# Corriedale .....



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

I hear tell it loses 1/2 it's weight after being washed .... 

Has anybody lots of experience with Corriedale and can tell me how it is ?

How it spins up , what it's best used for , best way to prepare it ........


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

So far, Im leaning towards Corriedale or Shetland for my sweater ! The lady is shearing the Corridale today , and sending me a sample !!


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I am spinning a corriedale X finn fleece right now. I love it. I might even like it better than finn. My ewe doesn't have a lot of crimp to her fleece, even though she's a cross, her fleece is more corriedale. I took lumps of dyed fleece last night and pulled it apart rather than card it. It was fast and easy. How well it will keep it's shape once knitted, I don't know. It's very easy to spin though. Doesn't Suzanne have corriedales? Where is that girl anyway?


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I had two Corriedales with Ramboulet. They did not have heavy amounts of lanolin in their coats.


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Corriedale is my favorite spinning fiber right now. I love its staple lengths. It seems to me it would be best suited to medium-heavy weight uses. Its not a delicate thing. Which I love. I dont have any real experience with washing it. Most Ive done yet is get it wet enough to set the twist.


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

I had a coloured and white Corriedale flock for 20 years. The fleece was lovely to spin into lofty yarns. I have a few crosses with 1/2 to 1/4 Corriedale, which I still like to spin.It does make very warm sweaters.

Sometimes I would leave a bit of grease in, but only if I was spinning soon after shearing. Otherwise the grease turns to something more like wax. It does lose a lot when prepped. Some is from tossing the unusable bits, but if you buy fleece that should be done before you get it. Much is from grease.

When I wanted it dyed, I did that after washing and before carding, which enabled me to blend colours.

I card it using the drum carder.

Here is a sweater I knit from Corriedale. The darks are blends of different colours, some with white. The blue was roving. The pinks are also Corriedale, blended after dying.


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Corriedale has been my favorite and staple spinning wool for 23 years. Miz Mary, you will lose 40% by weight, not 50%, when you wash it. Corrie has less lanolin than the finer merino, which WILL lose 50%. A good amount of twist to put in a fingering weight Corriedale yarn is a final 6 twists per inch after plying. So you want to put 9 twists per inch in your singles. I would start there and see what results you like.


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Lots of good advice about corriedale here. Let me just add that I like corriedale blended into anything.


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## Sujae (May 14, 2008)

Sheepish!

That is beautiful, so much talent with you fiber folks.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Sheepish that is gorgeous !! 

Merino loses 50% ?! Well, I am so thankful to learn all this ! Wouldnt it be dreadful to buy enough fiber for a project and not know it shrinks after washing !! I'd always be running out of yarn , and never know why !! :hysterical:

Is seems Corriedale is a good breed then .... cant wait for the lady to send me a sample !! Pretty sure this is what I'll get for my sweater !!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

It doesn't lose the weight from shrinkage but from the loss of lanolin and dirt in the fleece. This is only for raw fleeces too.


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

It shrinks in _WEIGHT_...... guess I should change my terminology ! Hee hee !


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