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!
I was at work, when my husband called and told me, a new book had arrived from Storey. I told him to open the package and let me know what kind of book it was. So he did and told me the title. Can I just say: DAY MADE!!!!
I could not wait to get home and actually have a look at the book.
To say it's brilliant would be an understatement!
Let's start by the outward look of the book. It is small enough to fit in my purse, which is pretty much where it will live from now on. Ok, I should clarify: I am not a super girlie girl and carry purses, so I can CARRY stuff, not to have "the perfect accessory". SO my purses are a bit bigger than a cell phone, or a credit card. The books size is about comparable to a small softcover dime store novel. It will work, alongside my spindle, or knitting project.
The soft cover makes me worry ab it about it, at the same time I think it is better for dragging it around with me everywhere and having it in my purse and possibly in my pockets. A softcover is definitely better than a hardcover in your pockets.
I plan on using this guide A LOT, so the binding is giving me a little concern. The pages are glued. True, I like it better than those blasted ring bound books, where the pages are want to rip out eventually when you carry them with you, but it does make me worry about it coming undone eventually from use. But this is a long way off, hopefully and I don't have to worry about it until then.
Moving on to the content:
The book does not waste much time with page upon page of introductions. It goes right to the point. I LOVE THAT! I have a bit of a problem with the Wool allergy blurb. To say that almost all people that are saying they are allergic, are really not is a bit hard to swallow and without being a doctor I would not want to make a sweeping statement like that. Either way, I do agree that some people call it an allergy, but mean sensitive skin.
Page 12 is already right down to the bones of what the book is really about. THE SHEEP BREADS! See? The pages are full of information you actually were looking for when you bought the book! I LOVE THIS! I wish more books would be like that! I quote: "We love Wool, we love sheep, that's why we wrote the fleece and fibre source book." end quote. See? Short and sweet and oh, so to the point.
Every sheep breed has a two page display. The name of the breed and a clear picture of what this breed looks like on the left side, and a clipped lock and more information on the right side. There also is a measuring tape pictured with each lock, so you have and idea of staple length. The pictures are wonderfully clear. With this guide in hand, I would trust myself to pick out different breeds from a mixed herd.
I love the bits of history on how the breed came to be, the descriptions of the fibre are actually making sense and are telling you something. (I hate when in cookbooks for example it says: Nutty flavor. It means nothing to me.... It's like saying: It' tastes like chicken....) I LOVE the little note on how this fibre takes dye! VERY informative and the bit on best uses is just awesome! It really rounds out the information about the fibre perfectly and gives you a great idea of what it might feel like!
Last but not least: There are 100 sheep breeds listed in this book! Trust me, even a seasoned spinner and fiber artist cannot possibly know everything about all these breeds by heart and I know for certain I haven't spun with half of them! Yes, I have used exotic fibres lie camel and yak, but seriously, THERE ARE A TON OF SHEEP BREEDS I NEED TO GET TO! It is intriguing to just read and think what you could do with the fibre of this particular breed, or that. I know for sure it has gotten me into looking a bit closer for different breeds and passing this new-found sampling-habit on to our customers at the shop. I will definitely try my hardest to bring them handspun fibre of more than just merino and alpaca from now on! GET READY FOR SOME FUN STUFF, MY FRIENDS!!!!
In my opinion, this book is a great little tag-along for any fibre enthusiast, new or seasoned. I am glad I have it and I most likely will not be seen without it from here on out.
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.