What is Bluefaced Leicester yarn?
Blue Faced Leicester, or more commonly referred to as BFL, is a favorite fiber of handspinners, as well as knitters, crocheters, and other yarn lovers. BFL have dark facial skin under white hair, producing a “blue faced” appearance. Their heads and legs are wool-free.
Is Bluefaced Leicester yarn itchy?
Trust me though this yarn is far from Itchy. I produced the whole of my women’s collection last season from this beautifully soft wool. I always encourage people to feel our products if I am at fairs and they are generally surprised at how soft the yarns are.
What is unique about the fleece of a Leicester?
Fleece and Fibre English Leicester fleece is highly prized for its lustre and length. On the animal, the fleece grows dense and free. The lock is a medium width showing a small, well defined wave or crimp from the skin to the tip. The staple length is long, around 250mm (10 inches).
Is Bluefaced Leicester wool good for felting?
Fine, soft, lustrous, silky and 100% natural British Bluefaced Leicester combed wool top! Use our BFL with total confidence for all your spinning, felting and dyeing crafts. Excellent for wet felting and needle felting. BFL is a very popular choice and is a good ‘British’ alternative to Merino.
What are Bluefaced Leicester sheep used for?
The Bluefaced Leicester sheep were exported to Canada in the 1970s. Today the breed is raised for both meat and milk production. Their fleece is becoming increasingly popular for handspinning. Today the breed is mainly found in Northern England, Wales and Scotland.
Is BFL softer than Merino?
BUT we do also use and sell a lot of merino. Why? It is super soft in a completely different way to BFL; merino has a very smooth softness, so we find that people whose skin is very sensitive to wool can often manage with our merino, especially if it’s got silk in as that just makes it even smoother.
What are Blue Faced Leicester sheep used for?
What is the best wool for needle felting?
Merino is the most common fibre found and popular for felting. It comes in almost every colour imaginable and is normally sourced from Australasia or South Africa. It is very soft with a staple length of about 3-4 inches (length of each fibre) and has barely any crimp.
Can I use ordinary wool for felting?
Needle felting is typically done with a kind of wool called roving, but you can also use wool in other forms, like batting.
Are Shetland sheep small?
Shetland sheep are small and grow slowly, so if you are after a large carcass, they are not for you. They are often grown on into their second year, but they do produce high quality meat.
What is an Aberfield sheep?
Aberfield Rams offer: Able produce a crossbred ewe with a lambing percentage of 180% from a relatively low cost base compared to traditional crossbreds. A maternal sire bred off grass under commercial conditions at 1000ft. Ram mating capacity of 80 – 100 ewes each.
What does BFL stand for in yarn?
A favorite for shawls and shrugs, Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) wool has a lovely natural drape and effortless shine that makes it a very sleek yarn. Its durability also stands up to extended wear and resists felting.
What kind of yarn is Bluefaced Leicester wool?
This means that the fabric you knit from BFL yarn will have be more on the side of fluid, rather than stiff. In general, Bluefaced Leicester sheep produce white wool, but there are some with brown or black. Yarn from Bluefaced Leicester wool tends to have a luster or shine to it.
Where did the Bluefaced Leicester sheep come from?
First, the Bluefaced Leicester hails from Leicestershire in the English Midlands. As such, it is pronounced Bluefaced “Lester.” You often see the name of both the sheep and its yarn abbreviated “BFL.” Second, calling it “bluefaced” is a bit of a stretch; don’t expect to find a herd of royal blue sheep wandering around the English countryside.
Is there such a thing as British Bluefaced Leicester?
– -British BFL is a rare fiber, and there are limited quantities of it available at any one time. British Bluefaced Leicester is the original BFL in the world, and what we carry is 100% British Bluefaced Leicester. Wool2Dye4 is the exclusive US distributor of the largest purveyor of British Bluefaced Leicester yarns.
How big is the fleece of a Bluefaced sheep?
The individual fibers of a Bluefaced Leicester sheep typically measure 24-28 microns in diameter. The lower the micron counter, the finer the wool. It’s not as fine as merino wool, but the fleece is still plenty soft.