With this compact portable reference in hand, crafters can quickly and easily look up any of 100 different sheep breeds, the characteristics of their fleece, and the kinds of projects for which their fleece is best suited. Each breed profile includes a photograph of the animal and information about its origin and conservation status, as well as the weight, staple length, fiber diameter, and natural colors of its fleece. This is a great primer for beginners, and a handy guide for anyone who loves working with fleece.
Summary https://www.storey.com/books/the-fiel... "With this compact portable reference in hand, crafters can quickly and easily look up any of 100 different sheep breeds, the characteristics of their fleece, and the kinds of projects for which their fleece is best suited. Each breed profile includes a photograph of the animal and information about its origin and conservation status, as well as the weight, staple length, fiber diameter, and natural colors of its fleece. This is a great primer for beginners, and a handy guide for anyone who loves working with fleece."
I love this little book. Husband and I took time to go through the book, reading about one sheep a night. It is a good and quick reference (of only 100 sheep, there are more but it is a start) and description of the sheep, their fleece and what the best use for the fleece.
This is a great compliment to the larger Fleece and Fiber Resource Book. And it is exactly what it says that it is. It is a compact, condensed reference book of about 100 different breeds of sheep for a quick reference. It is small and light enough that you can throw it in your bag or tote for that trip to the fair or fiber fest to help make better purchase choices.
Additionally, it contains the information you need quickly and precisely figure out how to use fiber that you might already have and not had a clue about or fiber gifted to you that you have not used before. I have repeatedly pulled out my copy for quick refresher of fiber that I have or that I am looking at purchasing. I would recommend this book being part of every spinners library.
A concise and fantastic guide to 100 sheep breeds. The photos are adorable and fleece descriptions are very helpful in considering how to prepare the wool for spinning etc. Now off to order some raw fleece!
This book was generously donated by Storey Publishing for review.
Are you a spinner? Do you find yourself buying fleece and only realize after you return home that it isn't right for your project or it doesn't dye how you want? Well, The Field Guide to Fleece is for you! This book is written by the same people who brought you The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook. This book focuses on 100 of the sheep/fleece that you are going to run into when you are about and about fleece shopping. The book is 6.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches, so you could bring the book with you on your fleece travels.
For each sheep, the authors give some basic information, explain the effects of dye, and explain the best uses of its fleece. Additionally, the fleece weight, staple length, fiber diameter, and natural colors for each wool is listed. Finally, there is a cute picture of the associated sheep!
This is a fantastic book for hitting sheep and fiber festivals and other places when you are not sure what sort of fleece you are going to come across.
The Field Guide to Fleece: 100 Sheep Breeds & How to Use Their Fibers is kind of a junior edition of The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook, which was published back in 2011. FFS covered 200 fibers and FGF obviously halves that. It is not as comprehensive and is not meant to be.
FFS is a huge book, a tome I don't pull off my bookshelf using only one hand for fear of straining my wrist. It's an awesome reference book. But FGF definitely has its place on the fiber lover's bookshelf for being a more portable version of its parent. In it, you can count on quickly being able to find definitions (what's kemp again?), abbreviated breed notes, and gorgeous photos of sheep and fiber locks. The glossary is a thing of beauty.
When I'm ready to buy my first fleece at a festival, this is the book I'll have in my bag.
Thanks to netgalley for making the e-ARC available.
What's not to like about this book? It's a beautifully produced small volume that is chock full of great information about the fleece from 100 breeds of sheep. And if that's not enough info for you there's also info on breeds that are not covered in the main part of the book. Technical terms are carefully and clearly explained and even a novice can understand the information presented.
So why only 4 stars instead of 5? because I wanted more. Many of the fiber pages have room for more information and I wanted to see more of it!
Excellent guide to fleece! Small format makes it easy to transport, and I will be bringing it with me from now on when shopping for wool for spinning. Color photos, conservation status, and a small space for personal notes on every page. I made a pocket using scrapbooking paper on the inside back cover for my Shave 'Em to Save 'Em passport as well...
Excellent detail on every kind of sheep. Great reference book for knitters, spinners, felters, and crafters who use wool. Loved the pictures of the wool as well as the breeds. Makes me want to try my hand at spinning again!
Really good basic introductions to different sheep breeds and what their fleece is used for I also liked the glossary because while I am a knitter, spinning terms are not ones I am fully familiar with
Great resource for learning about breeds of sheep and what to do with their fleece. It is very much an abbreviated book, each sheep only takes a page or two.