[Jacob-list] Fw: wool

[gordon johnston]

<<< "Because the focus in the
United States has been on preserving this rare breed,
the Jacob wool
produced here is very inconsistent in quality.">>>

Hi Jeanette
For a start I would use 'variable' rather than 'inconsistent' - has a more positive ring to it.

However, wool quality in Jacobs over here in Britain is also very variable. We don't tend to have any double coated animals (don't know if that is so over there) but other than that the fleece varies from fairly short and bouncy / 'strong', to longer and silkier with slight lustre, and everything in between.  Some sheep produce very kempy fleece, some produce 'tapestry' coats, where the spots are very different to the background, and some produce wonderful soft wool with body.  Some breeders have bred for fleece quality ie softness and crimp, but most who breed with any particular aim in view do so for body conformation, colour distribution , horns etc, but not for the spinning customer.
So I don't think the first half of your sentence should be taken as the cause of the second - are you perhaps trying to say that the emphasis when preserving a primitive breed is to keep it's qualities rather than change them ?  As with the Navajo Churro and here the Hebridean, in a primitive sheep you use the wool as it is and modify your craft methods, rather than modifying the fleece to suit the craft worker.
So I would suggest making a more positive point of the variability.   For me with Jacob fleece, half the fun is in finding just the right fleece to suit the project, and with so much variability the right Jacob fleece can be found for just about any project you can think up !
Juliet in Scotland

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