Icelandic Breed Study, Take Two
Icelandic is quite a fascinating breed. It's dual coated, meaning it has a soft inner coat called þel, and a longer, harsher outercoat known as tog. Often the two layers are separated and spun for two distinct types of yarn. Or they can be spun together, to produce a lofty, warm and waterproof yarn known as Lopi. Because the outercoat is included the yarn is not particularly next to the skin soft, still it makes great sweater yarn. My first round of Icelandic didn't give me the best impression of the breed. However I had an understanding that it was not quite representative of the breed. The second round was sampled from a fleece bought by Connie of Praxis Fiber Workshop (Cleveland, OH). Oxbow Orchard is located in Valley View Ohio. Connie was able to visit the local farm, meet the sheep and chose the fleece. As usual, I didn't completely scour my fleece. Among my love of spinning in the grease, I also know that Icelandic felts magnificently---and I didn't want to
