Claret pig's wool

[wsbailey]

Claret pig's wool for Leisenring's Great Red Spinner.

[daringduffer]

I know of Belgian Blue but where do they breed Claret pigs??

dd

[wsbailey]

At a vinyard.

[daringduffer]

Seems reasonable. Didn't think of that.

dd

[letumgo]

Bill,

Is this your private stash, or is part of a batch your planning to sell?

BTW, that looks like the ultimate isonychia body material.

[wsbailey]

I have 12 colors of pig's wool that will soon be available as soon as I mail them to FeathersMC. I've been very cautious with my supply because I am running low. I still have some dark wool that can be bleached but not light enough for light blue for example. With the colder weather unfortunately the dyeing season is ending.

[Mike62]

Pigs wool; I wish I had a better imagination. Along with my Highland cattle, I raised Mangalista pigs for a few years. It never occurred to me to try and tie with all that wonderful hair they posses. There was a moment, we were working on a sow that had a gash on her side and we were using iodine as part of the process. The hair around the wound was white and I remember the color change that the iodine made on the hair was remarkable. I wish I had had the presence of mind to take some for tying.

[wsbailey]

Polly Rosborough wrote that for a fly tyer it's all grist for the mill. I got my Mangalitsa hair from a farm in England. Then they sold the herd. I can't seem to get anyone in the US to sell me any even though I offer them a lot for it. I have quite a bit of Highland cattle hair. It was mentioned in some of the old Scottish fly tying books. Here is some I dyed for Skues BWO nymph.

[Mike62]

I almost wish I still had Mangalista's. Almost. Over-wintering pigs in this extreme climate is brutal, for both man and pig. The Highland's never seemed to mind the cold and their hair is wonderful stuff. The under-fur makes for some great dubbing possibilities especially when blended with the different colors of cows we used to get.