Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 17

The Cycling: Stage 17 is 178.4km long and starts in Muret and ends in Saint-Lary-Soulan (Col de Portet).  The route includes 3 climbs, 2 of which are Category 1.  It is also Bastille Day so the French riders are looking for a win today.  Tadej Pogačar won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "Today the riders are cycling their penultimate mountain stage.  They'll be pushing themselves to pack as much energy as they can in to this ride... a bit like a spinner trying to get all of the singles on a bobbin...

Your challenge today is to finish a bobbin and take a picture; is it tight and tidy, a bit loose in places?".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  First of all I spun and plied a 100g bump of Devon and Cornwall Longwool and the finished yarn is 100g/123m adding another 369m to the team total. It's quite scratchy and definitely not suitable for next-to-skin use.

I can easily take part in the challenge today.  Here is a bobbin of Devon & Cornwall Longwool.  

I also got on and spun a 100g bump of Teeswater.  I got 132m from a 100g bump of pre-prepared fibre and its a lot softer than the Devon & Cornwall.  That's another 396m for the team total.

Devon & Cornwall on the left, Teeswater on the right.

Teeswater Sheep

The Teeswater sheep is named after the River Tees which runs from Cross Fell (the highest summit in the Pennines) to the North Sea and is the area in which these sheep originate.  Todays Teeswaters have been improved from the original by the addition of infusions of "New Leicester" bloodlines shortly after Robert Bakewell developed the breed in the late 18th century and then they remained isolated and purebred after that.

The Teeswater sheep, at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 4: At Risk (900-1500) registered breeding ewes.   

They are a large, hardy English Longwool build sheep with a grey/white face with dark brown markings around the eyes and nose and it has a woolly forelock.  The legs are white and brown.  Both sexes polled.  Ewes weigh in at around 90kg and rams at around 120kg.

They produce a large size fleece that is kemp free and weighs 4kg-8kg, It has long, lustrous, shiny, curly ringlets that hang independently from each other and is among the most sought after wool in the UK.  The wool is uniform throughout the fleece and doesn't felt well. The staples are 7-15 inches (18-38cm) long.  The sheep are white and black fibres are undesirable. 

The locks can be spun or woven as locks to give texture or used unspun to make a fleece rug, as can any of the English Longwool breeds with long enough staples.  The locks can be flicked open for spinning and combing works very well but will need really long strokes and when you diz off the combs you need a combination of firmness, widely spaced hands and patience.  When spinning keep your hands far enough apart to draft the very long fibres.  Can also be used as dolls hair.  When dyeing the exceptional lustre produces clear, bright colours.

Yarns spun from Teeswater fleece work well as weaving yarns and are unusually fine for a Longwool breed.  Gives good drape and stitch definition to knitting and crochet.  

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

My finished yarn is of medium quality to the touch of the hand and is quite soft and supple for a Longwool breed and doesn't have the slight prickliness that the Wensleydale does but it feels more dense too and after doing a comparison and a bit of math I have spun this one more densely than the Wensleydale. I have 100g/130m of worsted weight yarn.  My knitted piece for the project took 43g/56m so I have a small amount left to do whatever with.

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.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 Stage 16

The Cycling: Stage 16 is 169km long and starts in El Pas de la Casa and ends in Saint-Gaudens. Two more riders abandoned the race yesterday, one to focus on the upcoming Olympics and the other due to injuries sustained way back on day 1 when the fan got in the way of the peleton and brought half of them down.  I guess the injuries are just not healing due to continued pressure on them.  Today's route takes the riders through the Pyrenees and back into France. Along the route there was a Category 2, a Category 1 and a Category 4 climb.  Patrick Konrad won the stage.  

Team Challenge: "After a good rest our cyclists will be heading to Saint-Gaudens for their next stop.  They'll be passing Haute-Garonne, in an area known for its violets.  These little flowers have many culinary uses and a delicate flavour.

If you are looking for a bit of inspiration today, why not try a delicate purple-hued yarn?".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  I am spinning a 100g bump of Whitefaced Woodland plus 25g of Whitefaced Woodland from a British Breeds Sample back, both purchased from World of Wool.  As I've done in the past I split the larger amount into two by holding the two ends together, finding the middle and separating into two equal amounts at that point.  Then with the sample amount, I split that into two the same way but then stretched each out to the same length as the larger bumps and spun both the sample and the larger bump at the same time in each case so that the fibres mixed.

The finished yarn is 226m, so that is another 678m to add to the team total.

Collectively as a team we have spun 158,697.21m or 158.69km.  That is almost the distance of Stage 12, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Nîmes, which was 159.4km.  We are awesome as a team!

Whitefaced Woodland Sheep

The Whitefaced Woodland sheep have been around since the 17th century but used to be called Penistone Sheep after the Yorkshire town where they were traded.  Originating from Linton type of  Mountain sheep (Blackfaced Mountain sheep) it was developed using Cheviot and Merino sheep.

The Whitefaced Woodland sheep, at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 3: Vulnerable (500-900) registered breeding ewes.  They were almost extinct in the 197's and whilst there has been some comeback from the brink of extinction, numbers are still very low.  They are raised primarily for their meat so there is no consistency in the wool, although they are noted as having one of the finest and softest fleeces of a hill breed.  They are usually found mostly on the Pennines and in the Peak District.  

They are a large build sheep that is hardy, robust and can adapt to both its native hills and lower land.  Mature ewes are around 60-70kg and rams are around 120-130kg.  They have a white face with a pink nose and white legs that are free from wool. Both sexes have horns with with the rams have heavily spiralled horns that can, on occasion, grow too close to the head. 

They produce a medium size fleece of 2-3kg that is white and the wool quality will vary greatly from flock to flock and maybe even from sheep to sheep. The average staple length is 3-8 inches (7.5-20.5cm) and can be 28-38 microns or coarser, so a very big range of different fibre type. You will have to judge each yarn or fibre source by what you feel.  If you want to dye it it should take colours nicely unless you have a hairy or kempy fleece that is at the coarsest end of the range.

The preparation type for this breed of fleece will depend entirely on where in the fibre range your fleece falls and you will have make this decision for yourself.

Yarns spun from Whitefaced Woodland fleece are so varied that one-size-doesn't-fit-all.  At the finest end they are good for everyday garments and at the coarser end they are good for rugs, ropes and hardwearing bags.    

I have bought this breed in as 100g of pre-prepared fibre.  I also had a 25g sample that I got with another pack and the small sample was slightly different in quality so split the 100g in half to make two shorter lengths and the 25g I split down the length to make two long, thin strips. I stretched it out to the same length as the 50g and then pre-drafted and spun them together at the same time.

My finished yarn is of good quality to the touch of the hand and is squishy and bouncy.  My fibre is obviously from the finer fleece.  I have 120g/200m.  My knitted piece for the project took 45g/75m so I have some left to do whatever with.

Tour de France/Tour de Fleece 2021 - Rest Day 2

Cycling: Today is a rest day, so there is no racing today.  

Team Challenge: "It is the second (and final!) rest stop today.  If you need to have a bit of a break, now is your chance!  You may need to stock up on supplies (we need to check the biscuit cupboard), check on how the garden is growing, or just step away from your spinning for a while.  All top athletes need a breather!

If you're looking for a challenge today then why not share a picture of the yarns you have completed so far.  It may be the inspiration needed to help fellow spinners in the last few stages".

What I planned to do and what I achieved:  Monday was rest day again but I combed 421g of washed and dried Welsh Mountain Pedigree fleece and I got 236g from it, obviously this photo shows just a small part of that amount.  

For the rest day challenge, so far I have spun 1189g of yarn.  Top row, left to right: 4 x Portland, 1 x Shropshire.  Bottom row, left to right: 1 x Lincoln Longwool, 3 x Welsh Hill Speckled Face, 1 x Shetland Moorit, 1 x Herdwick.

Lincoln Longwool Sheep

The Lincoln Longwool breed of sheep has been around since at least the 13th century and was improved during the 18th century by using some of Robert Bakewells improved Leicesters (which had themselves been improved using the Lincoln and so carried some Lincoln genes).  Originally they were tall sheep with a long, coarse fleece but they were thin and did not provide good meat and so by improving them with the improved Leicesters introduced the genetics for a heavier carcass and more meat whilst also not diluting the Lincoln genetics too much.

The Lincoln Longwool sheep, at the time of writing, is in the Rare Breeds Survival Trust category 3: Vulnerable (500-900) registered breeding ewes and they are mostly in Yorkshire and Humberside but are also popular with smallholders.  Once very popular due to the sheer volume and lustrousness of the fleece during the late 19th century and early 20th century by the 1950's numbers fell sharply and by the 1970's the breed was on the brink of extinction following the introduction and popularity of the new oil-derived fibres such as acrylic.  Thankfully there were three very dedicated and determined breeders that go by the names of Watts, Bird and Read who maintained their bloodlines and kept the breed alive.  By 1990 there were over 100 registered flocks, still nowhere near the 350 flocks of 1900, but better than it had been.  Today, the breeding numbers have dropped once again and with the majority of those left being located in Lincolnshire, should there be another outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease the breed is extremely vulnerable to extinction.

They are the largest of the British breeds and produce the heaviest, longest and most lustrous fleece of any breed worldwide.  Despite their huge side, with ewes weighing in at 91kg-113kg and rams being 110kg-160kg, they are extremely docile.  Both sexes are polled.   They have white faces, dark ears, a wide forelock of wool and the legs are white and woolly

They produce a huge size fleece of generally 5.4kg-9.1kg that has very long locks of around 7-15 inches (18-38cm).  The locks are distinct, firm and heavy with pointed and often spiralled tips and defined crimp.  Most of the fleece are white but some coloured fleece do exist and they tend to be multi-shaded, not a solid overall colour.  The fibres are generally up in the 40 something microns, beautiful and lustrous but definitely not soft and cuddly.

This fleece can be spun from teased locks, it can be picked, flicked or combed using Viking combs.  The length and coarseness of the fibres does not make it a candidate for carding.  Spin smoothly and keep hands far apart for drafting to occur.  Takes dye well due to the lustre.  I have prepared and dyed an amount of Lincoln Longwool before and I dyed it in three colours, here, here and here.

Yarns spun from Lincoln Longwool fleece are definitely not for next-to-skin items and are best suited to household items and upholstery and not for any kind of clothing except maybe a lined jacket.  They make hard-wearing, sturdy beautiful fabrics.

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

I forgot to take any spin-in-progress photos so I only have the finished skein.

My finished yarn is of crisp and sturdy to the touch of the hand and you can feel the prickly hair but the lustre, ooohhhhhhh, the lustre!.  I have 99g/135m of sport weight yarn, so quite dense compared to some of my yarns in this weight but this is a Longwool breed and my years of experience told me that this would be a dense type yarn, all Longwool spins are! My knitted piece for the project only 57g/78m so I have some left to do whatever with.