woodpightel ryelands
- coloured ryeland sheep
The fleeces of coloured Ryeland sheep vary from palest silver through many shades of grey and brown to black. The lambs are often born black or very dark brown and the wool becomes lighter as the sheep get older.
The wool, which is soft and crimpy, has a staple length of 8 to 10 cms (3 to 4ins), a Bradford Count of 56's to 58's and, because of its springiness and lack of kemp, is well suited to hand spinning and knitting. It is also resistant to felting.
The high quality naturally coloured fleece is sought after by hand-spinners.
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