Eleanor Shadow logo, saying Eleanor Shadow, Fibre with a Twist

Teal blue hand dyed curly wool locks | Leicester Longwool | 28cm | 1oz

Lovingly hand dyed curly wool locks from a Leicester Longwool lamb, first shear. Perfect for spinning, felting and doll hair rerooting.

  • 1oz or 28g
  • 28cm or 11″ staple approx.
  • British rare breed, locally sourced
  • hand dyed using professional dyes
  • one of a kind colourway

£0.00

Only 1 left in stock

Share it or Pin it for later

Description

This bundle of Leicester Longwool locks have come from the lamb’s first shear, making them the softest and longest the animal will ever produce in their lifetime. This set of curly wool locks is around 28cm or 11″ long, and the fleece came from a sheep named Bright Eyes. 

This wool was directly sourced from the shepherd, in a small farm dedicated to this native rare breed right here in the UK.

I have carefully scoured and hand washed these locks and separated them into practical 1 ounce bundles. I have done my utmost to preserve the fibre’s lock structure, so please be aware that tiny amounts of vegetable matter may still be present.

Dyed in a light aqua blue to deep teal gradient, these delectable wool locks will enhance your project and your overall enjoyment of crafting. Each bundle is one of a kind, so get them while they’re still available.

What are these curly wool locks good for?

Long wools with such well defined lock structure are great for various crafts: 

  • Spinning – use them to spin art yarns. The tailspinning technique would be a perfect way to showcase these wool locks. The video below may help give you some ideas.
  • Wet felting – adding locks to a felted work can yield some lovely textured results.
  • Needle felting – you can create a beard on a sculpture, or turn the locks into a mermaid’s hair. The choices are endless.
  • Dollmaking – rerooting doll hair. A lot of my hand dyed curly wool locks have ended up as gorgeous doll hair!

A little note about the Leicester Longwool breed

The Leicester Longwool, also known as Bakewell Leicester, Improved Leicester and New Leicester, was originally developed by the breeding innovator Robert Bakewell in the 18th century.

They are among the world’s largest sheep. Their fleeces have beautiful and distinct locks with well-defined crimp, which can grow up to 36cm or 14″ long. Leicester Longwool sheep’s wool diameter ranges from 32 to 46 microns, making it a very soft, yet sturdy, fibre.

This breed is classified as “endangered” by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, with fewer than 500 registered breeding females remaining in the UK. In North America, the Leicester Longwool is preserved by the efforts of private breeders. *

Disclaimer(s)

I’ve done my very best to make sure colours run true in the photos, but please note that your monitor settings may differ from mine.

The last two photos in this listing are of the same fleece, but are not part of the listing sale.

 

* – information gathered from Wikipedia and The Field Guide to Fleece (by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius).

Additional information

Weight28 kg
Dimensions28 cm
Colour

teal blue

Fibre Content

Leicester Longwool lamb first shear

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

  • Keep wool top/roving or art batts in a dry room away from direct sunlight. Airtight boxes are recommended. Don’t place anything heavy on top of the fibre to avoid squishing it.
    Handle silk hankies with moisturised hands to avoid them sticking to your skin.
  • I recommend adding lavender sachets to the storage container for pest prevention.
  • Hand wash your finished product separately using wool-specific detergents, dry flat. Hand dyed fibres may bleed a little in the first couple of washes.

BECOME A SHADOWLING

Join my mailing list to be the first to know about new hand dyed yarns and wools, new blog posts, and receive exclusive discounts.

PACKAGING AND SHIPPING

All my spinning and felting fibres are carefully wrapped in a paper bag and then shipped using a fully compostable mailing bag. 

UK shipping is £4 flat rate.

International shipping is £6 flat rate.

Find out more in the delivery and returns section. 

Your best crafting is my goal

Your best spinning and felting life is all I’m about. I want you to love and be excited by your fibre projects. I care whether your fab felting idea comes to life. Your spinning needs to be everything you ever dreamed of and I want to help you get there. My fibres, from art batts to silk hankies are all created with your best crafting life in mind.

Hi, I’m Eleanor and I want to be a part of your lovely hand crafting journey.

I’ll do all of this without compromising on quality or my eco values: I source my wool from ethical, local suppliers and I hand dye my fibre using the most planet-friendly techniques at my disposal.

Eleanor Shadow blog subscribe picture, smiling by the sea

SHOW ME WHAT YOU MAKE

From my hands to yours: I’d love to see what you create with your fibre!

Please tag me @eleanor.shadow on Instagram.
 #eleanorshadow

Eleanor Shadow on Social Media

We use cookies on our website to give you the best experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By remaining on this website, you consent to the use of cookies.