Several years ago, a discussion group I belonged to decided to do a "study" of different breeds. Each member picked a breed, did research on its history, purchased raw fiber, spun some up and sent everything to another member with a small amount of money ($10-$20 if I remember). That good soul took all the information, printed it out, added a small amount of fiber to each page, created complete binders and shipped them back to each member that participated. It was a huge undertaking, but it has been an invaluable resource, as there was really nothing like is available in print...until now.

The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook: More Than 200 Fibers, from Animal to Spun Yarn from Storey Publishing is an amazing resource! This book has information about over 200 different breeds that can be used for crochet, spinning, knitting, and weaving. Its photos are amazing and I know this is going to be an invaluable resource in my fiber arts library for years to come.

The authors are certainly not new to the fiber arts industry. Deborah Robson is the former editor of Spin-Off and Carol Ekarius is the author of multiple books on livestock farming. Both Deborah and Carol live in Colorado.

I expected a hardcover reference book like this to have a list price of $50-$60; but I was pleasantly surprised to find it has a list price of $35! Storey publishing certainly kept pricing in mind, making this an easier purchase for fiber fanatics during this tough economy.

I will definitely be using this book often and will probably wind up reading it cover to cover, as I am finding all the information provided very interesting! It is definitely worth a look if you are a fellow fiber fan!