Bond – Corriedale: The Backstory of the Comparison Study

 I’m super excited to share the news… It’s finally time for the Big Reveal.

It’s All About the Crimp!

No, I didn’t get around to remodeling the house yet. But, you know how I geek out a bit when I’m studying ‘bout wool and fiber!

Maybe you’ve listened to me excitedly share some factual tidbit about the Bond or Corriedale. Or I’ve handed you a luscious crimpy lock or two in admiration over the past months.

What I’m trying to tell you is the Spring 2019 issue of PLY Magazine is out. It’s digitally arriving in email boxes or a mailbox near you right now. I got mine today!

And guess what?

I’m one of the contributors with my article, The Bold Crimp of Bond

I share my findings in a side-by-side comparison of the Bond & Corriedale breeds in an interesting, crimp behavior study.

Before I share a bit about my studio time, behind the scenes of this article …

I have a few questions for all you spinners. What are your thoughts about crimp? I mean, we all know wool has crimp, but what does this mean to us as hand spinners? How much thought have you really given to crimp when you sit down at your wheel or pick up your drop spindle?

I challenge you to give the article a read. I look forward to having a conversation with you about crimp and what it means to you? I’m curious.

 

Now here’s a bit of my journey… the backstory of The Bold Crimp of Bond.

My first order of business in preparing for the crimp study was to acquire the fleeces. I’d be starting with raw wool, washing to preserve the lock structure, and doing various types of hand processing.

I went in search of true-to-breed standards for both the Bond and the Corriedale. I’m thankful to Deborah Robson & Carol Ekarius for all the work they put into The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook. This treasure is a ready reference in the studio.

Next, I searched the web. And this is where I first met Joanna Gleason of Gleason’s Fine Woolies. Through emails and phone calls, she shared her journey in Bringing Bonds to America. You can read her story for yourself, also in the spring 2019 issue of PLY Magazine.

After many conversations with Joanna, I chose a brown Moorit colored fleece, grown by the ram “Big Brother,” the main subject of my study. I did have an ulterior motive for choosing the Moorit Brown. It compliments Lady Cocoa Bean, “Cocoa,” my studio companion, a chocolate brown (Spoo) Standard Poodle.

With “Big Brother” the Bond on its way, I needed to get some raw Corriedale.

Through research, I happily found Gretchen at Whitefish Bay Farm. The timing was right for me to take part in their annual online fleece sale. It was difficult to decide between an “extra fine” and a “wonderful” fleece. So I did what any fiber enthusiast would do. I chose both. Dick and Gretchen were accommodating in the selection of fleeces.

The day finally arrived… the fleeces were delivered.

And they were truly gorgeous! Now the fun begins.

Oh, it may… have spoiled me. The fleeces for this project were a dream to work with.

What I stumbled upon in my quest was the coated fleece. If you haven’t yet treated yourself to a coated fleece, it’s a must experience for anyone who enjoys processing their own fiber.

I also highly recommend the coated fleece for the spinner who has given up processing a fleece because they truly are not fond of the “monkey picking” process of removing VM. This is the answer you’ve been looking for. There is very little VM in these fleeces.

Now for the washing process using my traditional colander method. Often I use mesh lingerie bags.

They have divided sections with zipper closure. Both of these methods worked well. Keeping the lock structure was of vital importance. So, I made tulle pouches to lay the locks in to keep them in order while washing. The pouches worked well.

To speed up the drying process, I used wire closet racks laid across folding chairs. Set up beneath the ceiling fan. This method works well as it’s easy to set up and store when I’m not processing fiber.

Once the fiber was dry, it was time to get on with processing the fiber to spin.

And now, for the rest of the story… check out the article, The Bold Crimp of Bond, featured in the Spring 2019 PLY Magazine.

It’s a jam-packed issue. These are definitely two breeds. I highly recommend every spinner give a whirl.

If you’re not already a subscriber to PLY Magazine, it’s not too late to get yours right here.

 

 

I hope you’ll give spinning Bond for crimp a try.

Passionately spinning while enjoying the journey – Brenda.