THE YAK

March 3^rd, 2023

The blog "The sheep of the month" returns to life. This blog fills my heart with joy. Reflecting a bit, I came to the conclusion that this space is worth creating, enriching and preserving.

Why? The more simple answer is "The sheep of the month" is a blog that tries to guide us in the decision of which yarn to choose when we are about to start a knitting. It is true that on the label of the yarn there are some instructions such as the composition; care in washing, what type of needle is recommended, etc. However, the label does not indicate if that yarn is the best choice for the fabric that we are about to knit or to crochet.

Talking about the different animals that provide us with yarn, will allow us to know more about the origin of the yarn that we have in our hands, but also if that is the correct yarn for what we are about to start knitting, either with two needles or with hook.

So let's get to work! And we restart talking about a very noble and at the same time very majestic animal: the YAK.

The yak, also known as the "Tartary ox", or "Grunting ox", is an animal that has been domesticated over time. In general, the yak lives in the mountains of the Himalayas, in the southern part of Central Asia, in the high mountains of Tibet, as well as in regions of Mongolia, Nepal and Pakistan.

Fiber characteristics:

Currently there are two types of yak: the domesticated and the wild. Wild yaks (in danger of extinction according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature -IUCN-) have black or dark brown fur, while the domestic yak has fur of different colors, the most common being black, brown, white and reddish.

Like the bison, yaks have multiple layers of fur. The outer coat produces a coat that is long, inelastic, shiny and a bit scratchy to the touch. This type of fiber is used in the creation of bags, tents, rugs and all those textile products that need a bit of hardness.

The undercoat is short, fine, and slightly softer, with much more elasticity and body than the outer, insulating, and shiny coat.

These two layers allow yaks to store their internal body heat in cold mountain climates.

The flock shearing occurs annually. The amount of wool obtained varies remarkably. From an adult yak it can be obtained from 198 gr. of wool up to 907 gr.

Some other yaks, such as those from Mongolia, generally produce 1.3 to 1.8 kg. of yarn, for each adult.

The wool obtained follows a transformation process (washing, shredding, spinning), and is then marketed.

On a commercial level, yak wool is considered one of the most luxurious due to its softness, the consistency of the fiber and the unique comfort it provides. In its natural color it can be found in black, dark gray, dark brown (the most common), white, reddish, and rarely in beige or a golden color.

The garments that are recommended to knit with this fiber are shawls, some light sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves, etc. Yak fiber is an excellent option for those who are allergic to other wools.

THE CAMEL

July 5^th, 2021

This month I decided to talk about a fiber that is slowly gaining its place in the world of knitting. I mean camel yarn.

Camels are part of the camelid family; this group also includes the vicuña, llamas, alpacas and guanacos. As you can see, all these beautiful animals provide us with fibers, super soft, very similar to cashmere.

Currently, two types of camels exist in the world:

1) The dromedaries (a hump), who live in the Arabian Desert.

2) Bactrian camels (two humps), which live in Northeast Asia (between Mongolia, China, Korea and a part of Russia).

The two-humped camels (the Bactrians) are the camelids that provide us with yarn.

Camels, like other camelids, have two layers of hair. The outer layer serves mainly to protect the animal from inclement weather.

The inner layer is an insulating layer. This allows camels to keep their body temperature. This second layer of hair is much softer, lighter, and more comfortable than the first. Of course, when it comes to shearing, this layer is the one that is removed from the camel.

Although it is very common to see brown camels, camels can have different shades ranging from cream, through gray, to darker shades such as black.

In general, camels shed their hair in the spring (when they are sheared) and towards autumn, they will have a new coat that will protect them from the environment again.

The hair that is removed from the first layer is used in the creation of tents and coats. The thin inner layer is removed to be spun alone or with some other fiber, resulting in a super luxurious and soft yarn.

The main exporter of camel yarn is Mongolia. The fiber that Mongolia exports (known as “baby-camel”) is the finest (the diameter of this fiber is almost the same as that of cashmere) and it is the most used in the world of knitting to make shawls, socks or baby garments.

Bactrian camels weigh 36-59 kg at birth. (80 - 130 pounds), and in adulthood they can weigh up to 725 kg. (1,600 pounds) and measure 2.8 meters tall (9 feet). Bactrian camels are long-lived; they can live between 40 and 50 years.

Fiber characteristics:

• Weight: the rough fiber weighs between 7.7 - 10 kg. (17-22 pounds), but in a male adult, it can be sheared up to 12.7 kg. (28 pounds).
• Inner layer weight: 2.3 - 6.8 kg. (5-15 pounds).
• Length: Outer layer: 30.5-38 cm. (12-15 inch)
• Inner layer: 2.5-12.5 cm. (1-5 inch)
• Fiber diameter: On average the inner layer can be between 19-24 microns (adults), and 16-18 microns (baby-camels).
• Color: the color range goes from light gray (sometimes it can be white) through brown, ending with dark tones such as black.

THE BUFFALO

June 2^nd, 2021

The month of June is dedicated to a beautiful animal, honored both for its greatness and for its symbolism for the natives of North America; I’m talking about the buffalo.

Buffalo fiber is slowly gaining its place in the textile industry. It is a soft fiber, but resistant. It’s very versatile. You can very well knit socks with it, mitaines, a sweater, a hat, or as I preferred to do it, a beautiful shawl with glass beads.

I still remember the moment when I received my order, from “The buffalo Wool Co.”, the strong smell of buffalo that this fiber gave off was unbelievable!

The fiber came in its natural color, a light brown color, with a certain shine, but with luster, when I touched the yarn, I understood why some North American spinners dare to mention that the buffalo fiber can be considered the cashmere of the American natives.

This fiber does not contain lanolin, so those who are allergic to this substance can well indulge themselves by knitting and wearing buffalo yarn garments.

Buffalo yarn is obtained mainly in the spring period, which is when the buffalo's hair is much longer than at other times of the year. However, removing hair from a buffalo is not that easy. By nature, buffalo are wild animals, although today, for their preservation, we find them on many private farms in the United States and Canada, in a semi-wild state.

Apart from their size, weight and their not very friendly face, buffaloes have an excellent sense of sight, smell and hearing. A buffalo can run up to 60 km. (37 miles) per hour, to give you an idea of his speed, a human at maximum speed, with adrenaline to the top, reaches only 24 km (15 miles) per hour (with the exception of Usain Bolt who can reach the speed of 42 km per hour!), so your chance of catching a buffalo is very low.

To this must be added that a buffalo can defend itself well using its horns, its heavy legs and can jump higher than you can imagine.

You will understand that removing the hair of a buffalo is a bit complicated. In general, fiber is obtained as an “extra” product from the meat industry. The fiber layer that will be transformed in yarn is removed from the skin once the animal has been sacrificed.¹

Buffaloes have between three and four layers of hair. The first is a thick outer layer, of a not very shiny black color, not very long hairs, and thick enough to isolate itself from the outside climate. After this first layer, there are two very similar, slightly shorter and less harsh hairs, the fourth layer is soft and fine, this is the layer that is sought to turn it into yarn.

Fiber characteristics:

• Weight: a medium fleece of raw fiber weighs between 3 - 4 pounds (1.4 - 1.8 kg.), and after spinning, a pound (0.5 kg.) can be obtained.
• Length: about an inch (2.5 cm.)
• Diameter: there are two types of buffalo yarn on the market, the fiber from the first layer has a diameter of around 59 microns, this fiber is rough. The fourth layer is smooth, fine with a diameter between 18 and 22 microns.
• Properties: buffalo yarn can absorb moisture even in a vaporous state (35%), insulating, it can maintain body heat even in cold climates.
• Fiber color: two types are mainly marketed: white and brown yarn, although it can also be found in a grayish tone.

¹ At the arrival of Europeans to America (mid-1800s), it is estimated that there were between 30 and 80 million buffaloes spread between the United States and Canada. However, immoderate hunting meant that only 1,500 buffalo existed between the United States and Canada in the mid-19th century. Today, their hunting is regulated and many of them are raised on semi-wild ranches.

COTTON

May 5th, 2021

As you can see, this month doesn't start with one sheep in particular either.

The month of May is a month in which moms are celebrated, so I decided to honor all moms by talking about a very popular and widely used plant in hand knitting: cotton.

In countries with hot climates it is very popular to knit with cotton, in the world of crochet, cotton is essential. How many crochet projects are made using cotton? Infinity!

Most likely, the popularity of cotton is due to its property of "absorbing and evaporating" body heat, which is why cotton garments are synonymous with freshness.

In the world of fiber, cotton is in the group of cellulosic fibers. Cellulose comes naturally from plants, and without a doubt, cotton ranks first in this group with 90% of this carbohydrate in its composition.

A LITTLE HISTORY

The first cotton crops are located in India. Although some historical studies mention that cotton was also cultivated in Egypt, Asia and South America.

In Europe, cotton reaches the end of the Middle Ages. It is said that Europeans were so used to wool coming from sheep that they came to believe that cotton fiber also came from sheep. It is not until 1350 that the traveler John Mandeville mentions in one of his travel cards that "cotton comes from a tree with little balls that fall from its branches". This idea spread so quickly in Europe that some languages, such as German, even today use the word "baumwool", which literally means "wool tree" to refer to cotton.

Mandeville was correct in believing that cotton was a fiber that did not come from an animal, but he was wrong in assuming that it grew on a tree.

Today, we know that cotton comes from a plant and that it takes 55 to 80 days for “cotton bolls” to appear on the plant. These bolls, when they are mature enough, break, revealing inside some giant seeds, similar to popcorn, they are seeds that are still attached to the plant; they are removed to make way for the harvest of the fiber.

The cotton plant grows in hot, dry climates. The main cotton producers today are: China, India, the United States, Brazil and Pakistan.

THE FIBER

Cotton is an extremely strong and durable fiber. It less strong than silk, but much more resistant than wool.

Another characteristic of cotton is that it has no "memory" or elasticity. This is an important aspect that every knitter must take into account. I still remember the wise advice of a knitter friend who always told me: "be careful with cotton, because it does not forgive mistakes". And it's true, its lack of elasticity makes any little detail you commit to notice.

The most advisable thing is to combine it with some other fiber that allows your project to have elasticity and thus you can hide those little mistakes. Doing this will also avoid two situations: that your project will stretch out over the time and it can be heavy. Have you ever had to cover yourself with 100% cotton knitted blanket? After a while, you feel the weight of the blanket, don't you?

TYPES OF COTTON

Surely you know cotton called "mercerized cotton", this cotton has undergone a treatment that makes it more resistant, brighter, even easier to dye.

To mercerize the cotton it must be immersed in a sodium hydroxide solution and then neutralized in an acid bath.

In addition to giving the fiber greater luster, mercerization makes the cotton fiber homogenize, denser and more insulating. So the fiber will be more refreshing and more resistant to mold that can appear over time.

In addition to the "mercerized cotton" label, you've probably already seen other labels that say: "Egyptian cotton", "Indian cotton", and "American cotton".

These labels are related to their length, their thickness and of course their origin.

Indian and American cotton are short staple cottons. This cotton is a bit stiff, with not very fine threads, without much flexibility, although its price is very affordable.

Egyptian cotton is long fiber, so the strands can be mixed very well with each other; they are fine strands so your knitting will be soft and comfortable.

PIMA cotton

PIMA cotton is long-stranded cotton so it is silky, pleasant and resistant to washing. Its name comes from the Pima Indians of the Arizona area in the United States. The Pima Indians were pioneers in working together with some Egyptian producers who settled in the area (in the early 1900s), in order to create a soft and attractive cotton for the market.

However, the first crops of Pima cotton are located in southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Currently, Peru is the main producer of PIMA cotton.

ORGANIC COTTON

Cotton needs the use of many pesticides for its growth. Those pesticides have a great environmental impact.

According to the "Sustainable Cotton Growth" program, to obtain nine ounces of cotton (estimated amount for making a small shirt), we need 17 teaspoons of synthetic fertilizers and ¾ teaspoons of pesticides and herbicides, if you multiply this by all the tons of cotton that are produced annually, you will realize the high degree of contamination that pesticides generate year after year in this industry.

Today, there are farms that are beginning to grow pesticide-free cotton. If you are someone concerned about environmental impact, I definitely recommend you continue to help this movement grow every day, buying organic cotton.

As you can see, talking about cotton leads us to talk about many topics. The cotton has great variety and its infinite uses.

I hope you enjoyed this blog as much as I did writing it. I hope that when you see that blanket that your mother or your grandmother knitted with cotton, you will remember the whole process that the fiber had to go through before reaching their creative hands.

Happy mother’s day!

From all my heart,

Maria.

THE ANGORA GOAT

April 6th, 2021

Easter’s month makes its debut again with another goat. This time is the turn of the Angora goat from which we obtain the famous mohair yarn.

Personally, mohair yarn is not one of my favorites, I don't like those little hairs that remain on my clothes, but I admit that mohair yarn adds an extraordinary softness to my knitting.

A knitted sweater combining sheep wool together with mohair is a delight to your hands, a real pleasure when knitting it. I invite you to try it if you have not yet integrated the mohair fiber into your knitting (sweater, hat, scarf, mitaines, etc.).

Now, let's go to the relevant facts of the Angora goat.

Its name comes from the ancient region of Anatolia in Turkey, from a small city called Angora. Over time this city became the capital of Turkey and today, it is known as Ankara.

The word angora is of Arabic origin, it comes from "mujkhayyar" which means "option" or "selection", although it also designates "clothes made from mohair".

The first Angora goats in Turkey date back to 1500 BC. For many years they were exclusive to this country. However, around 1849, Dr. James B, Davis, who had been working in Turkey for four years, helping local people to improve their cotton crops, was honored by the Sultan of Turkey, who decided to give him seven angora goats, as appreciation for the great results of his work with local farmers.

The Angora goat was so well received in the United States that hundreds of them arrived in North America between 1849 and 1881. Unfortunately, the arrival to power of a new sultan in Turkey stops the exports. The new monarch threatens even with the death penalty for anyone who dares to send angora goats abroad.

Angora goats are easier to breed in hot or warm climates. In cold or humid climates they need extreme care for their reproduction.

Currently, Texas has 90% of the production of mohair wool in the United States and 40% of the supply of this yarn to the interior of the country, while South Africa occupies the first place of world production.

Angora goats are relatively small, reaching 34-57 kg in adulthood. Both males and females have horns, although the horns of the males are much more pronounced.

The fleece of these goats grows about 1 cm. per month, so they are shorn at least twice a year. Those that are at their best, produce up to 25% in fiber of their total body weight annually, so they need care in their diet, producing so much fiber requires a lot of metabolic energy!

Young goats are the ones that provide the best fiber, shiny, soft and fine. For example, “kid mohair” fiber (as it is known commercially), comes from 6-month-old goats, while “yearling mohair” corresponds more to one-year-old goats.

Fiber characteristics:

Classifying mohair fiber is a bit tricky, as you can see, depending on its age; the goat produces a special type of fiber. The main changes are in the smoothness and the thickness. Younger goats offer a very soft fiber; a young goat (one year old) offers a shiny fiber, but less fine and soft, while an adult one has a thicker fiber with fewer lusters.

The weight or quantity of yarn that is acquired per goat also varies according to age, for example:

• 6 month old goats: 0.7-1.6 kg (1.5 - 3.5 pounds)
• Young goats: 1.6-3.2 kg (3.5-7 pounds)
• Young adults: 5.7-6.8 kg (12.5 - 15 pounds)
• Adults: 1.8 - 3.9 kg (4-8.5 pounds)
• Seniors: 4.5-11.3 kg (10-25 pounds)

Length:

• Young goat’s, shorn every 6 months: 7.5 cm. (3 inch)
• Adult goat’s: 10-15 cm. (4 - 6 inches)

Fiber diameter: 24 - 39 microns (from superfine "kid" to fine adult)

Characteristics of the yarn: The locks of these goats vary according to their age. The youngest goats are born with a little kemp, although this is lost from the first shearing. Subsequently, its fiber is soft, fine and shiny. Adult goats provide a thicker and less shiny fiber, but keep their curls.

Yarn’s color: in general it is light with a brilliant white. However, some goats begin to provide other colors such as red and black.

The mohair fiber has industrial uses, thanks to the fact that it is not flammable; it is used in the creation of carpets, sheet sets and in many types of upholstery.

THE MOUNTAIN GOAT

March 9^th, 2021

On this occasion, I should say the "goat of the month" instead of the "sheep of the month" because this time I am going to talk about the mountain goat that produces one of the finest fibers on the market: cashmere.

There are many types of goats from which many products are obtained: milk, cheese, soaps, meat, etc. For us, fiber fans, there are two very important types: those that produce cashmere and those that produce mohair wool.

Mohair fiber can be produced by all Angora goats, but cashmere can be produced by many types of goats, for example: Hexi Cashmere, Liaoning, Tibetan Plateau, Wuzhumuquin, Licheng Daqing, Alashanzuoqui, Myotnic goats, Toggenburg, the Australian goat, etc.

You're probably wondering right now, Angora yarn comes from Angora rabbits, right? And you're right. Angora fiber comes from rabbits, but mohair comes from goats known as Angora goats.

The word cashmere comes from Kashmir, it originally refers to the valley between the areas of two Himalayan mountains, on the Indian subcontinent. Today, Kashmir is a disputed area between India, Pakistan, and China.

The Cashmere goat is, as I said before, a high mountain goat and in general, cashmere is the downy underfiber that most of the goats produce as insulation against the cold winter. Most of them live in cold mountainous areas where winter temperatures can reach up to -40 degree centigrade. This underfiber allows the goats to isolate themselves from the external cold.

This is one of the reasons why cashmere is one of the most expensive fibers on the market. The process to separate the underfiber from the first takes many hours of manual labor or requires special equipment to remove it.

Also one of the criteria for accepting it as cashmere is the clear distinction between one and the other, it is understood, cashmere must be a pure fiber free of any remaining of the first guard hairs. The hairs are straight and stiffer than the down.

Currently, many producers of cashmere goats shear their animals in order to more easily obtain the second, although to be marketed they must meet the requirements that International Associations (International Wool Textile Organization - IWTO-, the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers and the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939), accept as cashmere fiber.

THE PRODUCTION OF CASHMERE WORLDWIDE

The country with the largest cashmere production in the world is China (70%), while Mongolia, Tibet, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgryzstan and Afghanistan produce about 20%.

Cashmere is a fiber that must above all be soft, softer than any other yarns, lustrous and above all fine. On average, the micron of cashmere should be between 19 microns, although it can also be between 18-18.5 (remember, the larger this number, the finer the wool). The finest and most expensive cashmere on the market known as Scottish cashmere has a micron of 16 - 16.5.

For a fiber to be accepted as cashmere it must meet these requirements:

To have the appropriate character that this fiber demands, that is, to have shine and softness. The fiber must be light and warm (cashmere is more insulating than any other fiber), in many cases, cashmere is a long white fiber although it can also be found in a gray tone.

The cashmere should be pure, without any stiff or slightly edgy fleece like the first layer is.

There is also a type of cashmere called pashmina, this is very fine cashmere. It comes from the Changthangi and Cheghu goats that live in the high heights of the Himalayas, although these goats can also be found in Mongolia.

Pashmina is less expensive than cashmere; it is very soft and light. A pashmina goat produces annually between 57 - 199 gr., with a micron that fluctuates between 11.3 - 12.8 microns. Pashmina is a fiber that definitely worth for knitting or crocheting.

It is difficult to generalize the characteristics of cashmere since each type of goat provides a very particular type of cashmere, there are as many types of cashmere goats as there are types of this fiber, in general terms, they can be summarized in the following characteristics:

Fiber characteristics:

• • Fiber weight: 0.5 – 1.1 kg (1 - 2.5 pounds), this is the annual production of a goat.
• • Length: 3.8 – 6.5 cm (although Chinese cashmere is between 3.2 – 4.5 cm.).
• • Fiber diameter: 14 – 19 microns.
• • Characteristics of the yarn: Fine, in white, light to medium dark browns and gray tones.
• • Cashmere is not a fiber for felting; it can be combined with another fiber that results in soft and lustrous, for example, merino wool or mohair wool.

BLUEFACED LEICESTER

February 3^rd, 2021

We made our debut in February with the English longwool sheep known as “The Leicesters”. These sheep are the foundation of the rest of the group of English longwool sheep, including the Miniature Cheviot, the Costwolds, the Charollais, the Texels and several others.

In this section, I will only mention the most popular on the wool market: the longwool Leicester, the Bluefaced Leicester, and the Border Leicester.

Some historians speculate that these sheep have a common ancestor originating from Rome. The Romans were great shepherds (mainly during Empire 43-410 of the Common Era -EC-).

In the book "Naturalis Historia", Pliny the Elder documents some well-established breeds in the Roman grasslands around 79 CE. Part of these breeds is referred to as short and longwool sheep.

Physically, these three sheep have several traits in common: they all have a Roman nose, strong back, almond-shaped eyes, V-shaped ears, and no hair on their face.

Speaking in terms of wool, these sheep produce longwool of around 25.5 cm. annually (10 inches), although the BlueFaced can have a shorter fleece between about 7.5-15 cm. wide (3-6 inches).

BlueFaced Leicester comes from the now-extinct Dishley Leicester, a sheep developed by farmer Robert Bakewell. At first, this sheep was used in the creation of “mules”, these are the result of the cross between a mountain sheep and a BlueFaced Leicester sheep.

Mules are very prolific, they produce milk, the also have fleece quality, a body length and their lambs are efficient and resistant.

In the early 20th century, breeders around Hexham in Northumbeland, England, began to produce and market BlueFaced sheep, also known as Hexham Leicester or Blue-Headed Leicester.

Thanks to the quality of its wool, BlueFaced quickly becomes popular. This sheep was introduced to Canada around the 1970s, later reaching the United States where it quickly became one of the most popular sheep.

Its name is due to the small white hair that grows around its dark head; this short hair appears blue under certain light conditions, although this sheep definitely does not have a blue face.

His wool is a delight for every knitter / crocheter, with an excellent drape, a silky demiluster with enough amount of length for a good project; it can be blended with mohair or silk (two very difficult fibers, known for bounce). When this wool is spun, the yarn looks like a string of glistening with white pearls.

Fiber characteristics:

• Microns: 24 – 28
• Fiber weight: 1 – 2.5 kg
• Staple length: 7.5 – 15 cm.
• Fiber diameter: 3 – 6 inches (7.5 – 15 cm.)
• Luster: Demiluster

The Peppin

January 1^st, 2021

In the Australian market there are four fundamental breeds of Merino sheep: the Peppin Merino, the South Australian Merino, the Spanish Merino and the Saxon Merino.

The popularity of Peppin Merino in Australia is so great that the classification in the market is between Peppin sheep or not Peppin. It is estimated that more than 70% of the sheep population in Australia descends from it.

However, there is not much historical documentation regarding this sheep. It was developed by the Peppin brothers, near Deniliquin, Riverina in the New South Wales region, Australia.

The Peppin genealogical route can hardly be traced. Apparently the brothers George and Frederick Peppin (whose eponymous is this sheep) crossed a Rambouillet (known as Emperor) with a Saxon. Although there is not much evidence of this cross, the Peppin became one of the most important breeds on the market.

Peppin breeding is currently predominant in the state of Queensland, in New South Wales north of Victoria and in some regions of South and Western Australia. It can also be found in the upper areas of Victoria, Tasmania.

In terms of wool, a Peppin sheep can offer up to 40 pounds (18 kg.) of wool compared to any other merino that offers one and a half to two kilos of fiber per year.

Peppin wool is medium in diameter; its fiber fluctuates between 20 - 23 microns.

The Saxon

December 1^st, 2020

The Saxon sheep is a sheep found mainly in the south-west of Austria, especially in the highlands of Tasmania in the cold and rainy lands of Victoria and in New South Wales.

The Saxon sheep arrived in America at the beginning of the 90's, thanks to farmer Eugene Wyatt, who imported some of these sheep to the United States creating the Castikill Company in Goshen, New York, which operates to this day.

The Saxon sheep is small when compared to the other members of the merino’s family. One Saxon provides 3 - 6 kilos of wool, that is, a sheep whose wool is between 14 microns offers around 3 kilos, while another whose wool is 17.5 microns or more, provides approximately 6 kilos.

In short, Saxon wool has a very large micron range; it can go from super fine wool (14 microns) to medium thick or thick wool (24 microns). However, Saxon wool is best known on the market for its fineness and softness.

Fiber characteristics:

• • Fiber Weight: 6.5 - 13.25 lbs. (3-6 kg)
• • Length: between 2.5 - 4 inches (6.5 - 10 cm.)
• • Fiber diameter: 14-24 microns, although in the market it is usually found at 15-19 microns.

Fiber: dense, with a dense and thick layer of fat. Fine curly hair, very closed hair, and very well defined both in its raw presentation and after its spinning. In general, the fiber is white, shiny, which makes it high quality wool on the market.

Fiber color: white.

The Debouillet

November 2, 2020

The Debouillet sheep is the result of the cross between the Rambouillet and the Delaine Mérinos. The first debouillets were raised in New Mexico, on Amo Dee Jones' ranch in 1920.

Currently, this sheep lives mainly in the southwestern of United States, on the Jones family ranch. Although it is a sheep adaptable to various climatic conditions, few farmers have it among their animals. Probably this situation is due to the fact that their reproduction is mainly intended for the marketing of their wool and not for the consumption of their meat.

The Debouillet is medium-sized, gregarious, adapts quickly to meadows without as many grassland conditions, and it’s strong enough to adapt to arid or dry climates.

Being part of the Merino family, the Debouillet sheep offers fine wool. Its wool is really great for elegant knitting / crocheting projects.

Fiber characteristics:

• • Fiber weight: 9-18 lbs (4.1 - 8.2 kg)
• • Length: 3-5 inches (7.5 - 12.5 cm)
• • Fiber diameter: 18-24 micros
• • Characteristics of wool: its flock is dense, curly, with a thick layer of fat. Once washed and lined, the fiber is soft and fine.
• • Fiber color: white

Debouillet wool is excellent for work on light, soft projects. It’s often used for delicate projects. The light twist on the yarn adds durability to your knitting.

The Royal Family: The merinos

October 11, 2020

Who has never knitted or crocheted a pair of socks, a baby blanket, and a shawl with the yarn known as merino wool? This wool is so popular and dynamic that it has become indispensable for any project.

The merino sheep is one of the oldest sheep in the world. Its name is due to a North African tribe that introduced it to Spain. Merino wool quickly gained its place in the commercial market; however, the Spanish Empire prohibited its importation, this allowed the Spanish to monopolize the price and production for at least 600 years.

When the fall of the Spanish Empire began (around the year 1700), the expansion of the merino sheep grew rapidly in the rest of Europe. In America, its appearance begins around 1793, in small groups.

It was not until 1809 that the merino sheep arrived in great numbers thanks to William Jarvis, Portuguese consulate in America. Jarvis imports more than 3,500 sheep, thereby defining the definitive establishment of this sheep in the New Continent.

Currently, the best known members of this family are: the Debouillet, the Saxo, the Delaine, the Fonthill, the Peppin, the Poll, the Rambouillet, the South Australian, the Tasmanian and the Vermont.

Merino sheep are much more productive than any other breed. The merino sheep can live from 10 to 12 years, preserving its wool productivity throughout this time.

Merino wool is very particular; no other can be compared with its body, color, uniformity, resistance, fineness, density in its coat, etc. It is not by chance that a large number of sheep in the world carry merino blood; this is only proof that this sheep is one of the best breeds in the world.

In summary: merino wool is the one that predominates in the market since merino sheep adapt to practically any climate; they are strong animals that can graze in large areas.

The quality of their fleece determines the quality of their wool, the paler the wool, the finer, softer and fluffier it will be.

The great producers of merino wool are found in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, whose large meadows allow these beautiful animals to develop in total health and therefore provide beautiful wool.

Let us now see in detail, some members of this royal family, whom you probably already know or you have knitted or crocheted something with this wool or maybe, have heard something about it.