dot and dash

i think i mentioned that last week i received a very special package from of carry (didja see that? didjya? i finally learned how to make a link that opens a new window—woo-woo—thanks to deb; i’m afraid that means you might be seeing a lot of that from now on . . .)

anyhow, yes. carry, whose podcast we LOVE, was waxing poetic about the fleece of Dot and Dash, her sheep, on one of her recent programs. so i emailed her to inquire about purchasing some fiber to try. and she sent me this:

a whole schlew of fleece samples from both animals in different years. wow.
first of all, that was just so generous! and secondly, nothing whets the appetite of a fleece-a-holic like comparing the minutiae between the fleece from the same animal from diffferent years, PLUS the fleece of a second animal which has virtually ALL the same care, but posseses slightly different genes.

well, ok, i’ll grudgingly admit that this may NOT be interesting to everyone. but, since this is my blog, i’m going to pretend that everyone finds it as infinitely fascinating as i do.

this, i could see, was a real opportunity. not having a flock of my own (though i wish we could have one . . . or two . . . and maybe a chicken or three), i rarely have the chance to do actual sampling tests in which i can, essentially, compare apples to apples. and here was a chance to do just that.

i waited til i had a few whole hours to sit down to work, since i wanted to spin them all in succession, in order to feel the differences between them. also, in order to compare, it would be important to spin each sample consistently, and i’d have a better chance at that if i did it all in one eveneing. i decided that making a sock or fingering weight yarn would be a good test, since those yarns tend to feel wiry if the fleece isn’t nice. if it IS nice, even very thin yarn will be springy and soft.

first, i took out Dash’s fleece. there were three samples. carry told me that both sheep are getting lighter in color each year, so the darker fiber is from their younger coats. to show the color most intensely, i spun up a fine singles, plied it, and then made small skeins

these were photgraphed in the sunlight, where you can see that the fleece has some good lustre, and here is a closer look from inside the house where the light is not as bright, and you can get a better idea of the fiber’s softness and loftiness

right off the bat i fell in love with the caramel-brown fleece labelled “Dash 1” and indeed, it spun up into a lofty, soft and lovely yarn.

there were four samples of Dot’s fleece, and the color gradations were so beautiful, that i knew i wanted to get some of each, in order to make something that features the shadings of the different years. again, i took some photos outside in the sun

and then, a more subtle indoor photo

both Dot and Dash had a lot of variation in their fleeces from one year to the next. i have heard that this is true, but never had a chance to test it myself. i was quite surprised by HOW true it is! of course there was the color change, but the character of the actual fiber was also very different. you can see it even in the little skeins above, but i also opened the yarns up a little to try to capture ho different one yarn is from another

you can see that the one on the far left of all these photos is plump and soft, and crimpier—it felt like lambswool, even though by the color, we can see that it is Dot’s older coat. the others are very nice, but not the same! when i asked carry about it, she explained that this was from a year in which Dot was not bred. breeding the sheep cause all the protein (and, i would think, all the good stuff in general) to go to the baby, and not to the coat. well, that makes sense to me—by not breeding, you can get a better wool, all else being equal.

the last fleece i spun was a combination of fiber from both animals. the colors combine wonderfully, giving it depth, and it spins nicely too.

here, we see dot’s fleece at the top, the combo fleece in the middle, and dash’s fleece on the bottom. the brown of dash, mixed with the gray of dot makes a third color that is in between—more taupe thatn either gray or brown.

all the fleece was excellent—pleasant to work with, extremely clean, and producing a springy, comfy yarn that would be useful for a variety of garments. the fiber spins up very lofty and plies closely, which makes it appropriate for projects where crisp stitch definition is desired.the yarn is very lightweight, which means it will be warm from all the trapped air. it will yield lightweight garments, even in a cabled or twist-stitch fabric.

yet, i did find a few favorites in the bunch! some of the samples just felt especailly good to me. i picked a few to try, and sent carry an email. next time you see them, they will be on their way to becoming some project or other!

for now the yarns are drying on the sun porch; i may knit up samples—or not—i’ll let you know!