paperback

Great reference book for spinners. ( )

Though I call myself a spinner – I’m not, really. I spin once every year or so on my little spindle, usually 3 or 4 ounces, and call it a day. I just have too many hobbies to really settle on spinning, though I promise myself regularly that I will, someday, spin for real.

When I saw this book on netgalley though I knew I had to request a review copy, because as a designer… I need to know my fibers! I think I know a fair amount about fibers, their properties, the good the bad & the ugly, about the basics… the difference between merino, or peruvian, BFL wools… but I definitely don’t know them all and I definitely don’t know all 100 sheep breeds.

The book begins with a great article on wool allergies. You can tell this is a pet peeve for the authors, and it’s a pet peeve for me, too. It drives me crazy when people say that they are allergic to wool… because really, in most cares, you aren’t… you might be sensitive to the little hairs, the lanolin or the the chemicals or the grass in the raw fiber may irritate you, but the fiber itself? Highly unlikely. I wish more people talked about this & educated the general public, because really… how do you think the poor sheep feel?

And next, of course, the 100 sheep breeds. Each one is laid out, you’ve got photos of the sheep & photos of the fiber, and the properties of the wool Think textbook / reference book – it’s not really one you are going to sit and read in an afternoon on the beach, but one you are going to study. There’s even a sentence or two about dying for each individual fiber.

My only negative with the book, which honestly can’t be helped, is the fact that each fiber is discussed very, very briefly – each one gets just 2 pages, and most of one page is the photo of the sheep. You can’t spend ten pages on 100 different sheep breeds & still publish an affordable book and average person probably doesn’t want that much information, either, so trust me, I get it. I just am greedy & want to know it all, but that just means I can research more on certain breeds elsewhere, if I so desire. This is meant as a handy reference book, and it is. ( )

This book was generously donated by Storey Publishing for review.

Are you a spinner? Do you find yourself buying fleece and only realize after you return home that it isn't right for your project or it doesn't dye how you want? Well, The Field Guide to Fleece is for you! This book is written by the same people who brought you The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook. This book focuses on 100 of the sheep/fleece that you are going to run into when you are about and about fleece shopping. The book is 6.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches, so you could bring the book with you on your fleece travels.

For each sheep, the authors give some basic information, explain the effects of dye, and explain the best uses of its fleece. Additionally, the fleece weight, staple length, fiber diameter, and natural colors for each wool is listed. Finally, there is a cute picture of the associated sheep!

This is a fantastic book for hitting sheep and fiber festivals and other places when you are not sure what sort of fleece you are going to come across. ( )