Border Leicester Sheep

The Border Leicester was developed in the later half of the 18th century, around about the late 1760's when two Scottish brothers, George and Matthew Cully acquired some improved Leicesters (the now extinct "Dishley Leicesters" and progenitor of the Leicester Longwool) from Robert Bakewell, and they cross-bred them with South Country Cheviot's (also known as Border Cheviots).  

The Border Leicester sheep was very popular across the UK during the mid-19th century and at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 5: Minority (1500-3000) registered breeding ewes.  They are found throughout the UK but mostly in Northern England, the Scottish lowlands and across the Borders.

The Border Leicester is a large sheep with a white head and legs, roman nose with black nostrils and prominent erect ears. The head and legs are free from wool and both sexes are polled.

They produce a good size fleece of 3-5kg that is white and demi-lustrous but there has been known to be fleece that weigh up to 9kg and obviously this is dependent on the size of the sheep and the time between shearings.  The staples are 4-10 inches (10-25cm) long depending on whether they are sheared once or twice a year but they are often sheared twice a year.  The locks are individually distinct but not as wavy as the Leicester Longwool but the tips do end in curl and they do have lustre. 

The fineness of the fleece seems to depend on where in the world the Border Leicesters live.  The UK have the finest fleece, New Zealand have the coarsest and Australia take the middle with the US seemingly covering the entire range.  

There are some coloured Border Leicesters and these are finer than their white counterparts, which is unusual because most of the coloured fibres in many breeds are usually coarser than the white fibres.  Genetically they have a lot of potential to produce coloured offspring but in the UK breed description any coloured fibres are seen as a fault, New Zealand and Australia do not have any specifications because "white" would be taken for granted but in the US the breed association offers registration for natural-coloured animals.

This fleece can be spun from teased locks, picked, flicked or combed. Spin smooth and sleek to produce a buffed-looking gleam or use for texture in an arty-novelty kind of spin

Yarns spun from Border Leicester fleece are good for textiles such as pillows and if you're lucky to live in the UK, like me, and have a fine fleece you can make sweaters, hats, mittens, socks and more.  

I have bought this breed in as 230g of pre-prepared fibre from someone who keeps the breed of sheep as a slaughter-free flock in North Yorkshire and has the fleece processed at a local wool mill and sells it themselves.

My finished yarn is of medium quality to the touch of the hand and feels soft enough for next-to-skin but also feels sturdy enough to stand up to a good amount of wear.  My spinning gave me 2 skeins totalling 229g/522m. My knitted piece for the project took 27g/63m so I have a good amount left to do whatever with.