So this is the second part of my breed study. In my first post ( https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/inglenook.org/13 ), I introduced the project that the Oxford Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers was conducting, and as part of this, I am spinning and getting to know the qualities of the rare sheep breed- Oxford Down. This is a fantastic breed to learn to spin with, as it is very forgiving with your tension and drafting, so a really good way to boost your experience and confidence at your wheel. Plus it is lovely to know that by buying the wool from this endangered rare breed, you are helping to keep their numbers going and helping raise awareness of their fantastic fleece!
As this was only a 50g batch it has spun up really quickly, and really easily. It was already nicely cleaned and good quality, so all I had to do was card it and get spinning, which was a dream.
I woollen spun this using my wheel onto two bobbins, then plyed it together. I took it off the bobbin I had plyed it onto with a swift and have twisted it into a hank.
This was a treat to spin, especially as I am relatively new to spinning (this would be my second attempt at a skein of woollen spun yarn), so would recommend this to anyone looking to get started. My first batch of fluff was a bit of a mystery, as my Mum gave it to me to get started on and have a go. This was a wool and silk mix of some concoction and contained silk nubs. If you are trying to get as thin and even a spin as possible, nubs are not your friend. But I didn’t really know this at the time, so was painstakingly trying to combine them into an even bit of thread…and not getting very far. This isn’t using them to their full potential as they are wonderful to create bobbles of fluff for more of an art yarn effect, which is really how they would perform best. So to go from this to the Oxford Down wool was a real shock, as the latter was wonderfully easy to draft and create an even strand of wool with.
In terms of knitting up an item to use, I would consider it for outer garments or useful objects, as it could feel quite coarse for some. I know that I am more lenient with rustic yarns next to skin, as 1) I love them, so doggedly put up with any scratching, and 2) don’t seem to be as bothered as others anyway by the feel of a rustic piece of knitwear. I do believe the look of a finished piece, especially if they hold a cable or textured stitch well, often outstrips any sense of skin delicacy for me, particularly as this can just serve as an excuse to purchase yet another ethically-sourced merino vest for under a jumper, or some fine knit fingered gloves to go under some chunky finger-less wrist warmers.
So this is the finished skein, which I am really happy with! Just need to think of a good swatch pattern to show it off (maybe including cables?) This will go into the Guild’s archive of breed studies with a detailed description of how it was spun. I could always do some cables and knitting bobbles on my swatch to show it off a bit…but thinking on it, may have gone off these and anything uneven in my yarn for now…
– but is somewhere that I think is really important to who we are and what we want to be doing in the day-to-day. 
Inglenook 