I hope you enjoy this quick tutorial on Navajo Plying.
An oldie but goodie…..we now have 8 rabbits instead of of 11 ( many found new permanent homes whooho)!
Here is a sneak peak of the new non-etsy store:)
I thought maybe bringing up this post would remind people or educate those who want fiber animals how to care for their alpacas. For some reason I couldn’t upload new pics this morning but I love this shearing picture from Fiber Frolic 2011. Enjoy the post!!!!
Zilver by Lisa Mutch
Color Affection byVeera Välimäki
Stephanie’s Wrap (crochet version of color affection) by Julie Blagojevich
Pulled Silk Yarn at Darn Good Yarn
Recycled mint tins by Craft Test Dummies
ewe and lamb by pinethwaite on flickr
Texel sheep are primarily know for their use as a meat sheep. Although this may be why they were created, I think the fleece has been overlooked. It is a 3-6 inch staple with loft, luster and crimp. There are slight differences in the the length and micron count depend on where the texel is from.
american texel lambs- shared by Texel Sheep Breeders Society
The wool is of medium grade with no black fibers. The micron count goes from 26-32 depending on the animal. An adult texel can grow a fleece weight of 7-12 pds sheared …. enough for a sweater and then some. Texel is feltable but requires a bit more work to do so…….I’ve tried it and, Man my arms were tired!!!!!
ewe and lamb by seanofselby on flickr
Here is my lovely texel fiber.
Texel Top
Close-up of Texel
Information from :
http://www.usatexels.org/about.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texel_(sheep)
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/texel/
American Texel Rams
Texel sheep are orginally from the Island of Texel in the Netherlands. Athough the exact origin of this sheep is unknow it seems that many english breeds were integrated to create it. There are differing types of Texel sheep depending on where the sheep are bred and raised. The bodies may look a bit different as some are taller, or more muscled but all texel sheep have one thing in common. These sheep have remarkable muscle development and are very lean.
Differing Texel Types
These lovely white sheep have medium build bodies. Rams weight in at around 225 pds while ewes are a smaller 150pds. Their noses and mouths have black skin under white hair. There are no horns and they have no wool on the head and legs. These Dutch origined sheep are incredibly well muscled animals ( I wouldn’t want to wrestle one)
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Texels have a lovely even temperament. They are easy keepers with a curious streak, they also aren’t prone to excitability or nervousness.
american texel ewes
The Texels are hardy and the lambs are up and searching for milk as soon as they are born. The harsh native setting has developed this breed to thrive on poor pastures.
Information from :
http://www.usatexels.org/about.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texel_(sheep)
http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/texel/
All pictures from : the Texel Sheep Breeders Society http://www.usatexels.org/gallery.html
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Hope you enjoy my little outing today!
manx loaghtan ewes by The Nude Ewe on flickr
Manx Loaghtan are a long lived sheep that will provide years of wonderful fleece. Some of these sheep retain the ability to shed their fleeces making rooing an option others will need to be sheared.
manx loaghtan lambs courtesy of panthera onca rebecca on flickr
The wool has a staple between 3-5 inches a fleece usually weights about 3pds making the wool really sought after by spinners. The micron count is between 28-37. Mine seems to be on the softer side of this count it passed the bra test and feels creamy soft without a hint of prickle. The color is just gorgeous.
How cute is this little ewe!!!!! thanks to panthera onca rebecca on flickr
Here are some pics of my Manx Loaghtan.
3+ oz of manx loaghtan
close-up of manx loaghtan
I couldn’t resist showing more pictures of the amazing place these animals come from. It’s just sooo ruggedly beautiful.
Isle of Man by Mohain on flickr
Isle of Man courtesy of Kristof Vermeulen on flickr
Information from wikipedia and the rare breeds survival trust.
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Tags: animal rescue, animals rescue maine, fiber animal products, fiber animals, manx loaghtan, raising fiber animals, roving wool, sheep wool, sheep wool breeds, sheep wool types, spinning wool by hand, wool, wool for felting, wool for spinning, wool for spinning yarn, wool processing
