spin-off magazine summer 2009

f i b e r
b a s i c s
I
was first introduced to the wool of C
­ alifornia
Variegated Mutant (CVM) sheep at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival some years ago. Since
only commercially spun yarn was available, I was
left to wonder what the fleece was like to work with
and what the sheep looked like. A few years went
by before I heard of some CVM sheep in Etna, New
Hampshire (less than 20 miles from my home in
Vermont). This was my opportunity to view the
sheep and buy a fleece to see what the fiber was like.
At first sight, I was drawn to the unusual markings on the sheep’s faces and the beautiful colors
of the wool. There were grays, blacks, and browns,
with many variations in each fleece. I could not
­resist purchasing several fleeces. Upon arrival at
home, I began examining the raw wool more closely and was amazed at the amount of crimp and how
soft the wool was. The gray fleece had such a tight
crimp it behaved like a rubber band. I measured a
CVM and Romeldales at Yellow Creek Cottage, Medina, Ohio. lock in its relaxed state at 3 inches, but when the
­fiber was stretched to its full length, it measured
5 inches. Not only would this make a soft, resilient
yarn, but it would also lend itself well to blending
with those exotic fibers that lack elasticity or crimp.
According to the American Livestock Breeds
Conservancy (www.albc-usa.org), CVM and Rom­
el­dale sheep may be considered two versions of a
single breed; the CVM is a multicolored derivative
(mutant) of the Romeldale. The Conservancy also
lists them as endangered and seeks to make the public aware of their uniqueness. Because the California
Variegated Mutant is the only breed developed in
the United States specifically for the handspinning
industry, it is worthwhile looking at this rare breed
more closely. Understanding the gene pool from
which the breed developed from will help us better
b y R o b i n R u s s o understand its wool characteristics.
z
Fiber Basics:
CVM —
otherwise known
as California
Variegated Mutant
History
A CVM colored
lamb at Yellow
Creek Cottage.
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Romeldale Sheep
In 1915, a California sheep breeder named A. T.
Spencer bred New Zealand Marsh Romney rams
with his American Rambouillet ewes in an attempt
to upgrade the quality of his Rambouillet flock.
Mr. Spencer’s Rambouillet sheep had been previously bred to Corriedale sheep to further enhance
their meat and wool qualities. The New Zealand
Marsh Romneys were purchased at the Pan American Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915.
These Romneys had a different genetic base than
the Romney we have in this country today. When
crossed with Rambouillets, the resulting breed was
called Romeldale, and it was well established by
the 1950s.
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This new breed produced a fleece
with a longer staple and an improved
carcass for the meat industry. Romeldales
are open-faced with some wool on the
forehead. They have ears that are generally horizontal. They are sturdy sheep,
with rams weighing 225 to 275 pounds
and ewes weighing 140 to 175 pounds.
The ewes are prolific and live long lives.
They are also excellent mothers and easily raise twins, which are common to this
breed. Each sheep grows 8 to 15 pounds
of wool annually with an average yield
of 65 percent (35 percent of the weight
of the fleece is lost or discarded as lanolin and vegetation). The fleece is dense
and uniform with a staple of 3 to 6 inches and a Bradford count of 64s to 60s.
The wool has a well-defined, tight crimp
from base to tip and no kemp (kemp is
the short, brittle, coarse fiber found in
some fleece). Romeldales were originally kept white
by culling colored lambs. That is no longer the case,
and Romeldales can be white or colored. The naturally colored Romeldales can be solid or can exhibit many patterns and spotting. They come in white,
gray, black, brown, and moorit (soft brown). The
many shades of brown range from oatmeal to chocolate to red Irish Setter brown. Both CVMs and
Romeldales can exhibit many color changes on one
lock of wool, which makes beautiful tweed yarns.
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Washed CVM
locks.
Breeders refer to this as color-change banding.
CVM sheep
During the 1970s, Glen Eidman and Hank Sexton further developed the Romeldale breed when
Glen Eidman discovered a colored ewe lamb and
shortly thereafter, a colored ram lamb in his allwhite flock of Romeldales. Both of these colored
lambs had the same coloration patterns referred to
as badger-faced (dark muzzle and eyes, with a light
stripe from the muzzle to the eyes). Subsequent offspring also had this unique color pattern. For fifteen
years, Eidman concentrated on developing the distinctive genetics found in the CVM today. In 1984,
he sold his flock of seventy-five sheep, thereby introducing this gene pool to other breeders. For
more detailed information on CVM markings,
please visit the National CVM Conservancy
website, www.nationalcvmconservancy.com.
Today there are less than twenty-five breeders in
the United States, but they are well organized, and
information about the breed and the breeders can
be located at the American Romeldale/CVM Registry (ARCR). They maintain the most complete
herd sire and prodigy records since the time that
Glen ­Eidman originally dispersed his flock. Sheep
in this registry must be traceable back to the original animals in the ARCR registry. The American
Romeldale/CVM Association (ARCA) also regis-
At left, CVM locks
and rolags.
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CVM top from
Zeilingers.
Sample 1:
1. CVM/silk
blended batt,
2. silk skein, and
3. swatch.
3
2
1
ters crossbred animals that display the patterning
for the CVM/Romeldale and keeps a list of breeders that can be accessed through their website. Both
ARCR and the National CVM Conservancy work
hand in hand to bring about awareness of this breed
and support breeders who are interested in purebred
CVM/Romeldales.
CVM sheep have the same standards as Romel­
dale sheep, except they must have the badger markings (dark muzzle and eyes with a stripe from the
muzzle to the eyes) and/or dark legs or underbelly.
They come in black, gray, brown, and moorit, and
the fleeces are likely to have multiple colors within
them. Importantly, unlike most sheep whose color
lightens with age, the CVM color darkens from birth
to the first year. CVMs are hardy, curious, friendly,
and easy to handle, and they mature early.
Washing the wool
Most fine wools have a high grease or lanolin
content, and CVM is no exception. If the lanolin is
not removed, the dry fiber becomes tacky (sticky) in
a very short time. This tackiness makes it difficult to
get a satisfactory fiber preparation and inhibits the
ability to draft the fiber evenly when handspinning.
Although it is a little more challenging to wash
fine wool, taking a few precautions will help ensure that the wool gets squeaky clean the first time
it is washed. To wash the CVM, place 6 to 8 ounces of greasy wool in a zippered lingerie bag and immerse it in a bucket or tub of very hot water (125°F)
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with Kookaburra wool scouring formula. I have also
used Orvus Paste, another scouring agent, which is
available at most feed or tack stores. There are other agents available, and it is worth exploring these
products and their availability in your area. Let the
wool soak for 15 minutes and then drain off the
very dirty water. It is important not to let the water
cool significantly because this could cause the lanolin to attach back onto the fiber. Lift the bag in and
out of the water a few times during this 15-minute
soak. Do not agitate the wool. Fill the bucket again
with the same temperature water and a very small
amount of Kookaburra wool scour and let it soak
once again (lifting the bag occasionally and placing
it back in the bucket). Finally, drain off this liquid
and fill the bucket for the last time with equally hot
water for a rinse. Squeeze the bag gently after draining to remove as much dirty liquid as possible and
then place it in the rinse water and let it soak for 10
minutes, lifting the bag occasionally to see what the
water looks like. This one rinse should be sufficient
to remove any remaining dirt and scouring agent. If
the water is still murky after the rinse, then do one
additional rinse. Squeeze the liquid out for the last
time and set aside the clean fiber on a towel to dry
overnight.
Carding
When playing with a new and unfamiliar fleece,
I always put it through its paces with a variety of
­fiber preparation devices. Since CVM is fine wool,
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you will want to use fine carding equipment. I began with handcards that are intended for fine wool.
This means that the card clothing (canvas or rubber backing embedded with wire teeth) has 119
teeth per inch or more. I knew immediately upon
charging the carders that the gray fleece with the
very elastic qualities would be a challenge to prepare. With a little persuasion, I was able to produce
a decent rolag but knew that this form of fiber preparation would not suit me. I then used the same
handcards with the brown fleece and was able to
produce a good rolag very quickly, as the crimp on
the brown fleece was not as tight.
The next step was done on my Strauch Petite
drumcarder with brush attachment. Prior to feeding
the fiber onto the carding machine, I picked it well
by hand to get the locks opened up. I put the fiber
through the drumcarder three times and was very
pleased with the result.
Combing
Since I enjoy combing wool and prefer the
smoother look of the worsted yarns, I pulled out
several types of combs to see which ones would
work best on this fiber. Because the fiber is less than
5 inches long, the loss would be too great if I used
my 5-pitch, English-style combs, so all my experi-
menting was done with 2-pitch (double row) handheld Viking-style combs. I tried both fleeces with
Forsyth minicombs, Louet minicombs, and St.
Blaise combs. All three sets of combs worked, but
the loss (amount to be discarded) was too great. I
decided the best remedy would be to put the fibers
through my drumcarder first and then comb from
the batt. This worked well and left me with very
small amounts of waste.
Sample 3:
1. CVM/alpaca
blended top,
2. CVM/alpaca
skein, 3. swatch.
2
3
Spinning
When seated at my wheel, I had to remind myself
that I was working with a shorter fiber than usual.
The supported long-draw technique that I tend to
use with the high-luster wools was more challenging with the CVM. I changed to worsted-style spinning and was able to exercise more control over the
yarn. Because of the high crimp, the wool spun easily into a very light and resilient yarn even though
I was using a worsted technique. The yarn was
smooth but had lots of bounce. This yarn also
resists pilling.
1
Sample 2: 1. CVM/
mohair blended batt,
2. CVM/mohair yarn,
3. swatch.
1
2
Blending
3
Because I enjoy working with exotic fibers, I
always keep a watchful eye for wools that blend
well with those fibers. I knew immediately that
CVM would work well. It is soft, crimpy, and an
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Sample 4: 1. CVM/
angora blended top,
2. CVM/angora
skein, 3. angora
swatch.
2
3
1
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ideal length. In addition, the numerous natural
colors of CVM enhance the beauty of the naturalcolored luxury fibers. I chose four fibers for blending: alpaca, mohair, silk, and angora.
Sample 1
I chose ½ ounce of dark brown CVM and put
the wool through my drumcarder twice. Then on
the third time through the drumcarder, I added ½
ounce of bombyx silk in layers with the wool. This
silk was cut into 4-inch lengths before blending.
The fourth time through made enough of a blend
to retain a few areas where the silk would show
through on the yarn and give the yarn a little character. Had I wanted a total blend of the two fibers,
a fifth time through the carder would have accomplished that. This yarn measures 14 wraps per inch.
Sample 2
Next I picked (with my hands) ½ ounce of light
brown CVM and ½ ounce of light brown natural-colored kid mohair together, being careful to
make sure the locks of each type of fiber were sufficiently opened up. Processing these fibers together
through my drumcarder three times yielded a lovely batt. I spun the batt woolen-style, creating a light
but bulky yarn. The halo effect from the mohair developed as I knitted up the swatch. The tight crimp
of the CVM will help prevent the mohair from shedding or slipping out of the yarn. This yarn measures
8 wraps per inch.
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Sample 3
Next I blended ½ ounce of light gray CVM
and ½ ounce of light gray alpaca together once on
my drumcarder. Using my St. Blaise combs, I made
combed top from this batt. I spun the yarn with
a supported short-draw technique and the result
was a light, smooth yarn that measures 11 wraps
per inch.
Sample 4
For this final sample, I picked ½ ounce of light
gray CVM with ½ ounce of light gray English Angora rabbit fur together and then put them through
my drumcarder twice. I could see that they were not
blending well because of the tight crimp on the gray
CVM wool, so I used the batt to charge my Louet
minicombs and was able to get a wonderful blend of
the two fibers. I spun this with a worsted technique,
and the yarn measures 14 wraps per inch. I knew
that the angora fibers would halo or bloom as I
knitted the yarn into a sample.
It has been a treat to play with the fiber of the
CVM. I am already dreaming about my next fleece.
I think I will go for one of those Irish Setter reds.
Wouldn’t that make a great sweater? z
Robin Russo lives in Bradford,Vermont, where she spins, felts, dyes,
and knits and spends as much time as she can with family and other
fiber-loving individuals. Robin would like to give many thanks to
Chris Spitzer at Yellow Creek Cottage for sharing her considerable
knowledge about CVM/Romeldale sheep and providing pictures of
her farm and animals. www.yellowcreekcottage.com.
R esources
American Livestock Breeders Conservancy, www.albc-usa.org.
American Romeldale/CVM Registry (ARCR), www.national
cvmconservancy.com.
American Romeldale/CVM Association (ARCA), www
.arcainc.org.
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