All About Corriedale
November 19, 2021Corriedale sheep are an old breed, by some accounts they were the first breed to be developed by crossing different breeds of sheep. Developed in 1882 in New Zealand, Corriedale is the result of breeding Lincoln Longwool or Leicester rams with Merino ewes. Corriedale is the second most common sheep around the world, second only to Merino, and is the most commonly raised sheep in Uruguay. Our co-founder Jay raised Corriedale sheep while attending agricultural school in Uruguay!
Mixing Merino with longwool breeds creates a slightly courser wool than pure Merino. Wool softness is measured in micron fiber diameter. The lower the micron count, the softer the wool. Corriedale generally measures between 31.5 and 24.5 microns, while the most commonly found Merino fiber measures around 18 microns. Corriedale is not a luxury fiber, but rather a solid, down-home wool perfect for keeping you warm and cozy!
We offer three bases made with this gorgeous fiber – Abuelita, Abuelito and Deseos. Abuelita and Abuelito are left in their pure, undyed color, a simple single ply that lets the goodness of this wool shine. A small portion of Corriedale sheep have brown/gray wool; we use this naturally colored wool for these bases.
Deseos, on the other hand, is a blend of 50/50 Corriedale and Polwarth superwash wool, spun using our signature plying technique. This creates a nice, sturdy yarn with that slightly heathered look we’re known for. Deseos can be dyed in any of the colorways we offer.
-
Quick ViewSelect optionsAbuelito (Worsted)
$10.00 -
Quick ViewSelect optionsAbuelita (Fingering)
$12.00 -
Quick ViewSelect optionsDeseos (DK)
$21.00
We’ve made two sweaters using our Corriedale bases:
We can’t wait to see what you make with our Corriedale yarns!
Please share with us, either on Ravelry, on Facebook or on Instagram using #madewithlaneras!