Paradise Fibers Light Grey Swaledale Wool Top

Fun to spin up

Swaledale is a coarse wool that's great for rugs or outerwear. I loved the gorgeous natural and the wool was fun to spin up

Great fiber

I bought the swaledale thinking of using it for hardy items like woven rugs, which it is perfect for, by the way. However, I tried felting with it and it’s a dream for that also. I haven’t tried to spin it yet, though. I will let you know on that. Great product and always fast shipping.

Interesting wool, good for a working sweater

I like British longwools, but I hadn't tried Swaledale yet. The top is light gray in color - it's a very pleasing light sort of yellow-gray. There is a lot of kemp in this fiber, but it didn't cause problems in my test spin. The yarn spins easily. The crimp seems to be in an open, loose rhythm in this wool, and it must be at least slightly helical, because my worsted-spun test yarn fluffed up after washing. The finished yarn is medium in feel, not as coarse as the micron count would suggest. I think that a two-ply worsted spin of this top, not twisted in the spinning more tightly than necessary, will easily make a sturdy and comfortable yarn for knitting sweaters, or for weaving with. You could even knit cables successfully with it - I tried it on a knitted swatch and liked the result. The fiber is quick to spin because the staple length is reasonably long.