A Special Word About Clun Fleece
A Special Word About Clun Fleece – by Klara Templeton
Clun clips are moderate, six to eight pounds, but the quality is exceptional, considered by a spokesman of the Scottish, English, and Welsh Wool Growers, Limited, to be the finest fleece produced in Great Britain. Handspinners in this country agree with his statement that the Clun fleece has less waste, being consistent from neck to britch, showing little or none of the variance common to other fleeces, even those highly prized in the past. It is basically free from black or kempy fibers, of medium staple, and holds a spinning count of 58.
Klara Templeton, experienced shepherd and spinner in Wisconsin, says of Clun fleece: Numerous articles have been written by experienced handspinners on the subject of the quality handspinning fleece, what breed produces the best fleece for handspinning, etc. The experienced spinner can choose whatever she needs for a certain project. The beginner needs something that makes spinning easy, and for this purpose, the Clun Forest fleece is ideal. The Clun Forest fleece is beautiful, dense and uniform and grades 58′s, staple length about 4 inches. It is creamy white when washed. The wool is extremely springy and easy to spin into very soft yarn, lovely for knitting. It feels soft and luxurious against the skin when knit into sweaters and cardigans. It is also excellent for weaving. The Templetons bought their first Cluns after trying Clun fleece! They have raised only Cluns for a number of years now.
A special note about Clun Forest fleece – In the Fall, 1993 issue of Spin-Off magazine, Jane Fournier wrote a detailed review of her experience with Clun fleece, one paragraph of which states:
“Clun Forest fleece is particularly attractive when compared with the wool of similar breeds because it is also dense, fine, generally uniform throughout the fleece, and relatively free from colored fibers and kemps. Although the tight, irregular crimp is not readily noticeable in the staple, it is very apparent when you inspect individual fibers. This feature gives Clun Forest wool its character: it produces handspun yarns that are extremely elastic and lofty, with plenty of personality.“