Fibre Study Pack
Fibre Study Pack from left to right: Zwartbles, Manx Loaghtan, Marsham, Lleyn, Galway
I just wrote a series of breed study blogs for this Fibre Study Pack, you can read about each entry here.
These fibres are very interesting in that each has its own distinctive characters, I wouldn’t say which one is “better” per se, but I can certainly see their uses in different ways. For example, the Zwartbles and the Manx Loaghtan have gorgeous natural colours that will shine in their own right, or used in colour works that feature natural colours; Marsham can be versatile either on its own or blended with other fibres to add drape and luster; I think Lleyn can be a good all round yarn (apart from being next to skin soft), it has a good handle and bounce, overall it just feels like a good woolly yarn; Galway is like a rough diamond, it’s a little coarse on its own but it should make a good sock yarn or as a weaving yarn to make hardwearing clothing; It can also be blended with other fibres to add toughness.
Spinning sample of Marsham on a Munchkin (S) Turkish spindle
I spun 5g of each fibre using a Turkish spindle in the Munchkin (S) size. I was not intentional in spinning a particular weight, rather I let the fibres dictate how they wished to be spun and the result was rather interesting.
As you can see from the swatches, although I spun 5g of each fibre they yielded different sizes and quantity/lengths of yarn. Unfortunately I forgot to measure the length as I wanted to get this done quickly so that I could get back to the Bengido preparation.
Out of all the fibres, Marsham yielded the longest thread but it definitely wanted to be spun finely. Zwartbles yielded the shortest length (didn’t have enough to finish the swatches) but the yarn has more body. Lleyn has the most bounce whilst Marsham is the most sleek.
Apart from the Zwartbles all the other yarns showed good stitch definition, although that could due to its dark colour. Marsham would look better in lace rather than cable whilst Lleyn would sure to make cables pop.
I used 3mm needles and 3mm crochet hook to make all the swatches. In retrospect maybe I should have gone for a larger size, the Zwartbles certainly wanted larger sizes, but the Marsham was quite happy with 3mm.
I hope this is helpful and if you would like to conduct your own studies I have these mini braids in Fibre Study Packs.
This fun little fibre pack is designed to introduce you to a few unusual breeds that are not available in Australia. It contains 20g of each breed, perfect for sample spinning… and great for spindle spinning 😃
Fibre content: (from light to dark)
Galway
This is a historic rare breed that is native to Ireland. It has strong medium staples between 14cm - 19cm and medium micron of around 30, it has a firm and crisp handle with fluffy crimp. The fleece is snowy white that takes dye very well. This fibre is often found in heritage Donegal Tweed.
Lleyn
Pronounced “hleen”, Lleyn is a heritage Welsh breed that is creamy white and bouncy fibre. It is a mid grade fibre with a micron range of 31-33 but handles much softer. This is a highly versatile fibre known for its softness and lustre, and it is highly elastic.
Marsham
Marsham originally came from North Yorkshire around the town Marsham thus the name, the breed came about by crossing Teeswater with a Dalesbred. The fibre is lustrous with a subtle sheen, it has long staples between 15cm - 22cm and a medium micron of around 33-35. Marsham fleece can be white or grey (grey in this pack).
Manx Loaghtan
Manx Loaghtan (pronounced locktun) is horny!! These woolly babies are polycerate, even ewes and lambs have horns, some can have up to 6 horns. Manx Loaghtan came from Isle of Man, “Loaghtan” means mousy colour in Manx due to their natural brown colour, spinners would call it Moorit. The fibre is medium everything: medium staple length (7cm - 10cm) , medium micron (around 30), and medium handle (not merino soft but not scratchy either).
Zwartbles
Zwartbles originated in The Netherlands but now can be found across Europe and North America, they have a distinctive white blaze marking from crown to nose, and white feet. The fibre is medium to fine around 27 microns, staple length between 10cm - 13cm with nice crimp. The natural colour is a gorgeous black or dark brown to black.
Join Team Cat & Sparrow Fibres in this year’s Tour de Fleece! Everyone is welcome and we are very relaxed here mainly because Cat will be busy preparing for the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show and doesn’t have time to moderate everyday 😅
More details about TdF will be posted nearer the time. (Tour de France 2026 is between 4 July - 26 July)
====
Cat has written a series of fibre study blog posts about these fibres, you can ready about them here.
