Just yesterday (LOL) Kitty wondered what is a Leicester? She actually should have asked, where is Leicester?
Leicester (pronounced Lester) is a city in England. Animals are generally named for the region they come from in the U.K. The Leicesters are part of the English Longwool family of sheep. The most well know of this type is the Bluefaced Leicester (or BFL to those in the know).
This great map from The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook shows the locations of the different sheep breeds in the U.K.
BFL is easy to find and I have bought several skeins on Etsy. This is the first in my new yarn discoveries (please forgive my naivete!) What an extaordinary fiber! It is very soft. It's not Merino, but if you think sheep's wool is rough and itchy, this will change your mind!
This is a swatch that I knit up. Isn't the color amazing? This wool was spun and dyed by a lovely young woman from Edinburgh. She also sells hand knits and patterns. You can find her here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/littletheorem
The English Longwool Family traces it's origins in Britain to the Romans. Here is a list of the main family members. Notice how many are conservation breeds, 8 out of 10. Not good statistics! All photos are from Wikimedia Commons.
 |
| Bluefaced Leicester |
 |
| Leicester Longwool - conservation breed |
 |
| Cotswold - critical conservation breed |
 |
| Greyface and Whiteface Dartmoor - conservation breed |
 |
| Wensleydale- conservation breed |
 |
| Devon and Cornwall Longwool - conservation breed |
 |
| Lincoln Longwool - conservation breed |
 |
| Teeswater - conservation breed |
 |
| Border Leicester |
 |
| Romney - conservation breed |
So remember, if you want, literally, to help keep these breeds alive and discover fabulous new knitting fibers, look for one of these wools for your next project. Doing a Google search of the fiber by name will direct you to many sellers. I was also happy to find out that the amazing Rowan company has joined the effort to save British sheep. They have started a new line of wool called British Sheep Breeds. It's available in three weights. Rowan also has other organic and environnementally friendly products. You can find them here:
http://www.knitrowan.com
Have you tried any of these wools? Let us know what you think!
Posts
