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Black Sheep Yarn
My husband would love to have a sweater knitted from black sheep. Is
it possible to get naturally "black" wool? If so where would one find it? TIA, Caroline |
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#2
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Black Sheep Yarn
wrote in message ups.com... My husband would love to have a sweater knitted from black sheep. Is it possible to get naturally "black" wool? If so where would one find it? TIA, Caroline Hebridean sheep grow naturally black wool and it's lovely to use but I can't suggest where you'd get it if you don't know a sheep farmer with them. So-called Welsh Black are actually brown. Mary |
#4
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Black Sheep Yarn
"WoolyGooly" wrote in message ... On 30 Jan 2007 09:41:25 -0800, wrote: My husband would love to have a sweater knitted from black sheep. Is it possible to get naturally "black" wool? If so where would one find it? TIA, Caroline There are plenty of natural wool colors, but little of it is truly "black". Well, that promotes the question: what IS truly 'black'? In a shepherd's world anything that isn't white is "black" Not in UK! Mary |
#5
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Black Sheep Yarn
On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:35:09 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: Well, that promotes the question: what IS truly 'black'? There's a physics definition that has to do with reflection of light waves and whatnot. IIRC "white" reflects all wavelengths (colors) equally, black absorbs them (hence why pundits tell us to wear white/light colors during hot sunny weather). Manufactured blacks are typically based on blue, green or red and will, in the right light, appear to be slightly tinted toward the base color. My "black" cats aren't technically black, if you look past the sleek surfaces of their coats. One is actually a tabby - but only when the light strikes him just right. The other is a solid gray. I think my perception of them as "black" cats is due to the masses of hairs engaged in organized refraction and non-reflection of light. In a shepherd's world anything that isn't white is "black" Not in UK! Quite true, especially for Shetland sheep that come with their own color and marking vocabularies. Most people neither know nor care about that though. FTR, a friend keeps Black Welsh Mountain sheep. She covers them against our average 330 days of sunlight so their fleeces are black from tip to base. I've spun a lot of it - the stuff is BLACK, and depending on which fleece I manage to snag is also quite nice. I do not, however, think of it as wool to make a sweater with, unless one will be wearing at least two stout layers under it. |
#6
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Black Sheep Yarn
On Jan 30, 11:41 am, wrote:
My husband would love to have a sweater knitted from black sheep. Is it possible to get naturally "black" wool? If so where would one find it? TIA, Caroline You might go to www.dettasspindle.com and see if she has any. Detta has been a friend of mine for over 25 years and taught me to spin. She often has some hard to get fiber. Tell her Bev sent you. Bev |
#7
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Black Sheep Yarn
Thanks all!!
He realizes the wool will not be "black". We'll be in Scotland in about seven months, including the Hebrides and Shetland so I'll be taking a look around for it. Caroline |
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Black Sheep Yarn
On 31 Jan 2007 10:47:46 -0800, wrote:
Thanks all!! He realizes the wool will not be "black". We'll be in Scotland in about seven months, including the Hebrides and Shetland so I'll be taking a look around for it. Caroline Well, if you'll be in the Shetlands you can go to the mill stores. Lucky knitter! |
#9
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Black Sheep Yarn
"WoolyGooly" wrote in message ... On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:35:09 -0000, "Mary Fisher" wrote: Well, that promotes the question: what IS truly 'black'? There's a physics definition that has to do with reflection of light waves and whatnot. IIRC "white" reflects all wavelengths (colors) equally, black absorbs them (hence why pundits tell us to wear white/light colors during hot sunny weather). Manufactured blacks are typically based on blue, green or red and will, in the right light, appear to be slightly tinted toward the base color. Quite. My "black" cats aren't technically black, if you look past the sleek surfaces of their coats. One is actually a tabby - but only when the light strikes him just right. The other is a solid gray. I think my perception of them as "black" cats is due to the masses of hairs engaged in organized refraction and non-reflection of light. I have a black cockerel and a black pullet. they're as pure a black as can be but if any kind of light shines on them they look beautiful green or blue or purple ... In a shepherd's world anything that isn't white is "black" Not in UK! Quite true, especially for Shetland sheep that come with their own color and marking vocabularies. Most people neither know nor care about that though. I do. It's like Icelandic horse colouration. Our daughter has primitive sheep of many colours (including Shetland) so that she can spin in natural colours but only the Hebs are called black. FTR, a friend keeps Black Welsh Mountain sheep. She covers them against our average 330 days of sunlight so their fleeces are black from tip to base. I've spun a lot of it - the stuff is BLACK, and depending on which fleece I manage to snag is also quite nice. I do not, however, think of it as wool to make a sweater with, unless one will be wearing at least two stout layers under it. LOL! No - but it's still better than Herdwick, which is like barbed wire. And grey :-) Very good for carpets! Welsh blacks do bleach to brown quickly, I can't imagine any keeping a protective covering on unless they're indoors. |
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Black Sheep Yarn
On Wed, 31 Jan 2007 22:34:24 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote: Quite true, especially for Shetland sheep that come with their own color and marking vocabularies. Most people neither know nor care about that though. I do. It's like Icelandic horse colouration. I didn't say nobody cares, just most of them. I've got a Shetland sheep color chart on my wall, very nice watercolor illustrations. Can I pronounce most of the terms? Not a chance, but I can spell 'em! hehehe LOL! No - but it's still better than Herdwick, which is like barbed wire. And grey :-) Very good for carpets! Oh, Herdwick is nastynastynasty. A friend in UK sent me a ball of it "as a curiosity". She said she found it at a boot sale. I can't figure out what to do with just one little 50g ball of the stuff. I thought I might make a potholder and full it, but the stuff is so wiry I don't even want to handle it. Welsh blacks do bleach to brown quickly, I can't imagine any keeping a protective covering on unless they're indoors. Some of them keep their coats, some don't. If she coats them as soon as they're weaned they take to it pretty well. We have so much sun that the tips don't just bleach, they'll fry, so she tries to keep her entire ewe herd coated most of the year. |
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