The Story
I don't know what type of Cheviot I've got, but I'm not going to go that far in depth with these, so I don't mind. Originally from the Cheviot hills of Scotland - hills which were taller than Mount Everest, but are still significantly sized today - these sheep are quite cute. Their ears are described as "perky" in The Fleece and Fibre book I'm using (listed below), and they're adorable. There's also a bunch of other Cheviot breeds from America and Australia, each with their own unique characteristics. The original Cheviot sheep in Scotland likely mixed with Spanish sheep to add a bit of softness, while still remaining hardy enough to survive in the Scottish hills.
The Spin
The wool is a creamy white, not too dissimilar to the Charollais. Once again I used my support spindle and a whorl I made myself, and plied it on my Ashford 3 espinner. I'm not yet sure if I'll do all the spins in this breed study in this way, but currently spindle spinning is making me happy so we shall see. Like the Charollais I've not spun Cheviot before, so this was a new experience. It's a lovely wool, it has incredible crimp and texture, and I can understand why it's so popular.
The Statistics
With so much variation between the different types of Cheviot, it's hard to say exactly which one I have. My sample has a staple length of about 4.5 inches, which is what The Fleece and Fibre book says is about average. It also says it's a medium wool, with 27-33 microns; obviously this isn't something I can measure myself. With a two ply yarn, I got an average of 32 wpi again, much to my shock. There are thicker parts because I was spinning long draw while a little tired, and I didn't micromanage every part where it went a little thick. In total I managed 84 yards, with almost nothing lost to plying profanity (as explained before, this is when things go a little wrong and I have to rejoin the singles). This feels lighter than the Charollais, so I do wonder if I have less weight.
The Slides
This was a great spin. I'm not convinced I can wear this next-to-skin, as doing a plying bracelet was a little itchy, but this is very much personal preference. This would make a fantastic sweater spin though, especially if it's dyed in interesting ways. I wonder if this would be a good beginner wool, for someone starting spinning, since it does draft so easily.
The Sources
The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook. C. Ekarius, and D. Robson. Storey Publishing, 2011. Kobo and StoryGraph links
The Field Guide to Fleece. C. Ekarius, and D. Robson. Storey Publishing, 2013. Kobo and StoryGraph links
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