The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Fleecewife on November 19, 2014, 12:11:01 pm
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I just love playing with fleece. Yesterday I started using my new wool shed and sorted a delicious fleece. It belongs to Freda, an old retired Hebridean ewe :hugsheep:. The fleece has faded to greys and fawns, as well as the odd bit of black, but has very little of the hairy top coat left, so is lovely and soft.
Today I'm washing it :stir: - first soak is disgustingly manky, but it will soon be wonderfully clean and I can start prepping it.
Getting to play like that reminds me why I keep my sheep, and why I spin :spin:. I'm not sure what I'll make with the yarn, once it's spun, but it's definitely going to be something for ME :yippee: :yippee: :yippee: (I love this icon, perhaps because I can't actually jump like that any more :roflanim:)
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Most of my fleeces are in the loft because that's the only space we have. I can't get up there any more so i can't go and play. One nice dry day I shall get my OH to bring them all down and have a good look through. :yippee: I can't do it either but I can dream. There isn't an icon for old crocks with walking sticks.
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Good to hear you have your wool shed up and running :thumbsup:
We had a lovely 'old lady' Heb fleece for our workshop with Deb Robson - just gorgeous :spin: :knit:
I need to be more focussed in using up my fleeces. I have a lot to choose from - many part fleeces and quite a few full fleeces - and at the moment seem to spin for fun rather than having a project in mind and spinning with a purpose. But then, now I have a loom... :excited: :weave:
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Fleecewife, you are making me feel guilty. I have a few fleece wrapped up in the stable. I need to get on and do so something with them.
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Good to hear you have your wool shed up and running :thumbsup:
We had a lovely 'old lady' Heb fleece for our workshop with Deb Robson - just gorgeous :spin: :knit:
I need to be more focussed in using up my fleeces. I have a lot to choose from - many part fleeces and quite a few full fleeces - and at the moment seem to spin for fun rather than having a project in mind and spinning with a purpose. But then, now I have a loom... :excited: :weave:
Where did you get your old lady fleece Sally? I'm interested to know who else keeps them til they're old enough to have the supersoft variety.
The weaving should use up loads of yarn. I was looking through bags of yarn, either left over from projects, or spun with nothing specific I mind, and thinking :thinking: weaving :idea:
I bet you'll make more headway with weaving than me, just as with spinning :spin:
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Fleecewife, you are making me feel guilty. I have a few fleece wrapped up in the stable. I need to get on and do so something with them.
Only a few Sally?? I am utterly snowed under with the things, but now I have my wool shed, and the polytunnel is cleared of veg so I can work in there too, I'm hoping to make some headway. But I just want to sit down and spin, not have to do all the other stuff first, so I'm cherry picking the best.
Just pick one and do that, rather than thinking how many there are and trying to do them all at the same time. That way you'll get through them.
I found a 2013 fleece of Freda's so I'll wash that and process the two together, so I have enough for a jumper.
What has attracted me to washing the fleeces is the sunny dry weather. It's a horrible task in the wet.
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At the moment I'm washing a shearling fleece from 2013 which was gorgeous when it was shorn. Having hung around for 18 months it's gone a bit dry and feels coarse. I'll put some baby oil in the rinse water and hope that helps, otherwise it's the warp pile.
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Where did you get your old lady fleece Sally? I'm interested to know who else keeps them til they're old enough to have the supersoft variety.
It's a friend of a friend, south of here, who has pet sheep. He's had them for years, they are mostly retired. They live in what is basically a large lawned garden with high hedges all around - very sheltered. Two of the old ladies have beautiful fleeces, and he also has a couple of crosses - one Shetland x Heb and one Texel x Heb which are very nice. Last count he had 12 in all, I think he said.
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You've inspired me to have look through my stash. Very frustrating that my bobbins are full, waiting for me to pluck up the courage to try plying.... Ah well have to be drop spindle then :-)
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Plying? You can do it.
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Plying's a doddle - and fun! :excited:
Go on Fi, you can do it! :spin:
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...and it's really quick compared to spinning :thumbsup:
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Hi Fleecewife
I'm envious too,
My shed is an MOT failed nissan micra.
OH evicted my fleeces when I had a fleece infested with moths.
But on the positive side, I am using my fleeces in age order.
SV.
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Hi SV. I used to store my bags of fleece in an old LWB Landrover. It turned out to be a wonderful home, all mod cons, for RATS :o I ended up having to burn all the fleece and try to get rid of the rat invasion - so keep checking yours.
I think we need a rat icon. Here's the rat catcher :dog: but we need his prey. I know there's :bunny: but that's not quite the same ;D
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Hi Fleecewife
Thank you
I will keep a close eye on that,
as it is a metal box off the ground I didn,t think that rats would be a problem,
I had considered making my old micra into a chicken coop/feed store.
I don't think that we have a rodent infestation, but we are getting through a lot of rat poision at the moment.
SV
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They come in via the engine compartment and small gaps around the place. Maybe a Landie has more of those ;D
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Well I did ply last night! Pretty rubbish looking result, but I learnt a lot and it is knitting up ok (into what, I have no idea! I'm calling it a sample! ). I'm happy to have it off my bobbins to clear them to see how fat I go without the jumbo flier. Fat singles is next project :-). I do wish I could justify a drum carder though......
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Well done FiB! :thumbsup:
If you're knitting it already, I assume you haven't washed it to 'set the twist'?
It's amazing the difference a wash and beat-up can make - the yarn rounds and blooms, any unevennesses become less so. Just wash, rinse, spin (by hand, in a salad spinner or in a spin-dryer, or roll up in a towel and squeeze - not wring! - to remove as much excess water as possible) and thwack the skein a few times, then hang up to dry.
On the justifying drum carder... are you spinning from tops or starting with fleece? Is the drum carder for carding or for blending? (If the latter, would a blending board do? They don't cost a huge amount to make.)
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If you wash after plying it helps to put a weight on the skeins as they dry, I usually tie a cup or something else from the kitchen onto the hank.
As for the drum carder - I did ask for financial contributions from everybody for my birthday present a couple of years ago... wouldn't be without it now.
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I do wish I could justify a drum carder though......
One for the christmas present list I think
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I'm of the school that doesn't believe you should weight your drying hanks - the purpose of washing and drying is to shake the twist and let it settle naturally; if you stretch it by weighting it as it dries, then the finished yarn will shrink when wet, potentially messing up your finished object. But, as with many things spinning-related, there are other points of view! lol
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I should also add that it's usual to wash yarn that is intended for knitting, but not to wash yarn intended for weaving. In the latter case, being woven stabilises the yarn and its twist, and any fulling required is generally preferably done of the finished object/fabric, rather than of the yarn.
I'm a very beginning weaver, so I've heaps more to learn about all this
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I wouldn't be without my drum carder either. I never could get on with hand carders so it was the only option. When my hands/shoulders are bad I have to get my OH to turn the handle for me but usually I manage.
My grandson (aged 12) wanted to know how it worked last time they stayed so I showed him and let him (supervised) card a batt. When I got up the next day there was another batt beautifully carded waiting for me. I've spun it up and I will make him a hat for Christmas. :knit:
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Oh I didn't know about washing after spinning ( I am pretty impatient and only skim read etc!) . All spinning is from own hand sheered sheep :-). I have a mad goal of socks from my own sheep .... It's a steep learning curve. I can cast on, knit purl, just about reduce or increase.... But then the patterns turn into double Dutch. The wool has been washed and part scoured. But will wash next yarn, many thanks for all tips :-)
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Why not start with a beanie hat. It's not so ambitious as socks (turning the heel is daunting at first and you need to work on four or five double point needles), although they're good fun to knit. A beanie introduces you to decreasing, and can be knitted on two ordinary needles, or a set of 5 if you prefer. More use than a scarf but a nice small project.
Most knitting is just combinations of knit and purl, so you're nearly there. :knit:
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Good idea to make a hat first.
If and when you want to try a sock, you can make perfectly acceptable socks as a tube by knitting a spiral rib as follows. (The pattern may look complicated, but all you are doing is a knit 4, purl 4 rib, and shunting it over by one stitch every 5th round - ever so simple, promise.)
I use 2.5mm needles for socks, and find that 56 stitches is about right for my foot. Do check before you knit too much of the sock!
Row 1 : *k4 p4 * repeat between ** until end of row
Repeat row 1 three times
Row 5 : p1, *k4 p4*, repeat between ** until 3 stitches from end, k3
Repeat row 5 three times
Row 9 : p2, *k4 p4*, repeat between ** until 2 stitches from end, k2
Repeat row 9 three times
Row 13 : p3, *k4 p4*, repeat between ** until 1 stitch from end, k1
Repeat row 13 three times
Row 17 : *p4 k4* repeat between ** until end
Repeat row 17 three times
Row 21 : k1, *p4 k4*, repeat between ** until 3 stitches from end, p3
Repeat row 21 three times
Row 25 : k2, *p4 k4*, repeat between ** until 2 stitches from end, p2
Repeat row 25 three times
Row 29 : k3, *p4 k4*, repeat between ** until 1 stitch from end, p1
Repeat row 29 three times
Repeat rows 1 to 32 to desired length of sock less 2 inches, then shape toe.
Toe:
Put stitch markers at beginning and midpoint of round, and midway between those, so that you have 4 equal segments.
Row 1: *k1, decrease by knitting two stitches together, knit to next marker, slip marker*, repeat ** to end of round
Row 2: knit all round
Repeat rows 1 & 2 until 8 stitches remain. Break yarn, leaving about 8". Using a tapestry needle, run the yarn through all remaining stitches, remove knitting needles, pull yarn snug and tie off. Sew in the end.
Although there's no shaped heel, the spiral rib gives a comfortable fit around any heel and ankle. And the styling means you can wear it any way - there's no top or bottom of foot - so that any wear is shared around the whole circumference.
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Oh I didn't know about washing after spinning ( I am pretty impatient and only skim read etc!) . All spinning is from own hand sheered sheep :-). I have a mad goal of socks from my own sheep .... It's a steep learning curve. I can cast on, knit purl, just about reduce or increase.... But then the patterns turn into double Dutch. The wool has been washed and part scoured. But will wash next yarn, many thanks for all tips :-)
Fi, you sound just like me. I can never wait to do things properly. However, I have managed to get myself into the swing of washing yarn after spinning and it definitely makes a difference. Happy knitting
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I've not done any spinning for a couple of weeks and I'm dying to get back to it. I've been busy needle felting Christmas decorations for my daughter to sell on her craft stall. Not much longer and I can get going again. :excited:
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I've been knitting a jumper for my littlest grandson, and I'm so fed up with it. Like you MGM I just want to get back to my wheels. This has been the most difficult jumper I've knitted since the pink fluffy, lacy one I worked on when I was about 14. That pattern was way beyond me, then once I'd nearly finished it, the dog chewed it up, irretrievably :'(
This one for my grandson is not a complicated pattern, so I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe it's because I'm working from a written pattern which I don't usually do (modifying it for circular knitting as I go) or maybe it's just because the needles are so small I find them fiddly. I've never ripped back knitting so many times as I have this one. Once I unknit the current bit, I just have to cast off the shoulders, sew it up and knit the neck, then I'll be finished :yippee: :celebrate: :hohoho: :excited: :knit: :spin:
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When my daughter and family stayed recently. my grandson, aged 12, wanted to know how the drum carder worked. I showed him and let him try it out. He managed to make a lovely batt.
The next morning when I went downstairs, I found he'd done another one for me. It spun up beautifully so I'm going to make him a hat with it.
We're going to visit them next month. Maybe I should take a fleece and the carder with me. :innocent:
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Thank you so much for that tubular sock pattern Sally! Going to give that a whirl with my newly spun fleece - I may have to adjust the stitches because my yarn is a bit...erm...thick. :roflanim:
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My Mum had a similar tubular sock pattern, all our boot socks were like that when I was little. :)
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Good idea to make a hat first.
If and when you want to try a sock, you can make perfectly acceptable socks as a tube by knitting a spiral rib as follows. (The pattern may look complicated, but all you are doing is a knit 4, purl 4 rib, and shunting it over by one stitch every 5th round - ever so simple, promise.)
I use 2.5mm needles for socks, and find that 56 stitches is about right for my foot. Do check before you knit too much of the sock!
Row 1 : *k4 p4 * repeat between ** until end of row
Repeat row 1 three times
Row 5 : p1, *k4 p4*, repeat between ** until 3 stitches from end, k3
Repeat row 5 three times
Row 9 : p2, *k4 p4*, repeat between ** until 2 stitches from end, k2
Repeat row 9 three times
Row 13 : p3, *k4 p4*, repeat between ** until 1 stitch from end, k1
Repeat row 13 three times
Row 17 : *p4 k4* repeat between ** until end
Repeat row 17 three times
Row 21 : k1, *p4 k4*, repeat between ** until 3 stitches from end, p3
Repeat row 21 three times
Row 25 : k2, *p4 k4*, repeat between ** until 2 stitches from end, p2
Repeat row 25 three times
Row 29 : k3, *p4 k4*, repeat between ** until 1 stitch from end, p1
Repeat row 29 three times
Repeat rows 1 to 32 to desired length of sock less 2 inches, then shape toe.
Toe:
Put stitch markers at beginning and midpoint of round, and midway between those, so that you have 4 equal segments.
Row 1: *k1, decrease by knitting two stitches together, knit to next marker, slip marker*, repeat ** to end of round
Row 2: knit all round
Repeat rows 1 & 2 until 8 stitches remain. Break yarn, leaving about 8". Using a tapestry needle, run the yarn through all remaining stitches, remove knitting needles, pull yarn snug and tie off. Sew in the end.
Although there's no shaped heel, the spiral rib gives a comfortable fit around any heel and ankle. And the styling means you can wear it any way - there's no top or bottom of foot - so that any wear is shared around the whole circumference.
I think I can follow that.... Except, is it on circular needles, normal, or 5x dpns? Thanks. Will have a go with normal wool first :-). I have done ok on my dpns... Until after turning heel, where I have become stuck.
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is it on circular needles, normal, or 5x dpns?
Either circs (using magic loop - so a circ that's long enough to double back on itself), or two circs, or 4 or 5 dpns, as you prefer.
Will have a go with normal wool first :-).
Very good plan :thumbsup: