7 rich earthy colors of soft, lofty Ashford Corriedale sliver. This is Ashford's "Furry Friends" mix, one of 11 different Ashford small Corriedale sampler assortments. Furry Friends includes white, grey, chocolate, butterscotch, toffee, cookie, and liquorice.

Since there is so much variation in common/regional usage fo names of fiber preps, I like to give a bit of detail on the prep, especially when it varies from the typical examples I see. The more typical "sliver" I encounter in the U.S. is a flatter, thinner product that is simply a somewhat drafted roving (a carded product, but more uniform and parallel in arrangement than plain roving). However, Ashford's sliver is a lofty *combed* product that straddles the line between roving and most commercial top, making it a wonderful choice for both spinning and felting. Combing is a further processing step that removes the short bits and produces a parallel arrangement and more uniform staple length. While combed top is a very common preparation, Ashford's version is much loftier and less dense than average, closer to the product you get from a smaller custom mill like Zeilinger in the U.S. But Ashford calls it sliver, so I'm sticking with their name. The last images gives you a detail of the prep, which you can see looks like most combed top, only a bit loftier and not as wide/compressed a rope.

I find this prep very easy to spin or felt as-is, and it's easier for a beginning spinner to draft than the more common commercial combed top products.

This kit was assembled with needle deleted animals in mind, but it’s also a lovely neutral spin.

This is Corriedale wool, a great all-purpose breed averaging 29/30 micron. Although the Ashford sliver is quite soft, to my touch, Corriedale’s not quite soft enough next to tender neck skin, but it works beautifully in a mitten, or for layering pieces like cardigans and warm shawls.

This is a smaller assortment than some of the samplers we offer, making it ideal for needle-felting projects or experimenting with a unified range of color in a single skein of yarn. If you want to explore new techniques, this is the perfect amount and variation to complete a project without getting overwhelmed. It's also an economical, efficient way to broaden your color range as you build out your fiber stash.