The folks in the blending room at the mill came up with this combination of three less-familiar breeds to make a sturdy, long-wearing wool. Texel sheep originated in the Netherlands, and produce a medium-grade wool with lots of loft. Blackface sheep are a mountain breed from Scotland, by tradition said to have originated from ships wrecked during the retreat of the Spanish Armada. Their wool has a longer staple and may contain some kemp fibers. Lleyn sheep are from Wales, and provide a medium-grade wool that spins easily. The resulting blend is a somewhat coarse wool best suited to outerwear, rather than next-to-the-skin use.

Our rovings are dyed with fairly even distribution of colors. Photos are of each side of the coil, so you can see as much of the color as possible. These are the same rovings from which I spin my yarns, so I dye them for that.

We name our braids based on the inspirations we get from the colors, drawing on nature, literature, mythology, geography, and our lives and travels.  Braids with the same name numbered sequentially are a matched set that were dyed together, although they may have different weights and look slightly different in the photos.

Fiber: Texel / Blackface / Lleyn wool
Weight: 4.1 ounces, 116 g