In Sheep's Clothing: A Handspinner's Guide to Wool Reviews

• A wonderful reference book

  
  By A3O8MEKPGG8KHP on 1999-12-06
  This is a wonderful reference book for handspinners. It covers many sheep breeds, giving descriptions of the fleece (staple length, quality rating, typical uses, and even a photo of a lock for about 90% of the breeds). As a beginning handspinner, I found this to be indispensible information, since most of the stuff I've managed to find about sheep breeds has been directed at livestock types. I appreciated the technique sections, since they scratched the surface of matching your spinning style to the fleece. If you are trying to get a good idea of how to consciously select appropriate wool and technique for your projects, this is the place to start. The only thing I would change would be to have color photos, and more of them - particularly in the colored fleece section.
  
  

• Very useful reference book for handspinners.

  
  By on 1999-09-01
  This book is a guide to the wool of common and uncommon breeds of sheep: 94 breeds in all. It is divided into four main sections (fine wools, long wools, down wools and other wools). Each section begins with a few pages on general characteristics of wools in that category, typical uses for them, suggestions for washing and processing, and a handy chart comparing the main characteristics of each breed covered. Then each breed is presented seperately, with a photograph of a lock, information on fiber diameter in microns, spinning counts, staple length, fleece weight, etc., followed by a textual description of the wool and its uses. There are also a couple of chapters with good basic information on handspinning, though since anyone who buys this book probably already owns several spinning texts, I wish they would have used the space for photos of sheep or perhaps swatches. Still, anyone tempted to mail order a fleece will find this book useful; it can also help you realize that the sheep common to your area may have interesting wool. No information is given on locating fleeces, but that is understandable. Recommended.
  
  

• In Sheep's Clothing

  
  By A16I1IWUFH3A61 on 2001-03-09
  I found this to be a wonderful reference. I have many books on knitting and some on spinning, but this was something very different and a great resource. In this book I learned a lot about the differences in the fiber, making me think more carefully about what I wanted to do with the wool and whether or not it would meet my needs. I have found myself coming back to it time and again looking up various pieces of information. A "must have" resource for the spinner and fiber enthusiast.
  
  

• Interesting but not for beginners

  
  By ASYS72RKZRH6W on 2004-04-29
  When I bought this I was a beginner, and to put it mildly, I was underwhelmed. I thought this book would describe the fleeces in such a way as to help me select fleeces to spin. The problem was, my own knowledge at the time was so meager, the book was not helpful. Now that I know more, it is a lot more helpful.

  The book is divided into sections, such as "fine wools" like Merino, and "longwools" like Lincoln. Each breed is alloted a picture of a lock of wool, a brief description of the history of the breed, and where that breed tends to be found on the planet. Some of the breeds show a picture of an individual sheep, but most of them just show a lock of fleece.

  This is a great reference if you are considering buying fleeces or animals from a breed with which you have no familiarity. It's also a good book if you want to know a little about the history of diverse breeds. However, there is not much detail on any of it.
  
  

• Noble effort, great idea, disappointing in the end

  
  By A2Z4PB9O75XIR on 2007-01-16
  I've had this book for a number of years and I've returned to it for information concerning different types of wool. I believe that this book is supposed to help a spinner choose a fleece when purchasing either whole or partial fleeces for spinning. However, I've been disappointed that the information is too incomplete to be really helpful in that respect and the format isn't conducive to quick cross referencing or making comparisons.
  
  At the beginning of the book there is a short primer on wools, in general. There is also a short explanation of woolen vs. worsted yarn and the different types of fleece, whether fine wools, long wools, or down wools. I'm not sure why this information is being given in a book that appears to be directed at a spinner who has sufficient experience to consider purchasing an entire fleece.
  
  The authors give a very nice summary, or reference guide at the beginning of each chapter that rates the softness, elasticity, staple length luster and felting properties. I liked the chart format here. If the information for each fiber type had been summarized in this format throughout the book, it would have made it more of an "at-a-glance" type of reference and the spinner could have made comparisons between fibers.
  
  The photos show a lock of each type of fleece against a contrasting background, several sample projects from each division of fiber and now and then, a photo of an animal. The information is short and covers only the basics. There are suggestions for possible uses for each type of fiber. I appreciate that, especially considering that the authors are attempting to describe something that only a hands-on experience can confirm. To only see pictures of single locks isn't nearly enough to get a good idea of what a type of fiber is like. It's kind of like trying to describe what an orange tastes like without actually getting to taste one. To actually make this book more user friendly, I've put all of the Louet wool sample cards that I could get my hands on in with the appropriate pages. It makes the book easier to use if I can actually touch a sample of what is being described.
  
  If this book had a photo of each type of animal, both before shearing and in full fleece, along with the fiber photos, I would place a higher value on it. As it is, I use this book as a starting point and go to the internet or library to find out more information on a breed type or a fleece type. To be honest, finding detailed information about all breeds of fiber producing sheep in one single volume is impossible, so I know I'm asking a lot. To find samples of each type of fiber is an heroic task as well, so I understand how difficult it is to produce what I'm asking. However, it seems that the authors went to a lot of work to research and photograph all of these types of fiber, only to leave out about half of what they had to have learned during their research.
  
  Throughout the book, there are suggestions for specialized spinning techniques and possible uses for each type of fiber. The book ends with a short primer on hand carding, hand combing and spinning. Again, I'm confused as to why beginner information is being included in a volume that appears to target the more experienced spinner.
  
  Overall, I think this is a noble effort, but it falls short of being the spectacular volume it could have been. Including animal photos and extending the information to cover more than the bare bones would have been a wonderful addition. It would have also raised the price astronomically. Condensing the information into chart form for a spinner to use for the purposes of comparison and contrast would have been a practical addition. I use this book and I will always have it as part of my library, but it's just not the reference I was hoping for.
  
  
• In Sheep's Clothing
  By A3432EDWSOY62I on 2005-10-16
  this book is a fabulous guide for any handspinner looking for specific qualities of wool. as a shepherd it also has given me the ability of compare breeds for future lamb purchases. It has a very professional approach to understanding wool from a knitter, weaver and handspinners point of view.
  
  
• A must for the spinner, especially a newbie!
  By A1LLOMC3WU8I1L on 2006-08-23
  After you have "gotten your feet wet" in the spinning world, you'll be looking for a book with a good explanation of the different types of wool that are available. (Looking even at ebay for wool fleece to buy and spin, will even make you totally confused! This book is a wonderful reference I look to all of the time for explanations of different types of wool, complete with pictures. After all, you wouldn't want to buy wool that was good only for a rug, when you want to spin wool for a sweater!
  This book gives you good info about the different types of breeds, etc. This book lives on my computer desk!
  
  
• Way Cool Book for Spinners and Weavers
  By A2VDEDH8GCJHY8 on 2007-03-22
  Amazing book that details the different types of sheep and the types and quality of wool that they produce. Now when I go to Maryland Sheep and Wool festival, I'll better understand what I'm looking at, and understand better what wools will satisfy my requirements.
  
  
• In Sheep's Clothing
  By A1GAT6FN2Q6SH7 on 2007-07-31
  In Sheep's Clothing: A Handspinner's Guide to Wool
  Absolutely essential for handspinners that are deciding on which sheep breed to buy.
  
  
• Wonderful information about sheep's wool!
  By A28DOTXUWFGFBK on 2008-07-02
  This book is a must for the spinner who wants to spin natural wool straight from the sheep. It not only describes each variety of sheep, but has tables that make it very easy to compare the various breeds for their different characteristics. It is an invaluable reference.
  
  

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