Such a long staple and no crimp, makes for an interesting spin. I am very glad that I bought and spun it because I learned a lot from it, but I wouldn't necessarily buy it again.
I enjoyed spinning this wool but a beginner may or may not have a problem. It makes a wonderful wall hanging. I mixed it with my llama and felted it but it did take some elbow grease to get a nice solid sheet of felt, but the result was ruggedly beautiful for a quilted wall hanging. I think I may get some more and make a tapestry. Does she but use professional dyes and some colors pale out to a lighter color and have to be dipped twice.
Very easy to spin! Makes super sturdy yarn for rug, bag, or anything that would require a lot of wear and tear.
I was expecting it to be a coarse wool - and it is. It was interesting to felt - and I found that using it inside structures that I want to be sturdy is the perfect use for Devon wool. I had to use my coarsest gauge needles, but it combines just great with other, finer wool. Fascinating to see (and feel) just how different wool can be from one breed to another! This stuff actually reminded me of the wood excelsior bales that we used to get for target practice in archery! So - yeah, don't use it for socks, but it's definately useful and interesting wool. I always felt a round coaster with new wool to test it (and later use it in dye tests) - this one will pass as a scouring pad!
This fiber feels more like horse hair than sheep's wool. I use a drop spindle, and I wouldn't hand this fiber to a beginner. It spins alright but needs more twist than the Merino I like to use. The yarn is super scratchy! I would not want to wear this next to my skin. But the yarn is sturdy, so it might weave into a rug or something with decent results. I have tried to dye this as both fiber and yarn, and it only takes a "pastel" level of the color. It was a fun experiment, but I probably won't purchase this again.
Our Combed Top Devon Wool roving has many uses. It is a good felting wool and the lambs from this breed are excellent for knitwear and woven fabrics. The fineness is approx. 40-60 microns and length, 200-250 mm. Perfect for hand spinning, hand felting, doll making and many other craft uses. This is a coarser breed wool perfect for rug making, outerwear, and dying!