Masham Wool Top

About the fibre

Staple length: 150-380mm. Micron count 38-44.

Coarse

100g/bag

Mashams are often white, but can also be shades of grey and brown. It is excellent for spinning, with its long staple length.

Origin: United Kingdom

About the breed

Just like how with dogs we get recognizable cross breeds -- think of a Puggle, or a Golden Doodle -- pure-bred sheep are often crossed with another breed to produce certain desired results.

Such is the case with the Masham, who really is a sort of "mash-up" between a longwool ram (like a Teeswater or a Wensleydale) and a hardy North English hill breed ewe, often a Swaledale. Mashams are suited to the rugged conditions of the north of England, but their fleece has a hint of the characteristic lustre brought by the ram's genes.

Jane Cooper Orkney, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons