In Handspinning Rare Wools, Deborah Robson explores fiber from 38 rare and endangered breeds of sheep from Great Britain and North America. Her knowledge of their history and characteristics is deep, her stories are intriguing, and her passion for saving and savoring the basic materials of our craft is palpable.

In Handspinning Rare Wools, Robson covers the most interesting and vulnerable of:

• Northern European short-tailed sheep (plus an intriguing mystery breed)
• Old British breeds introduced in Roman times
• Rare English longwools
• Classic English Down breeds
• Welsh and Border breeds
• American originals
• American feral and semi-ferals.

You'll learn that washing, carding, combing, spinning, and finishing these fibers is a never-ending experiment filled with surprises. You'll see the unexpected variety - from wool that feels like jute to wool that stretches and bounces back like tiny bungees. You'll hear stories about specific sheep breeders who have made a difference - a hundred or three hundred years ago.  You'll have your ideas of fineness and softness and staple length turned on end.