Devon & Cornwall Longwool Sheep

The Devon & Cornwall Longwool sheep was so named in 1977 after a slightly complex history.  During the 1700's in the counties of Devon and Cornwall there were two recognised breeds, the Bampton Nott and the Southam Nott (now both extinct).  In the first instance, Leicesters were used to improve these breeds and then Lincoln Longwools were used later on to further improve or modify the breed.  These new breeds were called  Devon Longwool in the northern areas and South Devon in the southern areas.  They were very similar but the South Devon was larger and the Devon Longwool carried a heavier fleece.  Over the next couple of hundred years the differences between the two breeds grew smaller so the decision was made to combine the breeding registries and rename them both "Devon & Cornwall Longwool".

The Devon & Cornwall Longwool sheep, at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 4: At Risk (900-1500) registered breeding ewes. They are found mostly in the south west of England, in the counties in which they were developed and they are a grassland sheep.

They are large, heavy, stocky build sheep with a white face and black nostrils.  The head and legs are covered in wool and both sexes are polled. 

They produce a large size fleece of 6-9kg in weight for ewes and up to 12kg for rams with a staple length of 8-12 inches (20.5-30.5cm).  The white fleece has a micron count of 36-40 microns and the locks are long and wavy with curly, pointed tips.  Adult fleece is classed as a carpet type but lambs fleece can be used to make yarns that are next-to-skin.  Dyes take clearly and brightly due to the lustre of the fibre.

This fleece can be spun from teased locks, or combed using combs with widely spaced teeth and long strokes.  The fibres are slippery and strong and a light hand is required as is keeping your hands far apart to allow the fibres to slip past each other.

Yarns spun from Devon & Cornwall Longwool fleece are definitely suited to household items like upholstery and rugs .  

I have bought this breed in as 100g of  pre-prepared fibre.

My finished yarn is firm and crisp to the touch of the hand and you can feel the prickly hair and definitely not suitable for next-to-skin wear.  I have 100g/193m of sport weight yarn.  My knitted piece for the project took 74g/143m so I have some left to do whatever with.