What are Bluefaced Leicester sheep used for?
The Bluefaced Leicester sheep were exported to Canada in the 1970s. Today the breed is raised for both meat and milk production. Their fleece is becoming increasingly popular for handspinning. Today the breed is mainly found in Northern England, Wales and Scotland.
What are Leicester sheep known for?
The Border Leicester is a British breed of sheep. It is a polled, long-wool sheep and is considered a dual-purpose breed as it is reared both for meat and for wool. The sheep are large but docile. They have been exported to other sheep-producing regions, including Australia and the United States.
What is Bluefaced Leicester wool?
Bluefaced Leicester sheep are strongly built, with a broad muzzle, a roman nose and long v-shaped erect ears. The head doesn’t grow any wool, showing the dark blue skin which gave its name to the breed.
What is Blue faced?
Blue Faced Leicester, or more commonly referred to as BFL, is a favorite fiber of handspinners, as well as knitters, crocheters, and other yarn lovers. Because of its popularity, BFL fiber is fairly easy to find. It’s also one of the most readily available breed-specific commercial yarns.
Is Bluefaced Leicester soft?
While not quite as fine as some Merino, the 24-28 micron wool of the Bluefaced Leicester is still very soft and comfortable to wear against the skin. It also has a staple length of up to 6 inches, which makes it a dream to spin for spinners.
Is Bluefaced Leicester yarn soft?
Bluefaced Leicester wool is a lustre wool which means it is strong, shiny, and soft, as I am sure you can see in Milburn 4ply and DK. People often think that our pure BFL yarns have silk in just because the wool is so naturally lustrous.
What is Border Leicester wool used for?
Wool of the Border Leicester sheep tends to be very long, broad crimped and in fineness about 32 to 38 microns. The wool is used for medium to heavy weight garments, and is prized by spinners because of the crimp and luster.
Do Border Leicester have horns?
The Border Leicester is a breed of sheep originating in England and raised primarily for meat. Border Leicester’s are polled (without horns), long woollen sheep. Though large in size and robust, they are also docile.
Is Bluefaced Leicester yarn itchy?
Bluefaced Leicester wool, by comparison, is coarser than Merino, and averages 24-28 microns. It is therefore not as soft as Merino, but is still well below the threshold of being itchy or prickly to most people.
Where did Bluefaced Leicester originate from?
The Bluefaced Leicester is of the English Longwool type and originated near Hexham in the county of Northumberland, England, during the early 1900’s. The breed was originally developed to use in the production of high quality crossbred ewes which were pastured in the neighboring hills of the region.
What does BFL mean in yarn?
BFL is short for Bluefaced Leicester wool, which is a specific sheep breed.
Is BFL good for socks?
BFL Sock Yarn does not require added nylon This makes your sock fabric a bit denser and sturdier than it would be if you were to knit at the recommended gauge, as well as more resilient to rough and frequent wear.
What is a Bluefaced Leicester sheep?
The name Bluefaced Leicester become known at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is also known as Bluefaced Maine and Blue-headed Maine. The Bluefaced Leicester sheep were exported to Canada in the 1970s. Today the breed is raised for both meat and milk production. Their fleece is becoming increasingly popular for handspinning.
What kind of wool is blue faced Leicester?
Bluefaced Leicester. The Bluefaced Leicester is of the English Longwool type and originated near Hexham in the county of Northumberland, England, during the early 1900’s. The breed was originally developed to use in the production of high quality crossbred ewes which were pastured in the neighboring hills of the region.
When did the Bluefaced Leicester become a breed?
However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the Bluefaced Leicester was developed as an entirely new breed.
What do blue faced Leicester rams look like?
They are mainly white in color with blue face. These animals are easily recognizable by their Roman noses, which have a dark blue skin which can be seen through the white hair. And the breed is named so mainly for their face. Average body height of the Bluefaced Leicester rams is around 90 cm at the withers, and around 85 cm for the ewes.