The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Lesley Silvester on June 03, 2013, 07:43:11 pm
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Just picked out six suffolk/texel fleeces from my friendly farmer who sells me hay and straw. :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: I don't know what he's going to charge me as he's got to wait to get his cheque for the rest but I think it will probably be what he gets or a little bit more. Going to be a good price anyway.
I'm now wondering is six is going to be enough. I can have as many as I want but I already have about six in the loft. Decisions, decisions. :thinking: :thinking:
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I've never managed to spin more than 12 fleeces in a year.
If I sent them off to be scoured and carded I would get through more. In fact I'm contemplating sending the tup fleeces from our shearing this year (took them off this afternoon) for scouring and carding because they stink a bit 'tuppy' and I don't want any of the floor rugs I intend to weave to go on smelling of tup a couple of years down the line ;D I will need to research the best place to get it done.
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Is it very expensive to have it commercially done? Haivng said that, I have invested in a drum carder so ought to make full use of it. I've got OH ready to turn the handle for me. ;D
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I've never managed to spin more than 12 fleeces in a year.
Blimey That's öööh (counting on fingers) one a month WELL DONE
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I've never managed to spin more than 12 fleeces in a year.
Blimey That's öööh (counting on fingers) one a month WELL DONE
You've got a lot of fingers.
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:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
Mind you, I did go to school with a boy who had 12 toes!
The problem was inherited from his mother and , 6 children, every other was born with 12 toes.
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I'm intending sending mine off this year, as I am not processing 27 Shetland fleeces. Happy to try spinning many of them but carding them all - no way!
I will use Halifax mill in Selby I think. They assure me they will do one fleece at a time, if necessary, to keep the colours separate. I should have at least 8 different colours.
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:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
Mind you, I did go to school with a boy who had 12 toes!
The problem was inherited from his mother and , 6 children, every other was born with 12 toes.
Anne Boleyn had extra fingers.
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I didn't know that. I am surprised the poor woman wasn't accused of being a which
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She probably would have been if she'd been a poor person. She always wore sleeves that came down in a point to hide her hands. I don't know if the extras were functioning fingers or just extra bits that grew but didn't do anything but think, from what I've read, it that the latter is more likely. there were also rumours that she had three breasts but one is likely to have been a largre mole, of which she seemed to have had plenty.
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I love learning silly useless things like that. Thankyou and sorry for the off topic.
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Oh yes, I started this about fleeces, didn't I? :roflanim:
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O.K. Back onto the straight and narrow. I sheared this wensleydale/Jacob x yesterday
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vcyzIOVl3Jo/UbIyrHcmHNI/AAAAAAAAQY8/7lVRxu9txUg/s576/IMG_0373.JPG)
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Now that does look like a nice fleece. I'd love to try some Wensleydale one day.
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Looks beautiful renee! Do you have a plan for it?
We've clipped some of my fleece sheep and all bar three of the commercial hoggs so far. The hogg fleeces were, after last year, rather a disappointment. :( Nothing like as delicious as last year's. I am assuming it's the long wet winter and cold wet spring, and am very disappointed. :(
The fleeces from the Manxes are beautifully, sumptuously soft - but apart from a very few parts, all less than 1" staple. :( I'll spin the bits I can, and hang onto the rest pending learning some needlefelting or other technique I can use - it's way too soft to just chuck out! :fc: it's just that they were clipped late last year, before I bought them, and they'll have a bit more length next year.
The fleece from Buffy, the Shetland with a dash of BFL is, as expected, crimpy, soft and with a good staple. Maybe not quite as soft as I'd hoped, and certainly quite variable across the fleece, but a lovely soft toffee colour and I will enjoy using it.
Sadie, the 3/4 Shetland 1/4 Castlemilk Moorit, is a wanderer, and before they were moved to their current paddock had wandered at will around the farmstead. I knew she was getting a lot of hay and chaffy stuff in her neck and back wool, but as I expected her mainly black wool to be pretty coarse compared to Buffy's, I'd not worried about it, thinking I'd not mind chucking any that was too heavily impregnated with VM to be bothered with. Some of her fleece is quite coarse - but some of it is gorgeous! So so fine, incredibly crimpy - oh my goodness. So now of course I regret letting her play in the haystacks... ::) ::)
The CMs weren't quite ready to clip yet; they look to have a better staple length than the Manxes and than the CM wethers from last year - so :fc: I'll finally get some sumptuous rare breed fleece I can actually spin! :D
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Renee, that fleece looks lovely and such nice colours.
I have been trying to card one of my white Ryeland fleece this morning and am very disappointed as there is a lot of vm in it. I don't know if its going to be the same the whole way through but not off to a good start anyway. :(
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That's :excited: SallyITN. I love the idea of raising your own fleeces but OH wouldn't hear of it. :( Now all you need is the time to spin/felt it all.
Sally B that is annoying. I'm hoping my fleeces are off more considerate sheep. Not looked yet though.
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Sally, if you flick the tips with a flick carder or dog/cat slicker brush, quite a bit of the VM should fall out. Then load the lock onto the carder - or you may be able to spin direct from the lock, once tips and butts are flicked open.
Yesterday I stove-top rainbow-dyed some of the grey Zwartbles I was given last year - it's full of VM, so I'm hoping the flicking approach will work for me too! :D
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Great, thanks Sally, I am on my way outside to try that now. I have been trimming the dog today so his slicker is already and waiting :)
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The merino I bought at Wonderwool is nice and clean so far. I've busy opening the fibres ready to card. I did try using a dog comb which is what someone from my group recommended but find it quicker to use my hands.
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Using a dog comb to make some Shetland cardable back when I first started spinning, gave me terrible RSI in my thumbs, which still strikes me occasionally. Opening it by hand or flick carding seems to work better for me.
I love your Wensleydale x Jacob Renee :love:
I am only halfway through washing my first fleece of the year - a yearling tup but a lovely black soft one. I'm finding it hard going so maybe I won't wash as many this year as previously. Still all bar 2 of the ewes to shear - hubby thinks they'll be 10 days or so before they are ready. You all sound really industrious.
Not long til Woolfest 8) 8) 8) . I'm sure I need some more spindles :excited: I also fancy some samples of other bright fibres to spin in with the Heb. Also close to an Alpine plant nursery if we take a slight detour on the way home ;D :garden:
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Just finished shearing all mine. Well, I caught and wrapped, the contractor sheared.
So now I have a large tarpaulin, full of lots of Shetland fleeces :D
Right now I'm very dirty, very smelly and very tired, so next jobs are a shower and then beer.
Tomorrow I'll tidy up the fleeces and find out about sending them to the mill.
Anyone used a mill before?
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Yep - I've used a mill. Initially it was The Natural Fibre Co under its previous owner. I saved up my 25kgs of Heb fleece and had one lot of knitting yarn done, then another time I had a lovely Hebridean blanket woven, and joined a share scheme to have some Shetland spun and some woven into blankets. I also had a batch of Jacob sorted into colours and spun into three colours of yarn - no, four as one was all three plied together. That was years ago and I still use the Heb blanket on our bed, over the duvet, to keep us alive through the winter.
A couple of years ago I had two batches spun at Halifax Mill near Goole. I took the two giant sacks down as I was passing on the A1 and the guys were so nice. They gave me a cuppa and showed me round the plant. One batch was all first shear to which they added 15% black alpaca, to make knitting yarn. The other batch was coarser stuff which they wove into a stronger yarn for rug warp - which I will be weaving myself. Unfortunately I have been too ill since then to drive down with another batch, but maybe next year. I know I could send it, but I really enjoyed my visit so would like to see how the mill is progressing.
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That's really interesting, thank you FW. It was Halifax I was thinking of using.
I might have to send mine as the next few weeks are manic!
What about VM, I'm presuming I have to pick out as much as I can? I swear my hoggs have a game that involves rolling down the moss bank, when I'm not looking ::)
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What about VM, I'm presuming I have to pick out as much as I can? I swear my hoggs have a game that involves rolling down the moss bank, when I'm not looking ::)
Jaykay, I guess mine are in league with yours. Definitely playing the same game here :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: who would have em? :roflanim:
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That's really interesting, thank you FW. It was Halifax I was thinking of using.
I might have to send mine as the next few weeks are manic!
What about VM, I'm presuming I have to pick out as much as I can? I swear my hoggs have a game that involves rolling down the moss bank, when I'm not looking ::)
I presorted all my fleeces before taking them to Halifax, so I got back a much greater proportion than at NFC. I pulled off any bits with too much vm such as around the neck - old hay seeds are the worst and persist right through to wearing the finished project if you leave them. Fresh grass, straw and moss are much easier to get out so not really a problem.
For the knitting yarn I pulled off any britchwool - and added it to the other pile for warp.
I took out any double cuts and belly wool, plus any noticeably weathered fleece.
I spent some time on sorting as there's no point in paying postage on unuseable bits, then having to pay someone to do it for you at the mill. A fair bit does come out in their machinery but I just wanted to be sure.
I would imagine there will be a long processing time at this time of year.
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Excellent - thank you :thumbsup: I shall start the process today :)
I gained back my hall, briefly, having sold one of my floor looms which had been lodging there after I bought the Oxaback - but now the hall is full of fleece instead :D
(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/1ac2748b8d6d3c18e9bf7c773176d67c_zpsa430055f.jpg)
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Love! :thumbsup: So glad you've got some nice fleeces this year. :-*
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Hi :wave: folks,
I've not dipped into crafts before as I'm always at the other, mucky end ::) . But I have 30+ Shetland and shetland x ryeland fleeces now and I thought I would have a go at selling some next week at the Somerset Fleece Sale. It depends how much VM I can pick out though. I have no idea what to price them at. I was going to wash some today as the weather is gorgeous and leave the rest raw. Any tips please?
It is also on my list to send some to Halifax and have it spun into yarn. Interested to hear any comparison between Halifax and Blackers in Cornwall. :-\ thanks Mrs hot and sweaty ;D
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Initially it was The Natural Fibre Co under its previous owner.
Was That Amie Rose or has there been another owner in between?
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Sorry I am slow at answering but I am half way to England (Got as far as Denmark tonight)
I very rarely get further than shearing my fleeces. I have a group on Ravelry where many of the readers have adopted a sheep and they get a pound of the wool and 10% off other things in my web shop. The lady who has adopted that particular sheep was staying at my farm when I sheared. She had driven 500 kilometers and was going the next day to a spinning weekend in Lappland, another 500 kilometers. One lady had come from Finland (not so far as she could take the ferry. Now that is enthuiasm for you ;D
Some of that fleece is a giveaway in another group for the tour de fleece competition. The rest will be washed and sold as hair for troll. My felting friends just cannot get enough of it.
On Wednesday I will be in Bradford buying stash. Whoopee.
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Hi :wave: folks,
I've not dipped into crafts before as I'm always at the other, mucky end ::) . But I have 30+ Shetland and shetland x ryeland fleeces now and I thought I would have a go at selling some next week at the Somerset Fleece Sale. It depends how much VM I can pick out though. I have no idea what to price them at. I was going to wash some today as the weather is gorgeous and leave the rest raw. Any tips please?
THe very best of luck with the sales :fc:
I don't know what it is like in England but in Sweden it is fairly easy to sell rare breeds. As to myself, I prefer to spin in the grease /Can't get enough of the mucky end ;D One of my friends in Denmark is shearing 200 Friesens this weekend so I will be taking some of it back North with me. Once I was stopped by customs and they demanded to see my load. I was reluctant because I knew it would pounce out at them when I opened the back door. THey interpreted my reluctance as having something to hide. So, I opened the door and out sprang about 200 kilos of greasy wool. At least thay had the decency to help me push it in again
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That I would have liked to see Renee. :roflanim:
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Hi Bramblecot
Apologies my post is a bit late, the fleece sale is today!!!
The main difference between Blackers/NFC and Halifax (and other mini mills) is that they will process smaller batches, down to the individual fleece so each colour can be separate. The Natural Fibre Company still have a minimum intake of 25kg, as Fleecewife said, and the whole lot would be processed together. That didn't appeal to me so I put myself on the waiting list for a mini mill, I'd like to keep all my shetland and alpaca colours separate, that was the whole point of buying all the different coloured animals!
It's pretty expensive to have fleeces spun into yarn and there's a long waiting list - they take the time to clean machinery between batches etc. It goes on weight sent in so the more rubbish wool and bits of vegetation you take out the better. Do you know where/how you'd sell the finished yarn? You don't have to have the fleeces spun into yarn, maybe get it made into batts or rovings for spinners and felters, sell it that way?
I hope you didn't go to too much trouble washing fleeces, they're delicate and you need to be careful you don't end up with a lump of felt! I'd have said let the people buying the raw fleeces deal with it as they want. I often use raw fleece in felting or rugs if I can't be bothered washing it! In theory the more bits you can get out the more you should get for it but it may not be worth your time?
I have no idea about prices, be interested to know what you managed today? Did you make lots of contacts for future sales and get some ideas from the crafty lot?
If you have fleeces left over you might get a better price if you can hold onto them, there's obviously a lot available right now, perhaps when they're scarcer advertise at the guild or on fleabay?
:)
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I may have asked this before - would anybody have a good use for short stuff, i.e. belly, faces etc?
And does anybody think there may be a market for merino wool for hobby spinners, and would be the price one would expect to be paid? I know the wool is very good; I gave half a fleece to an accomplished spinner once, and she spun it straight from the fleece, in the grease, and was very impressed.
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Have started a new post Fleece Sales ;D
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I paid £25 for my merino fleece at Wonderwool and I think that was about right - at least, I hope it was.