On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 17:15:42 GMT, news.sonic.net wrote:

There was a post here recently called from Sheep to yarn. I asked about it
because my MIL has some sheep in her backyard and I was wondering if it was
worth it to take the woll from her in it's raw form. Most of the steps
should pertain to you.

I copied it and put it in a document form. I hope that no one - in
particular Monica -minds this repost:

Kelly, I'm absolutely positive that Monica won't mind one bit!
I also wanted to add to Bibe... you'll be hearing from Helen, Cher, Els and
Slinky Toy, just to mention a few, regarding this subject, so watch for
their replies.
I also forgot to tell Bibe, YES, you can spin with your hands, and you can
spin with a DropSpindle... you're NOT limited to a wheel at all!
JM2C,
Noreen


Very basic steps from sheep to yarn. I repeat, basic. You need to read up on
the web or in any of the multitude of spinning books available now to get
detailed idea. Especially as they usually have pictures to help. g :

1 - Skirt the fleece; usually necessary if you're not buying fleece from
someone who's in the business of selling to spinners. If buying from someone
who is in the business, their fleeces should already be skirted. They also
usually offer you the choice of raw, unwashed fleeces (cheaper), or washed
fleece.

Skirting means to remove all the yucky wool around the edges that has manure
tags stuck in it, any bits that are too short/thin/matted/whatever to work
with
- that sort of thing. You may need to get VM (vegetable matter; i.e., sprigs
of
hay, burrs, etc.), out of the fleece, too. This can be done by shaking it
over
newspaper or a tarp. If really bad, another method is to lay it on a
screened
surface of some sort and thrash it with a thin twig, to shake more of the VM
out. This also helps remove loose dirt. Sometimes, though, you just have to
go
through and pick it out by hand. In other words, if you don't want a lot of
trouble with VM, don't buy a fleece with a lot of VM in it. With minor VM,
teasing, then carding/combing usually gets out the worst, and you simply
pick
out any leftover bits as you spin.

2 - If you're going to be storing it for a while - say, more than a month or
so
- it *is* best to wash it, even if it's a nice, clean fleece. If unwashed
fleeces are stored too long, the lanolin can harden and be difficult to get
out. This also makes it harder to card and spin since the lanolin may not
soften up too easily, although warming the fleece helps somewhat with that
problem. (not much, if it's too bad.) If the fleece is dirty and has a lot
of
'suint' (sweat, etc.), this can make it *really* hard to get clean later.
The
lanolin will bind any dirt to itself and the wool. Plus, they can be rather
smelly. They can even mold! Or the dreaded muths, to steal a term from
Elizabeth Zimmerman, could attack. (just imagine an umlaut over the 'u' in
'muth' gg) Storing unwashed fleeces in plastic bags is ok over a short
period
of time, but not for long-term if they're tightly shut. Remember, muths like
the dark. (my spinning teacher said bay leaves were a good natural muth
repellent. she also said if you *had* to store fleeces in plastic bags,
leave
the bags a little open, keep them in a lit place, and give the bags a kick
every time you pass by; muths don't like agitation, either.) Boxes of some
sort
that let fleece breathe a little are best for long-term storage, whether the
fleeces are washed or not.

Washing involves detergent, a big container, hot water, time to soak - a few
to
several hours - *no* agitation or sudden temperature changes in the water,
rinsing, and laying out to dry so that air can circulate freely around the
fleece. Either that, or you keep turning the fleece over repeatedly so it'll
all dry. The whole thing will take a while.

At this time, you might also dye it before drying, if you don't want the
natural color. Or you can wait and dye the finished yarn.

If you plan to spin soon and 'in the grease' - i.e., unwashed, usually
reserved
for really nice clean fleeces - proceed to step 3 instead; washing the yarn
after spinning will take care of any dirt. (spinning in the grease *is*
nice.
the lanolin lubricates the wool helps it slide better when you're drafting
as
you spin. but it's not utterly necessary to be 'authentic', and some people
don't like getting lanolin all over everything; or the smell, even if it's
mild. plus some fleeces can be *really* greasy! in which case, wear old
clothes. but your hands will get nice and soft...)

3 - Sort the fleece. Neck, belly, and tail area wool usually isn't as good
as
back and side wool. Separate out the really good stuff from the
lesser-quality
wool. The not-so-great wool can combined with the same from other fleeces to
make lesser quality yarn; combined with middle-quality wool to stretch it;
or
used for felt.

4 - Card or comb the fleece.

5 - Finally, spin. (which can include plying it or not.)

6 - Wash yarn to set the twist - and to clean it, if you've spun it in the
grease. Another good time to dye it, immediately after washing, while it's
still wet.

7 - Dry yarn, blocked (under slight tension) or un-blocked, depending on
type
of yarn and effect you're going for.

Voila, you're ready to knit, crochet, whatever.

Expense - i.e., equipment, above and beyond buying the fleece. (and the
price
of fleece is no problem if you've got a relative who'll give you some. g):

You need something to card or comb with. This can get expensive. My LeClerc
cards I bought back in the early 70's cost $22 the pair, and that's a looong
time ago. However, for starting out, a dog flicker brush works just fine, if
a
little slower, since you'll have to work lock by lock. Or get two of them,
and
use them the same as you would wool cards. They won't hold nearly the amount
of
wool at once as real cards will, but they'll work.

Carding/combing aligns the strands of wool, gets most of any foreign matter
out, and gets rid of tangles and short fibers. Sometimes you won't want to
do
much of it, other times you will; depends on what kind of yarn you're making
and the end effect you want. Some fleeces you can spin straight from the
locks.
Some just need a bit of teasing - which means you spread the locks of wool
apart a bit and fluff them up. But usually, you'll want to card or comb the
fleece.

Drop spindles - well, you probably saw the other thread today on making a
spindle from a dowel and some CD's, with other odds and ends - at least one
link was given for finding instructions. That's cheap enough. Or as Helen, I
think it was, suggested, a wooden wheel for a child's toy and a dowel. Or a
dowel and a flat wooden cabinet knob as the whorl. Dowel and a whorl made
from
polymer clay. Scads of options, beyond buying one. In an emergency, you can
use
a crochet hook stuck through a small potato - and yes, I've tried it, it
*does*
work! LOL. I don't suggest it for learning, though. bg Look at pix on the
web
and you can figure out what you're going for if you make your spindle. If
you
buy one, you should be able to find a decent one for about $15-$30,
depending
on how fancy you get. (and where you buy it.)

Add in a big bucket or two to wash your fleece in, unless you have a spare
tub
available for several hours at a time, and that's about it. You don't *have*
to
have a niddy-noddy or a swift to wind the yarn off into skeins, although
they're nice. Nor a yarn-blocker if you want to dry your yarn under some
tension; hang the skeins from a hanger and tie a light weight to the free
end.

Not counting price of fleece, you should be able to get away with only
spending
from as low as $12-$15 or so (home-made spindle and flicker brush for
carding),
to maybe $50-$60. (hand cards and a spindle. not sure about prices on wool
combs, I've never bought any; that might bump the initial investment
higher.)

Books on spinning you can get from your library, even if you have to use
inter-library loan. Or check Amazon, half.com, etc.; plenty have been
published. Check spinning suppliers online; most of them carry books. Ditto
weaving suppliers, as many of them also sell spinning supplies. InterWeave
Press is a major spinning/weaving publisher; both books, and their Spin-Off
Magazine, and they do have a webpage. And there's plenty of instruction on
the
web, just google it.

Dive on in and have fun!

Monica



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