Heartfelt by Liz: April 2013

An amazing looking hardy sheep. The Jacob

As a textile artist working in a renewable sustainable medium I feel it is important to work as close to the source of my materials as possible. Argyllshire is certainly sheep country and I have been very fortunate to make some great contacts and lovely friends through networking.
Through the LORN or local origins rural network I have come in contact with many breeds of sheep.

An important thing to remember is that no two sheep are alike even in the same breed.
Lambs wool of course is softer than an old ewes wool but even between the different breeders the same breed can yield very different qualities of wool.

Many small holders have a better idea of their own sheeps wool as often they keep the sheep to use the fleece but their interest in the end product may be different from yours.
My advice? Sample sample sample. This is the only way you can tell what a fleece will do in the feltmaking process and even then it will always throw in some suprises.
There are some simple guidelines
1 . Know what your end product is going to be . Does it need to be hard wearing ? How well felted will it need to be to hold its shape.
2. How much will it shrink? A test piece is essential before you embark on any big project.
3. How many layers will you need, what quantity of wool will it take.

A little preparation will make a whole difference to the process as well as the end result.

Today I have been sampling the lovely Jacob fleece from Kintaline Farm in Benderloch. Jill and Tim have a very healthy herd of Jacob and some blue faced Leicester crosses ( fab fibre mix)

To act as a guide line a sample has been made of the generic black Jacob tops (carded in one direction )
Kintaline wool is presently send to a mill to be carded into batts ( multi directional layers of fibres)

The photos show how much kemp hair is in the commerical tops . The pale brown has been processed into rovings ( lightly twisted lengths , ideal for spinning directly from and perfect for decorative surface work on felt)

Black Jacob commercial tops. Note black wool is really a dark brown

What am I going to make?
Looking at then end felted samples, I defiantly prefer the Kintaline to the generic tops available from my supplier. Jacob has a slightly spongy handle when felted and is a little too hairy for much of my fine work but it is perfect for hard wearing items such as boots , coats or bags. Needle felting it is wonderful as well as sculpting with it.
Thumbs up for local Jacob fibre.