The staple length is 4-5" as seen by this photo of the raw (unwashed) lock, but the tips didn't come clean after two washings and ended up breaking, so I cut them off, giving a final clean, trimmed fiber length of ~3-3.5".
My oldest daughter and I picked through the wool, cutting the tips and loosening the fibers, in preparation for drum carding. It was the first time she has helped me with this and it was fun to see her interest in the process! After a few evenings of picking, we were ready to card.
And look what the drum carder produced! Aren't these batts beautiful! My youngest called these rolled up batts "hotdogs" and after she grew tired of cranking the drum carder started playing with the scrap bits of wool to make her own "hotdogs". All three kids came and helped me card. I felt like Tom Sawyer getting paid to let his friends whitewash the fence! Each of these batts required three passes on the drum carder to get them nice and even. I don't think my elbows could have managed this one without my helpers! Hooray for kids who like to help!
And, finally, here is a photo of the yarn. I was aiming for a big and lofty yarn. It's big, it's lofty....but it's not very even! I spun this on my Louet S70. The treadling action was different enough (and I probably sat in a chair at the wrong height) that my knee started complaining at the end. I feel like my body is getting old! (My dad reminded my last night that old age isn't for sissies....dooh. I may be in trouble over the next few years!)My take on spinning Hampshire wool? It was wonderful! The wool was springy, and reasonably soft, and a pleasure to use! Hooray for new-to-me sheep breeds!
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