Spinning and swatching Zwartbles: how I get to know a new yarn and fibre

A few years ago, I got some Zwartbles fleeces from a local smallholding, just a 10-minute drive from me here in south-west Wiltshire. I took a long time to skirt and sort it, and finally sent some off to a local mill to be processed – half into spinning fibre and half into yarn. Now that the wool is back, I thought I’d take you along as I spin, swatch, and sample my new batch of local Zwartbles…