British wool is grown naturally on sheep that graze freely - as long as there is grass for sheep to eat, wool can be produced. Top-making turns the scoured wool into a 'top' or combed sliver — a collection of aligned fibres, without twist, ready for spinning into yarn. Sales have been declining for decades. Glossary of terms. Woollen yarn is usually created from the shorter fibres of the sheep's fleece. Links to related sites. "Our sheep cost £1 to shear and we get about 15-30p a fleece," he said. If I’m going to spend time processing fiber, I shouldn’t rush the spinning. Also, carding preparation for hand spinners and felters, and custom spinning and hand knitting yarns. However, coronavirus means the global market has been closed since February. Commercial applications for lanolin include cosmetics, skin care products, and industrial lubricants. Harvesting wool. Our shepherdess created, raw wool - fleece washing and scouring method has become world famous...thank you hand spinners, felters and fiber enthusiasts! WE ARE CONTINUING TO SHIP WORLDWIDE. Their fleece will never grow back as long again, although we still get a good fleece from the sheep for many years. UK VAT will be remove at checkout for overseas orders. Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. About British wool processing. The lanolin also helps to prevent the wool from felting on the sheep. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer.Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or "sheared", depending upon dialect). Here, we give you step by step instructions and encouragement to transform your raw sheep fleece into a ready to spin delight. The following files relate to sheep health: the causes of disease, and how to control, prevent and treat: Liver Fluke, Worms, Flies, Coccidiosis and Feet. Lanolin, also known as “grease,” is actually a waxy ester (wax), not a true fat. The ewes are often left to be shown "in full fleece" and are shorn later in summer. Sheep. Lanolin can comprise 5-25% of the weight of a fresh fleece. These wool fibres vary more in diameter and length. Our tutorial is free ... please share! They remain very curly. Sheep regrow their fleece every year, making wool one of the most sustainable fibres available. Commission spinners of semi-worsted and worsted woollen, alpaca and mohair yarns. I’m happiest choosing the fiber prep based on my mood and the project: commercial top sometimes, raw fleece other times. Processing raw fleece takes a lot of time, but it’s time well spent. A happy by-product of this increase in capacity is our ability to offer other Micro-flock or fleece owners a Contract Fleece Processing service, even if you only need to process a single fleece. The British Coloured Sheep Breeders Association www.bcsba.org.uk The Natural Fibre Company offers fleece processing and spinning services, as well as fleece FAQ sheets for download. We plan to offer Contract processing and bespoke dying, if required: “ From the sheep’s back to a Carded Sliver or batt ”. Woollen yarn is used to make thick, heavyweight woven or knitted garments. Since the 1st January 2021 we have updated the software on our site to remove VAT off all orders, shipped outside of the UK, at checkout. Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. Any help and advice about your fleece that we've missed may be covered in our list of frequently asked questions. (8 -10in / 20 - 25cm from a 2-shear then 5 - 8in / 12 - 20cm from then on.) UK. 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