The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn

Easily navigable to research different breeds of sheep. Very helpful for spinners.

I'm a new spinner and am finding this book invaluable. I think it's a must have for any spinner.

I have had this book on my shelf and in my hands since it was first published and it keeps giving. There is absolutely nothing like it anywhere. It is a far reaching book that looks at many sheep, their fleeces, and how they spin, knit, or weaver. Deb Robson took samples from every sheep that is covered, prepared the wool, spun it, produced knit or woven samples. For the fiber artist this is just an incredible gift. Every sheep fleece is different, but can be used in some way for some form of fiber art.. rugs, felting, knitting, weaving.. clothing, housing.. everything. So many of us do exactly this when we study various breeds.. we make a notebook with our notes, with samples of locks raw/washed, carded/combed/ spun, and a mini sample knit up or a little woven square. Go ahead and do the breed studies! They are fun to do and you only get to know a fleece by handling it, BUT you can use this resource in the middle of the night for a sheep you have no access to and gain an understanding. I will never part with this book. There is also another book based on this one that is a smaller subset and almost pocket size.. but at least an easy carry. I have both! bottom line BUY THIS BOOK!

Oh my goodness do I love this book. I kept checking it out from the library over and over again. I have a small hobby-business called Shoehorn Farm where I take fiber from my friend's rescue farm and card, dye and spin it and sell batts, yarn, and etc-- Since she is a rescue farm, she has MANY types of sheep on her farm... and goats... and alpaca... and llama... And I love to know the characteristics of the fiber before I get started on something because it helps me to know what to do-- This book contains every imaginable breed in it-- from the most common sheep breeds, to rare alpaca breeds, to camel-- even to cat and dog fiber tips (though those are not by breed cuz-- lawdy, lawdy that would be a big book!)Anyway-- this book tells you about the breed, it's history, what it was bred for, characteristics of the fiber, special tips on dyeing, spinning, using yarn of the fiber-- and then-- the best part-- it shows these life size (or close to life size) pictures of the fiber raw (that means unwashed) and washed, and then spun into yarn-- and then also shows a small knit and woven sample. How cool is that?So-- if you are into natural fiber, sheep, spinning yarn-- this is for you. I know that's a small niche of an audience, but for the people in that audience, this book is AWESOME.I'm so glad my borrowing days are over-- I finally bought myself my own copy!

The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook is a great read. It is beautifully illustrated and written in a manner which makes it easy to find the information you are looking for. I began hand spinning about two years ago on top and bottom whorls, in hopes of one day owning a spinning wheel. I never realized there were so many different breeds of sheep. In my quest to discover other types of fleece and fibers to spin, I have referenced this book time and time again in the short period of time that I have owned it. I have found that the fleece and fibers available for spinning are numerous. Aside from the much loved merino, you have the exotic camel, the woolly yak, the amazingly soft angora from rabbits and so much more. This book gives you the regions that the animals are from, their characteristics, how they came to be there, the attributes of their fleece, what their fleece is best suited for, etc. From the novice spinner to the most advanced and knowledgeable spinner and in between, all will find this book an amazingly fact filled, informative and fun read. I recommend that if you are a spinner interested in learning about different fabulous fleece and fibers or looking to broaden your knowledge of the fleece and fibers you already work with, to get this book.

I already owned Robson and Ekarius' excellent small volume The Field Guide to Fleece, and wasn't sure I needed this larger work: I'm happy to say that I was wrong! The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook is an amazing informational text - well worth the shelf space.

When i discovered this book, I decided to buy it for a woman who had just opened a yarn and fiber shop for knitting, crocheting and hand spinners. When i got it, I was surprised a very large hard bond book with tons of information on terms used for fiber as well as truly complete detailed description of 200 fleeces as well as sample knitting and staple. When I gave it to her, we both agreed it would be her resource book. I was so impressed with the book although I thought I had considerable knowledge, I ordered one for myself. Amazing amount of information for the money.

Great resource for wool spinners! Lots of great information on several different breeds. I loved the pictures as well.

The content is great. Perfect resource for fibre nerds.

Dieses Buch beschreibt umfangreich diverse Schafrassen (darunter alte Rassen) und die Eigenschaften ihrer Wolle.Es geht hier nicht um tiefe Erkenntnisse rund um die Haltung von Schafen.Herkunft und Geschichte der jeweiligen Rasse werden beschrieben.Selbst unserTierarzt, der sich für die alten Haustiertassen begeistert, empfahl dieses Buch.Wer speziell für die Verarbeitung wie Spinnen,Färben,Filzen und Stricken /Häkeln auf der Suche nach Informationen über diverse Schafrassen ist, wird in diesem Buch fündig.Der Kindle eigene Übersetzer funktioniert halbwegs verständlich.Auf diese Art ist es möglich, das Buch trotz englischer Sprache in den wichtigsten Punkten nachzuvollziehen.Klare Empfehlung für Liebhaber älter Schafsrassen und vor allen Dingen für Spinner/innen.

A must have for any fibre artists, whether you spin, weave, or dye natural animal fibres!

Finalmente una pubblicazione serie per conoscere il mondo della lana, Moltissime razze con foto e relativa resa. Ho davvero apprezzato

Nourri d'une démarche passionnée mais sérieuse , ce beau livre offre des informations abondantes et systématisées sur les toisons des moutons du monde ( pour l'essentiel ), mais aussi celles d'animaux allant du chat au yak, du lapin au dromadaire, chevaux et vigognes...Les informations chiffrées, commentées et visuelles permettant d'approprier finement les choix des matériaux aux activités qu'on leur consacre, de connaître l'origine des animaux, et leurs régions d'élevage. Elles comprennent le descriptif des toisons, brutes et lavées, des nœuds, des fils tissés et tricotés, les diamètres et longueurs de fibres, les couleurs...Mais ce n'est pas tout, ce n'est pas qu'un livre outil, grâce aux photos et à la mise en page, c'est un livre d'émotion et de voyage, un livre rare et sans égal. Ce qu'on appelle une œuvre.