, not as soft as the white Cheviot I spun but the black was from a local small business and the white from a large commercial supplier. The black leans more brown. A few bits of vegetable matter to pull out. Nice to spin and would be okay for a hat but not my neck.
• Cheviot (white) – tops originally from World of Wool but gifted to me by a Guild member in 2021.
  • Spun in January 2023 on Ashford Traditional. 31.7m, 26g, Worsted, 9 wpi, 2 ply.
  • Fairly easy to spin but quite lively. It was softer than I’d expected, but not exactly soft, I’d wear in a hat or gloves but probably not next to neck.
• Corriedale – tops I bought from World of Wool to dye for making lampshades, but I saved a 25g sample for this project.
  • Spun it in January 2023 on my EEW Nano 2. 46.9m, 26.2g, Aran, 8 wpi, 2 ply.
  • A lovely soft and bouncy yarn, very surprised by its softness. It’s not merino soft, but certainly fine for my neck. I will definitely spin more of this going forward.
• Gotland – grey tops from Adelaide Walker bought in 2023.
  • Spun on my EEW Nano 2 in February 2023. 45.5m, 23.4g, 4 ply/fingering, 14 wpi, 2 ply.
  • It felt like spinning someone’s cut hair that hasn’t been conditioned. It has a huge staple length, so I spun it finely. Not a pleasure to spin …actually I’m being too kind it was pretty gross to spin. I wouldn’t want to do much more but I’ll eventually try the other Gotland sample on my traditional wheel and see if that feels any different.
• Hill Radnor – tops from Adelaide Walker bought in 2023.
  • Spun February 2023 on my EEW Nano 2 and plied on Ashford Traditional. 66.9m, 24g, Sport, 12 wpi, 2 ply.
  • This is a hill breed but it wasn’t as hairy as others, who had spun it, found it. I guess I was lucky with the sample I was sent. Nice to spin but occasionally had to stop to pull some thick hairs out. It’s produced a slightly toothy yarn, probably wouldn’t want this one on my neck.
• Icelandic – black tops from World of Wool bought in 2018 for use in felting larger items, not great for felting!
  • Spun in February 2024 on EEW Nano 2, plied from Handy Andy on Ashford Traveller. 34.5m, 31g, Aran/Bulky, 8 wpi, 2 ply.
  • Not very enjoyable to spin as hairy bits flinging about and white curly and wiry bits needed to be pulled out regularly. It’s not very soft, softer than the black Cheviot but because it’s so hairy I’d not likely use close to skin. I’m assured by someone who owns Icelandic sheep that they can be much softer. Perhaps it was just the batch I got.
• Romney (top) – tops from Adelaide Walker bought in 2023.
  • Spun on my EEW Nano 2 in February 2023. Plied on my Ashford Traditional from 2 bobbins. 57.2m, 25.6g, DK, 10 wpi, 2 ply.
  • It was nice to spin, not very soft but easy to spin. It was spun worsted but has quite a halo of long fibres.
• Southdown – tops from Adelaide Walker bought in 2023.
  • Spun February 2023 on my EEW Nano 2 and plied on Ashford Traditional. 79m, 23.75g, Sport, 12 wpi, 2 ply.
  • The finished yarn is lovely and soft, light and has a slight fuzziness to it. I would be happy with this next to neck. Lovely to spin and it seemed to want to be spun finely. I’d definitely be interested to spin more and of the 12 I’m sharing in this post it’s by far my favourite.
• Suffolk (top) – tops from Adelaide Walker bought in 2023.
  • Spun February 2023 on my Ashford Traditional. 46.57m, 22.9g, DK, 11 wpi, 2 ply.
  • Quite toothy but enjoyable to spin and a pleasant surprise. Drafted easily, the finished yarn has a slight sheen.
• Swaledale – tops from Adelaide Walker bought in 2023.
  • Spun June 2023 on EEW Nano 2 and plied on Ashford Traditional w/jumbo flyer. 33.4m, 24g, Worsted, 9 wpi, 2 ply.
  • Not an enjoyable fibre to spin. Lots of guard hairs and difficult to get the Nano to take it up and there were lots of wiry guard hairs flying around.
• Texel – tops originally from World of Wool, but gifted to me by a Guild member in 2021.
  • Spun and plied in January 2023 on my Ashford Traditional. 28.9m, 26g, Aran/Bulky, 7.5 wpi, 2 ply.
  • Nice to spin, although I overspun it a bit and it was a bit hyper when plying but overall nice. It has quite a bit of loft, a nice sheen and is almost soft.
• White Welsh Mountain – tops from Adelaide Walker in 2023.
  • Spun in June 2023 on my Nano (I think!). 41.4m, 24.1g, worsted, 9 wpi, 2 ply.
  • I have limited notes, but what I have written is that I forgot to have the tea towel on my lap during spinning and I looked like I’d wrestled a polar bear afterwards! Lots of bits and hairs and reminds me of the Icelandic breed. Not too rough to the feel but because it’s so hairy you wouldn’t want it near your skin…well I wouldn’t anyway.

My Ravelry record of the breed project is here.

There’s a total of 23 breeds (24 when we include the other Cheviot) spun so far, but separate to this study I have spun some other breeds of sheep wool that were dyed or spun prior to this project. Those are:

• Border Leicester – Fibre given to me by our team sponsor in BritSpin 2020
  Ravelry record
• Merino – this was the first fibre I learned to spin with so tons of examples.
• Perendale – Spun as part of BritSpin 2019, I dyed it myself. Ravelry record
• Portland – Speed spun as part of BritSpin 2020
  Ravelry record
• Rambouillet – First spun during BritSpin 2019 and in 2022 spun 2 x US Rambouillet dyed tops. A gorgeous fibre to spin, definitely a favourite.
  Ravelry record
• Whitefaced Woodland – White Faced Woodland
  Spun as part of BritSpin 2019, mostly done on my Russian supported spindle. Some of the undyed was used to make the icord hanger for my Smitten garland, the rest was dyed to using up some old dye from a dye pot. Not a very enjoyable fibre, quite hairy and messy to spin.
  Ravelry record

At some point there will be a Part 3, I have 8 more breeds and 3 different preparations of breeds I have spun before. Knowing me that will be in 2025!