Blue Face Leicester sheep are a British longwool breed. Like many sheep breeds, they are in danger of disappearing and they are considered a rare breed. They get their name from the fact that many of them have black skin and white hair on their face, giving it a bluish tinge.
I couldn't get over their curly, soft locks.
Almost compulsively, I found myself sinking my hands into the fleece every time I saw one. I loved their big roman faces. They are very "sheepy" looking to me.
I went early to the fleece sale and searched the tables for one. I found 2 rather sad, dirty BFL fleeces and a 3rd that cost about $200 for 3 lbs.
So I took off to sweet-talk a fleece off a sheep. Or a farmer, rather. I didn't find one until late in the afternoon, and it was still attached to the sheep. His name was Cadfael, and he was a year old ram from Wits End Farm. They had a few rather stunning sheep, but this guy stood out to be my BFL fleece. He was due to be sheared shortly after the festival, and I made arrangements with Mr. Cody to purchase his fleece.
A few weeks later, he arrived in the mail:
Browns and grays and creams oh my!
I did card some samples to spin. This is going to be a big project. All those little tiny curls will have to be picked out before it is carded. Luckily, BFL don't really have huge fleeces, so I've only got 2 lbs to do!
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