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I'm back again with another breed specific swatch: some of my handspun Corriedale. I bought this at my first-ever fiber festival, and I'm really loving it. I also have some millspun yarn from the same farm, and it could not be more different than this yarn. I'm knitting a pair of socks from the millspun yarn, and will hopefully do a swatch from the leftovers - it will be interesting to see how different preparations create different fabrics!
Breed: Corriedale
Wool Category: Medium-soft Source: Notlwonk Springs Form: Came to me as roving, which I spun Preparation: Woolen spun, two-ply Weight: Fingering/Sport weight Color: Dark oatmeal Initial thoughts on use: Sweaters, blankets, mittens. The yarn is very light and springy, with a bit of a halo. Would work for cables if I was going for a soft appearance, but wouldn't give crisp stitch definition. Swatch details: 32 stitches, worked in stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. Worked on size 4US/3.5 mm needles. Notes on Knitting: Enjoyable to knit with. The yarn is very springy, so it is quite easy on my hands to work with. Notes on washing, blocking, and wearing: Washed by soaking in cool water with Eucalan, then rinsed. Blocked by squeezing out water gently, laid flat on towel to dry. Once dry, rubbed swatch vigorously against itself 50 times - very little evidence of pilling or wear. Dimensions of washed, blocked swatch: 5.5 inches wide by 5.5 inches high. These were also the dimensions unwashed and unblocked. Notes on feel of washed, blocked, worn swatch: Fabric is soft to the touch and has very little "prickle" when held next to the neck. It is very lightweight and does not have much drape. Notes on perceived longevity of this wool: The longevity of this wool will depend on how it's knit. A tighter gauge will hold up to more wear, while a looser gauge would be suitable for a lighter-duty application. Thoughts on use and applications: I plan to use this wool to knit a lightweight cardigan. It would also be lovely as a lightweight blanket. Overall impression: This wool was wonderful to spin, and I enjoyed knitting with it. I'm impressed by the softness, especially after washing. 
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By now, I had hoped to have my Jacob vest ready to share with you. But if you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed that the vest had to get ripped back earlier this week. It seems that if your fiber prep wasn't that great, and the colors weren't well separated, and you knit mostly at night, icky things can happen. What was supposed to be a gradient color shift ended up a mess, ribbed back about fifty rows, re-sorted and reknitted. It's almost there, but still no vest.
Instead, I have a breed-specific swatch. You might have heard about the breed-specific swatch project. It's aimed at increasing our knowledge about how specific types of wool are to work with, and to wear. I'm about the worst there is at swatching - maybe you know the feeling. I'm trying to get better at it, and the idea of keeping a record - a useful record - is appealing. So here it is - a swatch of American Jacob wool. The wool is sourced from the neighbor of a woman I work with, who keeps a small flock of Jacob sheep. All inconsistencies in spinning are my own. 
Breed: American Jacob
Wool Category: Medium Source: Coworker's neighbor Form: Came to me as roving, which I spun Preparation: Woolen spun, two-ply Weight: Light worsted. This yarn has a definite "handspun" look to it - it is very thick and thin in places. Color: Gray Initial thoughts on use: Outerwear, rugs. Because the yarn is a bit overspun, it will probably be too scratchy for next-to skin wear. Swatch details: 25 stitches, worked in stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. Worked on size 7US/4.5 mm needles. Notes on Knitting: Easy to knit with, though the yarn is quite "sticky" in some places - mostly where there's a big change in yarn weight from too thick to too thin. Notes on washing, blocking, and wearing: Washed by soaking in cool water with Eucalan, then rinsed. Blocked by squeezing out water gently, laid flat on towel to dry. Once dry, rubbed swatch vigorously against itself 50 times - very little evidence of pilling or wear. Dimensions of washed, blocked swatch: 6 inches wide by 5.25 inches high. Notes on feel of washed, blocked, worn swatch: Fabric is soft to the touch on the hand, but a bit prickly when held to the neck. Notes on perceived longevity of this wool: This should be a hard-wearing wool that can stand up to a lot of abuse. Thoughts on use and applications: Outerwear, blankets, rugs. Better spinning could lend itself to next-to-skin wear. Overall impression: It was great to get a chance to work with this rare wool. I wish my spinning skills had been better, but I'm chalking it up to experience, and it will still yield a usable product.
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I am already blown away by the sheer volume of thoughts and resources swirling around Wovember...and it's only just the first week! Here are just some of them:
Posts: An oldie but a goodie, I go back to Woolful's posts about superwash wool and alternatives to superwash again and again. Also, Kirsten Rickert has a wonderful post abouthow to wash wool garments. Videos: I've been watching Deborah Robson's Craftsy class, Know Your Wool. It's wonderful (and free). Books: Right now I'm reading and loving Beth Smith's The Spinner's Book of Fleece, which walks you through choosing fiber, preparing it, and spinning it. There's also Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius's Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook. And who could forget Clara Parkes's The Knitter's Book of Wool?
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I've been procrastinating on this post all week, which is silly, seeing as how much I love wool and how excited I am for Wovember. Also, work keeps getting in the way, which is equal parts annoying and reassuring. But what's really holding me back is the doubt that I can say anything about wool that's truly new. Every post I've started and stopped has felt like I'm regurgitating facts for a research paper and not adding anything new to the conversation.
To be sure, wool has some amazing properties. It's resilient and long wearing, but it can also be soft and cuddly. It's not prone to mildew and it doesn't harbor bacteria and dust mites the way other materials do. It will keep you warm at night - or anytime, for that matter. It's flame retardant. It's a renewable resource. But none of these things explains why I love wool so much. They're great qualities and good talking points, but they're missing something. Wool is more than all those things. Wool is a connection to the land, whether close by or far away - a sheep had to live off that land through good weather and bad. Wool is a connection to the shepherd, who looked after the sheep day in and day out. Wool is a connection to a way of life, once seen as normal and necessary, now almost faded into a distant memory. 
Wool is what runs through my hands while I spin yarn and chat with my husband.
Wool is what I'm working with w hen I sit alone at my loom. Wool is what I'm knitting with on road trips with my family. Wool is what fills the cracks and corners of my life - in my home, in my wardrobe, even at work, wool is always there. It keeps me warm. It keeps my hands busy. With it, wearing it, loving it keeps me happy. Wool is all these things. And more.
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Slow Fashion October was so much fun that I don't want it to end. Luckily, Kate Davies and Felicity Ford thought up Wovember a few years ago. Wovember is a whole month dedicated to raising awareness of wool's heritage and value, as well as activism around wool trading and labeling standards.
In a lot of ways, Wovember is very similar to Slow Fashion October, just more specific to issues around sheep and wool. It's about consciousness of the importance of wool - how it's farmed, how it impacts our lives, and its place in our future. Wovember also encourages us to look at our wardrobes with an eye towards sustainability and responsible manufacturing. This year, Wovember is all about small producers. As a knitter who works mostly with wool, Wovember is a natural extension of my Slow Fashion October. I've still got that vest to knit, and lots of thoughts that didn't make it onto the page last month. But most importantly, I love sheep. In a world where we value only the soft and easy, we forget that there's value in the strong and difficult. Many sheep breeds are now considered rare because they don't offer the softest fleece imaginable. While Wovember was founded to focus on British sheep farming and the challenges faced by sheep farmers, we are facing many of the same challenges on this side of the pond. We're finally starting to take notice, and not a moment too soon. 
So to keep the party going, here's whats in store these next four weeks:
Week One: Why Wool
Week Two: Wool at Work
Week Three: Wool in the World
Week Four: Well-Made Wool
Of course, this is my angle on Wovember - there are tons more ideas over on the Wovember website, as well as a constant stream of updates there. I hope you'll join in for more fun and amazing conversations!
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