| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Sep 14 2008 : 8:41:35 PM
The fair is about over so I'm ready for some carding lessons ladies. I wanted to post before the fair was over because I can buy what I need there at the "Sheep to Shawl" exhibit. Thanks in advance for your carding help!!
My son, bless hs heart, was working at a sheep farm this past weekend and saw the lady shearing and came home with 15 pounds of raw wool for me! I'm a beginning spinner and I sure don't know where to start with raw wool, but I'm willing to try if someone can point me in the right direction. I know I need to buy carding combs, and that I have to wash it, but can someone give me a quick tutorial? Thanks!!! I really want to spin it up and make him a hat or something with some of it - it was so sweet of him to think of me!
Farmgirl Sister #98
Check out my new online store
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Jami |
Posted - Sep 17 2008 : 3:18:27 PM
Just let us know Sherri and we'll start a carding topic and keep ya goin'.
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/ |
| windypines |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 6:28:07 PM
I have only been using my wool as all black, white, and have some that I have blended. It is sort of a grey, but it has black and white that you can see. :) I hope to try my hand at dyeing soon. So much fun. Wish I had more time to play.
Michele |
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 3:00:23 PM
No, I haven't gotten in all washed yet - it's fair week and I'm getting a lot of special orders this year - so I've either been sewing or canning on my days off. It'll all be over on sunday though, then I can get at my fleece. Can't wait!!!
Farmgirl Sister #98
Check out my new online store
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba |
| Keeper of the Past |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 2:48:59 PM
Jami, you are a better woman than me...patience what is that? Sherri, how is it going? Got that fleece washed? I love to use KoolAide to dye with to get the real bright colors...I buy the cheaper store brand if they have the colors I need. I use a lot of Cushings dyes...Khakie is one of my favorites...If I have left over yarn from a project I over dye to get colors that I need for rugs or purses. Nice way to use up the left overs.
Jami, I feed, water, worm, sort, sell when it comes to sheep... I even pick up the feed and haul the square bales of hay...he feeds the cattle with the tractor. He is more of the row crop farmer!
Never used the dryer for the wool...
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. |
| Jami |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 1:41:50 PM
Monica, if you were using wool and acid dyes (not a mixture of kool aid and food coloring and nylon), you could make the darker colors by adding black. I do that all of the time...but, you can't mix and match different types of dyes and get that same effect. It's more like a fun experiment the way you did it. I love your colors but will post that over on the other thread so we don't get our wires crossed.
By the way, think Michele asked about does throwing dry wool in the dryer on air hurt the dryer? Michele, I haven't done it enough to hurt my dryer...just a few times during my experiments. I had a real bad year a couple of years ago for VM (vegetable matter) in my fleeces...DH has improved his feeding practices tremendously since then (aren't I lucky Sarita??? DH feeds in the winter!) Anyhow, I had a lot of alfalfa in the fleeces, especially the neck area...what a nasty mess. I tried the dryer method that year to try to get it out on the fleeces I had washed but ended up just tossing out most of the VM stuff...it wasn't enjoyable to even mess with those. That's the beauty of sheep...they grow a new crop each year! I just waited and twiddled my thumbs (ha ha, if you know me I am rarely still) and had a nice new clean batch the following spring.
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/ |
| Keeper of the Past |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 11:53:57 AM
The koolaides and dyes are made with different colors and your fiber grabbed the greens first. I have tried black many times, trying to get a gray and I get the same thing.
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. |
| oldfashioned girl |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 10:41:57 AM
Jami and Sarita, Check out the pricing yarn thread ! I put up some pictures of my kool-aid dyed nylon roving! I got a pound of it from a lady at the spinning guild for free and I thought it would be fun to dye! I do have a question though. Why did the orange come out with almost green spots in it? Both of the oranges did that! I also tried to add some black food coloring to the green and it came out red and green!!! Any help would be appreciated! My kitchen smells like kool-aid now!
Monica
farmgirls rule!
www.justducky48.etsy.com |
| Jami |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 10:33:47 AM
Hey Sherri, that first-time "novelty" yarn is a treasure...you'll see what I mean later on when you couldn't spin a thick nubby yarn like that if you tried--well guess once you're really accomplished you might be able to...but I keep reverting back to my sport weight most of the time! It's real interesting how quick you go from "novelty" to lace type yarn or at least sock weight. I'm wound pretty tight and so is my yarn! Ha.
Sarita, I have Texel and Coopworth sheep. The Coopworths have lovely soft, lustrous, crimpy wool, almost wavy instead of crimpy--it's a heavy type fleece. Texels are a down breed, coarse but useful. I love to make hats out of the Texel wool...keep my head nice and warm but it's real lightweight...for those blustery days out in the lambing paddock.
Michele, it would be fun if we could get together for a play day with fleeces. It's fun to see how useful every part of a fleece is and what it is best suited for, but on the flip side of that, I haven't found any wool that won't work for just about anything...I am not out for perfection in my things, just usefulness and comfort. I too mulch with the "tags" from our wool...that's the stinky parts with unmentionables on it. It fertilizes and mulches at the same time!
Kool aid is a blast to dye with...I love all of the colors you can make by blending the packets of various flavors...you can get some nice deep colors, not just the loud colors kool aid is known for. I just dyed up some roving in blue raspberry and sold it to a yarn shop for needle felting. They are making robin eggs for little nests for decoration. It turned out really robin egg blue and they were thrilled. I couldn't find a commercial acid dye of that color no matter how hard I tried.
Happy spinning girls or washing or knitting or whatever you're doing today. We are birds of a feather on this wool topic, aren't we? It's like "home."
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/ |
| Keeper of the Past |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 04:56:57 AM
Michele, the fiber on every sheep is different. The front of a sheep's fleece can be different from the back or the sides. Usually the back legs are courser. I too even with 50 fleeces have a rough time skirting and tossing all that I need to toss. I read a very good story in Spin Off magazine that a lady knitted socks for a living from her wool, so for herself she knitted her wonder lacey socks from the belly wool. Not many of my sheep have nice enough belly wool but when I do see one when I am skirting..it goes into the brown bag that I will spin into my lace yarn.
Have you ever used kool aide to dye your wool? Food Coloring? Have you dyed some wool different colors and then carded it together? I love to see and use and blend all the colors together. I think I put some pictures on my earlier blogs. Sometimes I just spin and spin and dye a whole lots of yarn from the same fleece to make a sweater or weave an item. Never guess that I enjoy wool fiber!!! There is nothing like starting from a fleece and making it into a wearable item...
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. |
| windypines |
Posted - Sep 16 2008 : 04:20:58 AM
Sherri I know what you are talking about. Unique novelty yarn is what I call mine. Actually mine is getting better. I made a scarf with my first yarn. It was an really open pattern, and worked great with my yarn. I think I do what is called predrafting. Getting the rolags pulled out and thinned down quite a bit before I spin. I also think I need to learn to card better. I am using a drum carder and that has helped alot. If I am doing that right???
Jami ~ I know what you mean with the word YET ! I will enjoy my success as long as I can! :) Do you think putting the wool in your dryer would hurt your dryer at all? Just wondering. I would love to learn more about the different textures on the fleece, that you talk about Jami. I have learned there is a difference between the 2 sheep I have. The black seems more course, and when I go back to spinning the white, it feels much more silky. If those are the right terms??
I am sure I need to learn to be "harder" when it comes to skirting the wool. I hate to waste all the wool right now. I do use it for mulch though.
I am looking forward to you girls talking about carding. I hope to pick up some good pointers. :)
Oh it would certainly be fun to get together, but I see we are spread out pretty good. Wa., Colo., Mo., Wi., Az.
Thanks for all the helpful advice
Michele
|
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 7:29:42 PM
Jami - I was laughing when I read your reply about 15 lbs. of fleece being enough to make lots of hats - you haven't seen my yarn. You can't knit TOO many hats when your yarn is about 1" in diameter!! I'm learning, but boy, I still make REALLY fat yarn!! I guess it's just like the expensive "novelty" yarns though! Thanks for your help.
Farmgirl Sister #98
Check out my new online store
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba |
| oldfashioned girl |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 4:13:29 PM
Sarita, this is a lot of fun isn't it!!! I am paying close attention because I am hoping to get some fleece from Bam Bam soon!
Grace e-mailed me this morning. I think she is fighting with her computer again!
Monica
farmgirls rule!
www.justducky48.etsy.com |
| Keeper of the Past |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 3:35:57 PM
I can't remember ever having so much fun as I do with you gals. No snobs, just get-it-done gals. Sherri, let us know when you start carding all that wool. I think we can talk you through it. You know years ago, I wish I had of had a place like this to get information. By the way, where is Grace? Jami, what kind of sheep did you say you are raising? Better get some supper and get out and take care of the sheep and cows...
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. |
| Jami |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 12:30:17 PM
Good job Michele! No train wrecks for you (yet!). I have had no problems drying in the sun, even my dyed stuff gets dried in the sun. We have a lot of sun!!
Yes, I have put dried wool in the dryer to get VM out on the air setting (no heat). I don't do it much because I find with the multiple handling of the wool (skirting, washing, fluffing while drying) that most comes out that way the best. I really fluff mine up during the drying process.
Dawn works very well as it cuts grease so well, i.e. lanolin is quite greasy. One thing I have to watch for is to not over-do on the washing. You don't want the wool completely lanolin-free...just the dirt out and some of the lanolin. It just depends on the fleece and the breed of sheep. You know when they commercially process a fleece, they add oil to the "sliver" when spinning the wool into yarn so it comes out smooth and nice.
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/ |
| windypines |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 11:50:10 AM
Love all the helpful advice. This is my second year of cleaning fleece. I like Sherri am excited to get to knit with my homemade yarn. I checked out the internet alot for directions of washing wool, before I started. I use 5 gallon buckets outside. I fill them in the tub, and take them outside to put the wool in. I also use dawn. Original Blue. I have a mesh laundry bag. I like using that the best. I was wanting to get washing done faster this year, and put some wool into buckets with out the bag. It works, but much prefer having the bag to just lift it out with. After rinsing a couple times, I squeeze it a little and put it on screens, outside. I have heard also that you are not supposed to dry in the sun. But I read somewhere that sheep are out in the sun all the time, so I kind of agreed with that thought. Then I fluff and turn it over so it does dry nicely. I usually put it outside for 2 days, to make sure it is dry, then put it into cloth bags that I made out of old sheets.
Has anyone ever heard of putting dry fleece in a dryer, with no heat, to clean out some of the V.M. ? I have not tried this, but have heard of it. I would worry about all the little chaf not getting caught in the lint trap????
Oh by the way, I have not felted any of my wool yet !!!! (when washing) I consider that great success!!!!
Michele |
| Jami |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 11:03:42 AM
Sarita, I will have to watch and see how the homemade detergent washed fleeces do after some storage time...I hadn't heard that about the washing soda. Thanks for the info. I do use Dawn a lot when washing outside but when I used my washer I didn't because it sudsed up too much. I've only been making homemade laundry soap for a few months so haven't done tons of fleeces that way yet...might quit now!
I meant to say earlier that you cannot put a 12-pound fleece all in your washer at one time. Wet it will be much too heavy for your transmission on your washer to spin. I never washed a whole fleece at once in the washer (I have a new front loader so that washer method is last year and before). You'll most likely need to do batches of the fleece...maybe split it into thirds.
I haven't used the nylon bags except for when I'm felting items in the washer...sure an idea though! Keeps it all in one spot.
Sherri, you'll have to listen to me with a grain of salt...I do things willy-nilly, helter-skelter and sometimes I have a train wreck but most of the time it works. I do have to say I've felted a fleece in the washer once....by mistake of course...forgot to turn off the cycle and that puppy went through it while I was outside gardening... It was one big glob of wool nest--like matted dog hair.
Sue, as Sarita suggested, what you can do instead of the bathtub is use a 5-gallon bucket or 2--fill in the bathtub, haul outside, suds up and put batches of fleece in and just reuse the bucket filling with clean water rinses, removing the wet fleece (onto a garbage bag or something) in between water changes. I do it all of the time that way...less mess. It takes longer to dry than the washer method since it only gets very gentle squeezing and doesn't go through the spin cycle so remains wet, but it's fun to go outside and check on it and fluff it up as it dries. It's like checking the pot during making stew or soup...satisfying.
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/ |
| Keeper of the Past |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 09:13:51 AM
I am with Jami on everything but using the homemade detergent...the first year that I washed fleeces with the homemade detergent, my fleeces gummed up and broke easily after I had stored it most of the winter. Mrs. Brown, an experienced spinner, told me to never use washing soda on my wool. Jami may use a different recipe for her detergent. Jami...??? I use Dawn Original dish soap...it also has a degreaser that cuts the lanolin too. I am with Jami...I use nylon bags that you wash delicates and sweaters in and sort the wool close and fill the bags about 3/4 full with the wool then I pushed each of the bags down in buckets of hot water and Dawn while outside. Never agitate...some fleeces will felt with the slightest agaitation. Sometimes for the first soak, I don't even use hot water, just getting rid of the dirt that is on the fleece. But I do spin the wool out in my washer. Wash until water is clear. I have found that if I open up the nylon bags and shake the wool out a time or two during this process, I end up with cleaner and fluffier wool....Good luck, wish I were home washing a fleece today. Don't ever agitate the wool...first batch of wool...I washed it on delicate cycle with home made detergent...didn't use the bags, it was a very fine fleece at the tune of $45, What a mess! My fleece was felted, unable to card it...and to boot...wool got in the drain, around the agitator of my washer...hubby was not happy with me at all. It went like this...he handed me a handful of wool as he bent over the machine...mumbled, and handed me another handful. Cleaned on the drain...mumble...mumble...mumble handed me more wool. The nylon bags have saved me...I purchased for a buck or two at Walmart in the laundry section.
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. |
| Bonne |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 09:11:25 AM
Yay Sherri~lucky you!!!
Sarita and Jami are excellent shepherdesses~you'll be
spinning that fiber in short order.
I'm just learning to spin and thanks to Sarita's spindle and roving, have a skein going
as we speak.(her fiber is so fluffy!) Isn't it fun!
 http://bonne1313.blogspot.com/ BLOG
|
| Contrary Wife |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 09:05:33 AM
That sounds easier than my bathtub way. Thanks for the info.
Warmly,
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
| Jami |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 08:22:17 AM
Oh Sherri, welcome to my world! I am cracking up here because 15 pounds of raw fleece girl...that will make you a ton of hats.
As suggested, skirt the fleece...you have enough fleece to be pretty picky with it. I would get pretty aggressive with just tossing out the bad spots unless you want to make a sweater or 2 out of it. I choose not to keep the fleece intact and "as one" to use it myself. When I sell fleeces I try to keep them intact, but disassembling it lets you shake well and get rid of any bits of hay, grass, etc and you can find the best crimpy fleece for certain projects and separate the rougher stuff for stuffing, etc.
Washing can be done quite simply, either in your top load washer or in the bathtub, or better yet, in tubs outside to keep mess inside to a minimum. Either way, you need something to soak it in, hot water, soap (I use my homemade laundry soap for the first and sometimes second soaks), white vinegar (optional) for a final rinse and a rack of some sort to dry it on so it can get air on all sides. I know they say not to dry it out in the sun but that's all I do...I like it to dry quickly. I always break every rule (the unimportant ones!).
If you use the washing machine, fill up the washer tub with hot cycle water (not boiling hot, just nice and hot) and add the soap and go ahead and agitate it for a second without anything else in the tub to suds it up. Then turn off the machine and put your fleece in slowly and push down in with a wooden spoon handle. Let soak until the water is about warm and the water will probably be very dirty. Go directly to spin cycle and spin it out, remove it from the tub and wipe out the tub and do it again without soap. It might take 2 soap cycles but that just depends on how dirty it is. Then repeat this without the soap until the water comes fairly clean. I usually find it takes 2-3 soak/spin cycles including the soap one to get it clean. In the final soak cycle I slosh in a bit of white vinegar, about 1/4 cup I guess. Then after you spin this last cycle, just lay the fleece out on some sort of rack to dry. I use chicken wire covered frames my DH made me that just sit on the ground/lawn. You can devise just about anything to make it work.
If you use tubs outside or inside, just do the same but clean out the tubs in between washings...nothing too extensive like a scrubbing, just wipe with towels to get the gunk out so you start with pretty clean water.
I'll let others chime in on more and I'll check in later with carding and processing the next step, from my standpoint. I'm sure we all have different ways of doing this...enjoy reading them all!
Jami in WA
Farmgirl Sister #266
http://woolyinwashington.wordpress.com/ |
| Contrary Wife |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 06:37:21 AM
Sarita do you wash your wool in the washing machine, on delicate, or what? I've used the washing machine to spin out the water from a fleece, but I was always afraid of felting it in the machine. I put mine in the bathtub with hot water and dawn dish soap, or something milder if I want more lanolin left in. You know those plastic bread trays the bread man uses in his little rolling rack when he fills the bread at the groc store? Well I got hold of a few of those and they fit across my bathtub just right so after I wash the fleece I just take it and let it drain over the tub. Of course I rinse it, etc. But it's pretty labor intense and boy howdy it gives the bathroom quite a delicate smell ; ) I'm all up to learning an easier way tho.
Warmly,
Teresa Sue
Farmgirl Sister #316
"Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly." The Dalai Lama |
| mikesgirl |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 06:26:28 AM
Sarita - Thank you SO MUCH!!! What great instructions. I did lay it out when I picked it up from him - the gal that sheared it told him to tell me it was a little bit damp and to lay it out. So that's done, so today I"ll continue. I can't wait to work with it!! Thanks again!
Farmgirl Sister #98
Check out my new online store
http://www.shopthefrontier.com/VFstore/index.php?manufacturers_id=79&osCsid=6be4b25bf9555031c6e2e86bbde23dba |
| Keeper of the Past |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 04:04:12 AM
Sherri, I forgot to tell you that while you are skirting the wool, pick up the pieces and shake them. If the shearer has some second cuts, you want them off before you wash the wool.
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. |
| Keeper of the Past |
Posted - Sep 15 2008 : 04:00:12 AM
Hi Sherri, Bless your son's heart...I would start by skirting your wool. Lay the fleece out on a table or large flat surface, if the person shearing kept the fleece together it should lay out in one large piece. I remove all the manure and wet spots and the real dirty around the edges, discard. I pick out the trash, burrs, seeds, and etc. I also remove the belly wool, it is usually thinner and if it is not full of trash, I save this in a large brown paper bag to work up into some very fine yarn for lace. I also throw away any of the wool that is full of trash, like the neck wool if the sheep has been eating hay. Many people discard the belly wool while skirting the fleece. Next I sort the wool. Some sheep have courser wool on the legs. I have nylon net bags that you wash your fine washables and sweaters in. I put small sections of the fleece in each bag. I sometimes use 20 bags to wash a fleece...just my way. I am not sure of your knowledge base about washing the wool...let us know if you need help with that.
You will need hand carders or combs depending on the type of wool you have. I use hand carders and drum carders for about all the types of wool I have. I have learned so much from the Spin Off magazine by Interweave press. They have a good web site too and access to their back issues. Carding is another lesson. There are a few good web sites that go through the process and even have videos. I will try to get some of the web sites for you. Grace and Jami and other farmgals that spin I know will share some good tips with you...let me know if you get to a step that you are not sure of...I will be more than happy to share what I know and do. (about time to go to work) Good Luck!
www.coffmanspinningcfarm.blogspot.com
The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care. |
| oldfashioned girl |
Posted - Sep 14 2008 : 9:09:20 PM
Sherri, how exciting!!! I am pretty new to spinning myself, but I can tell you to start you do need to wash it, but a certain way! I guess sometimes if it's fairly clean and not too high in lanolin some people will just card it and spin it! I am sure you will get a lot of replies from the ladies here! Grace, Sarita and Jami are the ones I can think of off the top of my head to ask! They all have animals and spin! Good luck and have fun!
Monica
farmgirls rule!
www.justducky48.etsy.com |
|
|
