Wool: A work in progress

[Elen Sentier]

Thing is, I have no sense of smell to speak of, so I don't really notice the sheepy smell all that much.

A lot less sheepy smell now it's washed

 

[Harvestman]

Well HM did a quite reasonable job of 1/3 of his fleece in about 2 hours, so that's 6 hours/fleece, and 3 fleeces = 18 hours. It would take me a couple of days to spin one of those fleeces (assuming I sat and did nothing else all day which is unlikely!). It will take HM at least 3 times as long as he's never really spun yet. Then a few more hours to ply the spun yarn. Then however long to knit it into something. If we decide to weave it will be a whole lot longer as neither of us are experts in that! We'd only be flat-frame (picture) weaving - if we had to set up a loom you could add another 3 days even for an experienced weaver !!! Now you see why hand-crafted woolies are so expensive? If you paid us at the minimum wage it would still cost an arm and a leg

The thread is really good fun to do, I'm loving it and I do hope it inspires other folk to have a go. It is important that more people know how to do it and, in any case, to wear comfortable, effective, handsome clothes you've made yourself is a real feel-good factor

another 4 hours carding, then at least six days spinning, plus some more hours plying. Then learning to knit and/or weave. I feel tired already!

Then you mention comfortable, effective, handsome clothes! Oh, right, no pressure then.

I'm going for a lie down in a dark room.

After all, it is my bedtime.

 

[Elen Sentier]

another 4 hours carding, then at least six days spinning, plus some more hours plying. Then learning to knit and/or weave. I feel tired already!
Then you mention comfortable, effective, handsome clothes! Oh, right, no pressure then.
I'm going for a lie down in a dark room.
After all, it is my bedtime.

Ditto

 

[Harvestman]

Just a quick update here. I was back to Elen's today for more carding drudgery, in exchange for a sumptuous meal of local lamb and beans, two cups of tea, and two homemade ginger biscuits.

Given that it was my own fleece I was working on I think I got the best of the deal, although I did hand over some foraged wild herbs and a couple of presents for the lovely young Elen.

It seems my carding is getting better. Today's output felt better, looked better, and was a whole lot easier. I will probably re-do the first batch as it isn't very good on a second look. Here's the output for today.

When she wasn't cooking me gorgeous meals, Elen was busy playing with some Leicester Blue wool. Amongst the muttered curses she seemed to be making progress, although as she was spinning it was all above my pay grade.

Elen produced today's mystery object. Would anyone outside the wool-spinning fraternity care to hazard a guess as to its function?

To end the afternoon Elen was adorned by a passing peacock butterfly.

Elen suggested that next time I can spend 10 minutes sloshing around in a bathtub with a sheep. Twice. Now, I know I'm a Welshman, but the mind boggles


Thanks Elen, have a good moot. See you soon.

 

[treadlightly]

HM, as one Welshman to another I am following your woolly education with great interest

 

[Goatboy]

I'd say it's for getting the tension right and even when winding onto a bobbin/reel thing?

 

[Elen Sentier]

pretty good, GB And you can draw the yarn out of the centre of the ball when wound on one of these so it doesn't go flying round the room as you knit ... so exciting the cats !!!

 

[Goatboy]

pretty good, GB And you can draw the yarn out of the centre of the ball when wound on one of these so it doesn't go flying round the room as you knit ... so exciting the cats !!!

Well I was a human version as a child, winding wool, arms out in front for my mother, and yes dodging the cat who thought the whole exercise was purely for his entertainment.

Sorry if I guessed too quickly and spoiled the game.

Liked your butterfly bonnet, very Easter Parade.

TTFN,
GB.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Well I was a human version as a child, winding wool, arms out in front for my mother, and yes dodging the cat who thought the whole exercise was purely for his entertainment.

Sorry if I guessed too quickly and spoiled the game.

Liked your butterfly bonnet, very Easter Parade.

TTFN,
GB.

I get hubby to do the arms-out stuff now , might invest in Harvestman too on occasion ... The wool-winder is really useful because of winding the ball so you can draw from the inside.

I sat there, not breathing or moving, while Harvestman danced round me with his camera clicking like he was David Bailey !!! Eventually he told me the butterfly had gone !!! Nice shot though, and it's always a privilege to be perched on by a butterfly

 

[ForgeCorvus]

I recently got hold of a fleece with the intention of learning to process and spin
So, a couple of questions if I may
What is wool shampoo and where could I get it?
What is the difference between a pair of modern hand carders and a dog grooming slicker brush (besides even the cheap carders cost twice as much as a couple of decent slicker brushes)?



Finding this thread really useful.... Now I'm worried about how much work I've dropped myself in
I can't knit (or rather I haven't knitted since before I started school, and even then I had someone cast on for me) but I have done some Naalbinding and was planning on going Viking and doing some socks

 

[Elen Sentier]

I recently got hold of a fleece with the intention of learning to process and spin
So, a couple of questions if I may
What is wool shampoo and where could I get it?
What is the difference between a pair of modern hand carders and a dog grooming slicker brush (besides even the cheap carders cost twice as much as a couple of decent slicker brushes)?

Finding this thread really useful.... Now I'm worried about how much work I've dropped myself in
I can't knit (or rather I haven't knitted since before I started school, and even then I had someone cast on for me) but I have done some Naalbinding and was planning on going Viking and doing some socks

Wool shampoo – anything soft and gentle will do.


Hand carders – you might find this link useful http://www.knittersreview.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=94269


Knitting’s usually not too hard to learn but do have a go at the Viking socks and post some pix.

 

[ForgeCorvus]

So, baby shampoo or something like ?

I'll go have a nose on that link

Whats a staple ? The length of the hairs or something?

Thanks for putting up with dumb questions

 

[Elen Sentier]

So, baby shampoo or something like ?

I'll go have a nose on that link

Whats a staple ? The length of the hairs or something?

Thanks for putting up with dumb questions

baby shampoo should be fine, I've used Ecover washing-up liquid successfully too. I use a conditioner in the final rinse too. If it's a whole fleece it puts your bathe out of action for the duration! You'll need something to drain it on too, wire mesh, one layer of a small pallet, something that will hold the fleece above the bath, rest on sides of bath, to let the water drain. I use an old apple storage shelf, because I happened to have it. DON'T wring the wool, just press it against the drainer.

To dry the wool I spread it on a big piece of garden insect mesh on the grass to dry in the sun, keep turning it too.

Staple is the cluster in which each clump of wool grows on the sheep. The longer the staple the easier it is to spin.

Wool is diiferent from hair in that it's pretty well firproof unlike hair, even with the lanolin out it sheds water really well - watch how it feels afte you've drained it to get the idea.

Questions it fine - the only dumb question is the one you didn't ask

 

[Elen Sentier]

Back again ...

Harvestman came round today for his first spinning lesson today - great fun and he did very well. I started him off by pulling the spinning wheel apart and getting HM to put it back together, this relaly helps with understanding what the bits do.


I've got an Ashford Kiwi double-treadle machine, the cheapest of the Ashford range and I love it. HM seems to like it too.


This is the bobin holder ...


This is the bobin loaded onto the machine and with the hokk going through to pull the yarn through the hole to spin ...


this shows the tension knob


HM having his first go ... he looks pretty happy


HM ... how long is piece of yarn ???


Getting going and looking quite good


And a close-up ...


Well ... how's that then? A bit lumpy but not bad for a very first go

Hope HM will give us an update of how it felt to actually do it. I think he did very well ... and he went home with a small ball of wool that was all his own work

 

[Harvestman]

Thanks Elen. Well, now that I seem to have at least the basics of turning out industrial-thickness climbing rope, you will have to teach me how to make a thread that can be woven, knitted, or even plied with other threads, so I can learn to knit and make a finger of a glove or something.

It was great fun, and I will be back for more. Wish my headache hadn't curtailed it a bit for me. Felt horrible on the way home but more less ok now.

As you posting the woodturnery/carvery elsewhere?

 

[Elen Sentier]

Thanks Elen. Well, now that I seem to have at least the basics of turning out industrial-thickness climbing rope, you will have to teach me how to make a thread that can be woven, knitted, or even plied with other threads, so I can learn to knit and make a finger of a glove or something.

It was great fun, and I will be back for more. Wish my headache hadn't curtailed it a bit for me. Felt horrible on the way home but more less ok now.

As you posting the woodturnery/carvery elsewhere?

Glad you feel better. You should find the egg-n-spoon stuff in my next post . Lovely work they are too.

 

[S.C.M.]

I am enjoying this thread cos I love the difference in work between alpaca and sheep's wool! Can we say shadenfreude?
there really is a whole lot of difference between alpaca and sheep's in prep-work though: we don't have to wash our fleeces (course, me mam felts them, so they get washed then, filthy water too cos of all the dust) mind though, we've got bags and bags of untouched wool, just waiting...
on a side note, a wool picker would help speed up processing sheep's wool, wouldn't it?

 

[Harvestman]

It has been such fun doing this. Elen is very good at explaining and demonstrating the stages, but far more importantly, she knows when to just back off, shut up, and leave me to discover things for myself, which is far more effective than hovering over me. Accordingly I feel like I'm learning at my own pace, in a relaxed manner, and the whole thing stays fun. I keep just finding that I am smiling to myself as I am doing stuff.

Now I have to work out what to make with a very small ball of irregular, twisty, lumpy wool. Having made it, I want to do something with it.

 

[RonW]

I am loving this thread too!
And not just because we ourselves will be venturing into this field of craft soon too.
Somehow it breathes a calmness and gentleness into this forum with its lively discussions and commercially orientated threads...

Cup of tea, anyone?

 

[VaughnT]

Very neat to see the whole process. That spinning wheel is a might different than the ones I'm used to seeing here across the pond. Is there a relation to the wheel diameter and the ease of spinning, or is it simply a case of being easier to store compared to a 3' wheel?