dimanche 16 juin 2013

Fibre Fun

Its too wet to garden and too wet to shear so time for some indoor fun - who fancies hoovering anyway!

I finally finished my first bobbin of home spun Ouessant fleece!Yay!! I'm happy with it but its a practice piece definately not useable other than as a learning experience. I'm happy that my fingers are becoming more nimble and that although its full of mistakes I have made enough progress to start to produce the kind of fibre I want even if its still in fits and starts. The combed fibre is Ouessant with the darker ball at the top some natural coloured shetland. I have a selection of shetland top and the intention is to move on to this to continue my spinning practice. I'm curious to know if the commercially prepared shetland fleece will make things easier, certainly I hope it will show me my mistakes with my Ouessant fleece fibre prep. I have a rooed fleece steeping in the sink and several that need sorting but I feel so much progress has been made in getting to grips with the next step in processing my own fleeces. I'll allow myself a small sense of satisfaction.

The Ouessant Sheep originates from the island of Ouessant, part of a tiny archipelago just off the north coast of Finistere, Brittany. The island of terror as it was known to some, was swept by the full force of the atlantic’s weather, the hardy sheep adapted to survive on poor grazing from salty clifftop meadows. It was the women of the island that raised the sheep, renowned for their black wool to weave into cloth known locally as berlinge and their meat with its sweet and delicate taste.

La race "Mouton d'Ouessant" est originaire de l’île d’’Ouessant qui fait parti d’un petit archipel au large du Finistère, Bretagne. L’île de l'épouvante comme c'était connu par certains était balayé par les intempéries de l’atlantique, ces moutons rustiques s'adaptaient à survivre sur les pâturages pauvres des falaises salées. C’était les femmes de l’île qui élevaient les moutons réputés pour leur laine noire à tisser « la berlinge » une étoffe régionale et leur viande avec un goût doux et délicat.

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