The spinner's book of fleece : a breed-by-breed guide to choosing and spinning the perfect fiber for every purpose / Beth Smith ; foreword by Deborah Robson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Foreword -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Value of Raw Fleece -- A Consistent Yarn: Fantasy or Possibility? -- An Introduction to Hand Scouring -- Storing Raw Fleece and Processed Fiber -- An Overview of Fiber-Prep Tools -- Chapter 2. Buying a Fleece: Dos and Don'ts -- Deciding How Much to Buy -- First Considerations -- Digging Deeper -- Moths and Carpet Beetles -- Chapter 3. Getting to Yarn -- Spinning Yarns for Knitting or Crochet -- Spinning Yarns for Weaving -- Spinning Singles --

Plying Your SinglesFinishing Your Yarns -- Playing with Twist and Size -- Chapter 4. Fine Wools -- Washing Techniques for Fine Wools -- Preparing to Spin Fine Wools -- Spinning Flicked Locks -- Merino -- Cormo -- Polypay -- Corriedale -- Chapter 5. Longwools -- Avoiding Stereotypes -- Appreciating Yarn Differences -- Washing Longwool Fleece -- Combing the Longwools -- Making Top after Combing -- A Short Lesson in Worsted Spinning -- Wensleydale -- Romney -- Lincoln -- Bluefaced Leicester -- Chapter 6. Downs and Down-Type Breeds --

Skirting a FleeceScouring Down-Type Wools -- Handcarding Techniques -- Drumcarders -- Suffolk -- Southdown -- Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset -- Black Welsh Mountain -- Chapter 7. Multicoated Breeds -- Working with the Multicoats -- American Karakul -- Scottish Blackface -- Shetland -- Icelandic -- Chapter 8. Other Breeds -- Hand Prepping Your Fleece -- California Red -- Jacob -- Tunis -- Glossary of Terms -- Metric Conversions -- USDA Standard Wool Specifications -- Reading List -- Resources -- Acknowledgments -- Index.

As spinners, knitters, and weavers know, the characteristics of fleece -- its structure, grease content, and fiber diameter -- vary widely depending on the breed of sheep the fleece comes from. These factors are crucial when you're deciding how to spin your fleece and use your finished yarn. In this comprehensive reference, Beth Smith presents a thorough overview of 21 sheep breeds, including each breed's characteristics and history, a photo of the animal and its locks, the best methods for washing its fleece, and specific techniques for preparing, spinning, and finishing the fleece. You'll discover how to select the fleece that is best for your project and how to spin exactly the yarn you need.