Rambouillet - Merino's sporty French Cousin

This weekend, I went to a wine tasting where half a dozen distributors showcased wines from France, Italy, and the United States. I’ve always been intrigued by the French concept of Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, the system that governs where and how certain things are produced. Under these rules, a Cabernet-Merlot blend is only called a Bordeaux if it’s made within the Bordeaux region. There are even smaller areas within a region that carry their own appellations, known as châteaux, each with strict requirements about the quality and style of the wine bearing the name. 

I am not an expert on wine, but I’m learning, and I love the idea of tasting a Bordeaux beside a California Cabernet Sauvignon to explore how place and process shape flavor and texture. I mean, how different is it, really?

So what does all this have to do with yarn? Quite a lot, actually.

Take Juniper Moon Farm’s new yarn, Rambouillet. I had always thought Rambouillet was just an American Merino,  but being the yarn nerd that I am, I did a deep dive. I found a story that began in 18th-century France and continues today in the plains of the American West.

The Origins of Rambouillet Sheep

Rambouillet sheep are a fine-wool breed with royal roots. In 1786, King Louis XVI imported a small flock of Spanish Merino sheep to his estate in Rambouillet, just outside Paris. Spain had long held a monopoly on fine Merino wool, but the French king wanted to create a domestic source of wool. Over the next several decades, the flock was carefully bred to adapt to France’s cooler climate producing a sheep with a denser fleece and a higher crimp.

Like French wine, the breed took its name from the place. Rambouillet combined the softness of Merino with a little more resilience and loft, and the fiber became prized across Europe. In 1840, it was introduced to America where its dense coat and ability to survive on sparse vegetation made it perfect for the rugged conditions of the American West.

Rambouillet vs. Merino: What’s the Difference?

Fiber Diameter and Staple Length

Both Rambouillet and Merino are classified as fine wools, typically measuring 17.5–24 microns in fiber diameter. Both have staple length between 2” and 5” making them equally soft and luxurious.

Crimp and Elasticity

Rambouillet fleece has a high crimp frequency and a more irregular crimp than Merino. That crimp structure traps lots of air making Rambouillet lofty and warm with a decidedly squooshy feel. That crimp also gives Rambouillet more natural stretch and recovery for a bouncy feel as you knit. It feels lively in your hand.

Hand and Performance

Both Merino and Rambouillet are soft enough for next to the skin wear and have a lovely lustrous feel. Merino may have a bit of an edge in sheen, but a lot depends on how it is spun.. Some say Rambouillet has a slightly longer staple which would give it more durability, but I did not find definitive factual evidence to support that claim.

Juniper Moon Farm Rambouillet

Juniper Moon Farm Rambouillet celebrates everything that makes this fiber so fabulous. It’s spun in Italy from 100% American-grown Rambouillet wool. The result is a worsted-spun yarn that feels smooth and refined, yet full of body and bounce. This was my first experience knitting with 100% Rambouillet, and I will say that there is something inexplicably compelling about this yarn.

We brought in a beautifully wearable palette of neutrals that felt like natural sheep colors and seemed to honor the fiber. Swatching was, as I mentioned, a pure joy. I didn’t want to put this yarn down. It’s happy on a variety of gauges, thanks to that bounce, and makes a beautifully even fabric.

What to Knit with Rambouillet

This yarn is perfect for most everything, except maybe socks. Because this fiber is lofty with great stitch definition, cabled pullovers, and fabrics with a lot of stitch patterning feel less heavy than they might in other yarns. Larger garments will hold their shape well. Here are a couple of garments I think would be perfect in Rambouillet.

Whether you’re drawn to Juniper Moon Farms Rambouillet by the feel and look or by the fact that it’s American grown, I know you will love it. Join me this week on YouTube as I share my swatches and showcase more patterns that would be a perfect paring for this yarn.

WHave you knit with Rambouillet? Tell me in the comments what you think.

Warmly,
Ellen