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#TourDeFleece Rest Day # 2
No spinning, but I did transfer my Tibetan Mastiff / merino blends to skein/hank format for better side-by-side comparison. Making up for my unofficial rest day last Friday.
In these photos, top to bottom:
- 2:1 TM/Dark Chocolate (purple ties) 3-ply
-2:1 TM/Espresso (orange ties) 3-ply large & 2-ply small
- 3:1 TM/Espresso (yellow ties) 3-ply
I'd already done a 1:1 TM/Espresso blend, and found that it really didn't have the fuzzy halo you get from 100% fur yarn: it was just a brown yarn. So, the bottom 2 blends are to see if I can get more of that halo back with a smaller fraction of wool, while still keeping the benefits of wool's "memory". The fur is much harder to come by, so the more wool I can get away with, the longer I can make the fur last.
The 3:1 does indeed look fuzzier than the 2:1, so I'm quite curious now how it'll compare after wash, thwack/snap, and swatch.
The Dark Chocolate is a slightly redder brown merino from a different sheep from the same flock. It's still subtle, but you can see the difference from the Espresso a little more here than on the bobbins. It brings out the redder tones in the fur, whereas the Espresso is a better match for the dark browns in the fur.
#TourDeFleece2026 #HandSpinning #Chiengora
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#TourDeFleece Stage 16
Gave the Tibetan Mastiff/merino blends a wash in doggy shampoo. Forgot to give them a thwack! I usually don't with fur, but wonder if it might be good to do with the blends.
Tonight's heritage blend: 50g of Manx Loaghtan top, a breed from the Isle of Man that almost went extinct. According to Fleece & Fiber, originally, brown was a rare color, but was selected for during its recovery and is the predominant color now. It's mostly a meat breed, but has a soft fleece (which I can confirm! It was light and soft!), "a relatively soft fiber with an exceptional amount of bounce, a quality that can be maximized through woolen-style preparation and spinning."
I enjoyed spinning it woolen long-draw style. My camera doesn't quite capture the sandy/mousy brown correctly. I can see why F&F concludes, "Unusual color and softness. Should be better known than it is, because of its resilience and all-around appealing character."
#TourDeFleece2026 #HandSpinning #FiberArts
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