cream – The Fibre Garden

Cheviot (Top)

Classification: DOWN-TYPE WOOL Nice clean combed top with very little veg, in a bright off-white tone. There are different regional variations on Cheviot, but they have similar fibre. Cheviot is known for having bulky and springy staples of medium length with very little lustre. Its traditional uses range from blankets and carpets to midrange and outerwear clothing. It's a strong fibre and can be useful for socks. Micron count is usually in the 27 to 33 range. This supply has excellent long staple in the 5 to 7 inch range. Felting properties are low. PRODUCT of UNITED KINGDOM

$5.00 – $38.59 Select options

Columbia (Rustic Roving)

Classification: FINEWOOL Thick and chunky Rustic Roving. Current batch contains a fair amount of vegetation. A North American breed, fairly widely raised in the western US and Canada. The locks are blocky with a high crimp and fairly fine fibre diameter. Adapts well to both woolen and worsted styles of spinning, used for midrange and outerwear garments, including socks, sweaters and functional items. Micron count is usually in the 23 to 31 range (comparable to Corriedale) with a staple length of 3 to 6 inches. Wet-felting properties are good. A good core wool for needle-felting. PRODUCT of CANADA

$5.00 – $38.59 Select options

Cultivated Silk Cocoons, Degummed

Silk cocoons come as natural (usually with a dead worm inside), which are sort of firm and egg-shaped, or degummed, which have had the seracin (i.e. silk worm spit/glue) removed. Most common are Bombyx (Cultivated, Mulberry) cocoons, but sometimes other kinds of silk are available as well, though we have yet to locate a source. Cocoons are adored by makers of Novelty/Art yarn, by felters, and sometimes by spinners. Degummed Bombyx or Mulberry/Cultivated silk cocoons. These can be used for spinning directly, as a textural component in needle or Nuno felting, in paper making or added for texture to novelty yarns. They dye up just like regular silk top or roving, using either acid or fibre reactive dyes. PRODUCT of CHINA

$4.50 – $9.00 Select options

Ile-de-France (Rustic Roving)

Classification: FINEWOOL Thick and chunky rustic roving. Our current batch has a moderate amount of vegetation. Ivory-cream in colour, with lots of bounce and loft. Ile-de-France was intentionally bred as a meat sheep in France in the early to mid 1800s and is a relatively new introduction to North American shepherds. With Merino in the bloodlines, this fibre should be interesting to experiment with. This source is not as fine as most Merino but could be ideal for warm and cozy socks, midrange or outerwear. Staple length of this roving is around 2.5 to 3 inches. Likely in the 25 to 30 micron range. Excellent felting properties. An excellent core wool for needle-felting.

$5.00 – $38.59 Select options

Lincoln (Top)

Classification: LONGWOOL Combed top, very clean. This breed features smooth and long, lustrous fibre, our supply being an ivory-cream shade. Though often used to add strength in blends, Lincoln makes exceptionally beautiful lace-weight yarns that highlight the intricate stitchwork. Thicker spins are generally used for rugged outerwear. Micron count for Lincoln is in the 34 to 41 range, with a staple length from 8 to 12 inches or more. Felting properties are very good.

$5.75 – $44.38 Select options

Rambouillet (Rustic Roving)

Classification: FINEWOOL Thick and chunky rustic roving with a moderate amount of vegetation in our current supply. Lovely off-white in colour. In the Merino family, Rambouillet developed as an offshoot in Northern France in the late 1700s and was soon brought to North America where more changes made this a distinctive breed. The fibre is similar to Merino but with less lustre and more loft. Staple is in the 2 to 4 inch range and especially well-suited to woolen-style spinning. Plenty soft for outer, midrange and against-the-skin wear, with a micron count in the 18 to 24 range. Wet felting properties are excellent. A good core wool for needle-felting. PRODUCT of CANADA

$5.00 – $38.59 Select options

Romney – White (Roving)

Classification: LONGWOOL Thick and chunky carded roving, with very little vegetation. Creamy-white in colour. Romney is a longwool with a good crimp and relatively short staple and slight sheen. It spins well either woolen or worsted style. Suitable for midrange to outerwear, this particular roving being softer than average. Micron count on Romney ranges from 32 to 39 with a staple length in the 5 to 8 inch range. Felting properties are very good. PRODUCT of NEW ZEAlAND

$5.00 – $38.59 Select options

Sugar Candy Merino – Mademoiselle

Mademoiselle. 100% 19 micron Merino wool top. Ribbons of soft pink, sandstone, cream and white. PRODUCT of ITALY

$9.00 – $36.77 Select options

Sugar Candy Merino – Provence

100% 19 micron Merino wool top. Almost like marble, this is soft lavender-mauve with streaks of cream, ash and a wee touch of charcoal. PRODUCT of ITALY

$9.00 – $36.77 Select options

Sugar Candy Merino – Scotland

100% 19 micron Merino wool top. An honestly stunning blend, with ribbons of soft celery, cream, forest green, teal, mint and avocado-olive. PRODUCT of ITALY

$9.00 – $36.77 Select options

Superwash Merino 50/Bamboo 50 (Top)

50% Superwash Merino / 50% Rayon from Bamboo Lovely and clean combed top. Staple length around 5 to 6 inches, the colour creamy-white. A favourite of dyers for making fancy hand-painted braids for spinners. This is a very soft and luxurious-feeling blend, carded in a streaky manner that helps to preserve the sheen of the bamboo. Use it to spin everything from against-the-skin garments and beyond. Very pleasant in the hands! Because only the wool will strike with acid dyes, the effect is exotic and streaky both in the top as well as the finished yarn. The Superwash component makes for absolutely no felting during dyeing, and later during laundering. A tip for dyers: when presoaking and rinsing, keep this top in a mesh lingerie bag to help hold it together. NOT SUITABLE FOR WET FELTING.

$4.75 – $36.66 Select options

Targhee (Rustic Roving)

Classification: FINEWOOL Thick and chunky Rustic Roving, with a moderate amount of vegetation debris. The colour is a bright ivory-white. Targhee is a very bouncy fibre that can be spun woolen or worsted. The staple is longer than Merino and therefore it's easier to spin. This breed is well-suited to next-to-skin garments, outerwear or anything else. Micron count is in the range of 21 to 25, with a staple length around 3 to 5 inches. Wet-felting properties are excellent. Good as a core wool for needle-felting PRODUCT of CANADA

$5.00 – $38.59 Select options

Tunis (Rustic Roving)

Classification: MEDIUM WOOL Thick and chunky Rustic Roving, with a moderate amount of vegetation. The colour is a bright ivory-white. Tunis is a rather bouncy fibre that can be spun woolen or worsted. The staple is longer than Merino and therefore it's easier to spin. This breed is well-suited to midrange and outerwear garments. Micron count is in the range of 25 to 30, with a staple length around 4 to 6 inches. Wet-felting properties are low to moderate. An excellent core wool for needle-felting. PRODUCT of CANADA

$5.00 – $38.59 Select options

Wool 60/Flax 40 (Top)

60% Wool / 40% Flax Very clean combed top in an interesting heathered blend of ash-grey, soft tan and cream. Staple length is around 5 to 6 inches. This blend is softer than you might imagine, with what is obviously a Finewool of some type and a good grade of flax. It seems well-prepared and should be easy to spin. We wonder if it might just work for lace weight yarn. Feels plenty soft enough for midrange to outerwear garments. This could be dyed with acid dyes for a streaky effect. Might it work for felting??

$6.00 – $46.31 Select options