Another Job Well Done
Today I got a box in the mail from A & B Fiberworks - the "extra" wool from the Rambouilette x Clun Forest fleece I bought from Wooly Wool of The West . I knew that the fiber would be immaculately clean and fresh smelling (and it was!). Anne does such a terrific job! The carding was done with care and the fiber is smooth and ready to spin. I never have to worry that it's been torn or stretched or abused in any way. What's more, I know I'll actually get my own fiber back. Don't be so surprised - I've heard stories about people's experiences with other custom processors that would make your hair curl! REALLY! Getting the wrong amount of fiber back, different fiber, more fiber (maybe that's not so bad - ha!) or worse quality etc. It's actually very comforting to know I can send off a quality fleece and get back fiber that has retained the qualities I bought the fleece for in the first place. And I can tell you - this fiber has some amazing qualities!
The Rambouilette part of the crossbreeding gave this wool it's fine texture and the Clun Forest it's lovely color and silky sheen. What I wasn't expecting was the way it feels. It is not a baby-bottom soft, fine Merino-type fiber and yet it IS lusterously silky and soft. I would wear this next to my skin in a heartbeat! The more different kinds of fiber I try, the more I am learning that Merino is NOT the be-all and end-all in wool. True, Merino lives up to it's reputation and has some superb qualities, but it is not necessary for fleece to be fairy-fine or fragile in order to be pleasingly soft and wearable. This year, in my fiber journey, veering off the beaten path of commercial Merino top has been truly enlightening, so much so that I am finding my commercial top Merino stash fibers to be ho-hum spinning now. What really sets my heart fluttering and my feet flying on the treadles is a fresh bundle of minimally processed natural fiber! I can hardly wait to get going on the plying so I can show you what I've been spinning at recently, the Polwarth fiber in particular! Once I've got these work socks well under way and this batch of plying done, I'm going to spend the next couple months working my way through the fibers I got A & B to process for me. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it!
Cheers all!
The Rambouilette part of the crossbreeding gave this wool it's fine texture and the Clun Forest it's lovely color and silky sheen. What I wasn't expecting was the way it feels. It is not a baby-bottom soft, fine Merino-type fiber and yet it IS lusterously silky and soft. I would wear this next to my skin in a heartbeat! The more different kinds of fiber I try, the more I am learning that Merino is NOT the be-all and end-all in wool. True, Merino lives up to it's reputation and has some superb qualities, but it is not necessary for fleece to be fairy-fine or fragile in order to be pleasingly soft and wearable. This year, in my fiber journey, veering off the beaten path of commercial Merino top has been truly enlightening, so much so that I am finding my commercial top Merino stash fibers to be ho-hum spinning now. What really sets my heart fluttering and my feet flying on the treadles is a fresh bundle of minimally processed natural fiber! I can hardly wait to get going on the plying so I can show you what I've been spinning at recently, the Polwarth fiber in particular! Once I've got these work socks well under way and this batch of plying done, I'm going to spend the next couple months working my way through the fibers I got A & B to process for me. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it!
Cheers all!
Posted by Gloria Patre at 9/14/2010 10:08 PM 
Categories: Fiber
Tags: rambouilette clun forest wool A B Fiberworks
Categories: Fiber
Tags: rambouilette clun forest wool A B Fiberworks
That looks lovely. I had a sample of Val's clun forest wool and I really luved the sparkly, scrunchy qualities of it!
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