The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Fleecewife on May 23, 2016, 11:48:17 pm
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OK I should be growing, prepping, dyeing and spinning my own fibres but for a change I want to be lazy and buy something special.
I've just been ploughing through endless websites trying to find something that little bit out of the ordinary, something eye catching, which I know I can spin.
There are endless coils and plaits of merino tops, hand dyed, blended with other fibres...but they are all the same, and anyway I refuse to spin merino, as we have so many delicious British fleece breeds, and I don't see the point of sending for stuff to spin from the other side of the world, something which is bland, characterless and boring, no challenge at all :sofa:.
So, where do you buy your extraordinary spinning fluff from? Or is it a case of 'if you want it you'll have to make it yourself' ?
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I shall follow this thread with interest.
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I have some alpaca that my friend gave me. My club have a dyeing day today so I am taking some of that with me to see how it goes. After that I will probably blend it with a bit of fleece to make it easier to manage.
At Wonderwool I bought some Wensleydale tops (Not sure that's interesting enough for you) but I have already dyed it and it's spinning nicely.
I have lots of my own Ryeland so I should get on and do something with that as they will be shorn again soon and I don't have anywhere to put it.
My poodle gets trimmed tomorrow. I have never tried to spin his coat but that would be interesting
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I can send you a Southdown shearling fleece some time next month if you'd like to try it. The breed was improved at the end of the 18th century by breeding in some Merino but the pure bred sheep couldn't cope with British weather and were taken out to Australia by the colonists.
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Silk? I bought a silk cap at Wonderwool, just need the time to sit down and spin it! Wingham woolwork do quite a nice range of British wool prepared top. I am spinning some humbug blue faced Leicester at the moment, which is giving me a lovely silvery, marked yarn. No idea what I will do with it yet! :spin: :knit:
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Kid mohair - raw fleece or washed?
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Can you get to Woollfest this year?
I'm away at the mo, will look up some links and things, and post them here, when I get back (by Friday)
Meanwhile... BarberBlackSheep is doing some interesting things ; Hilltop Cloud makes some very interesting blends; Freyalyn's Fibres is one of the top Indi dyers IMO. All use British-sourced fibre to a greater or lesser degree.
Undyed, Griffiths Mill often have a good selection, mostly British and much of it Rare Breed; Sheepfold are a very small supplier but it's all rare breed and all as local to Cumbria as they can manage. Both do rovings and batts, as well as carded and uncarded fleece.
You can buy any of John Arbon's tops with absolute certainty you'll have a delightful spinning experience.
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Oh I daren't buy another raw fleece Marches farmer :roflanim: I have loads of the wretched things waiting to be processed still, although the Southdown does look lovely. Thank you for the offer. I like the sound of poodle curls Bionic - spin them (mixed with wool?) and show us all the finished product :thumbsup: You could start a trend there. I did have lots of dog fur from my giant guardian dog, but Mr F helpfully put it in the bin for me when she died..... The mohair sounds good too, but I am just waiting for some seacell and some bamboo to be delivered, to try blending with Shetland or alpaca, both of which I have, so enough silky things for now - I have silk too. Louise, I love BFL but I have a whole jumper, spun, hand dyed by me and knitted up, which I love but I don't need another one, yet...
Sadly Sally, Freyalyn's shop is totally empty right now :o - totally :(. BarberBlackSheep has some fibres for spinning but they are mainly merino, and looks like you have to buy a mixed box to get the more unusual stuff. John Arbon sells merino, albeit blended, and I don't want merino in any shape or form .
As to Woolfest, I'll see how I am at the time. I won't be going to the Highland Show, which usually clashes with Woolfest, but my recent forays into crowded areas have been a series of disasters, so probably not. I agree though that any really special fibre needs to be handled to show if it lives up to its visual promise.
I've looked through art batts, but they seem to be one-offs, and designed more to look good as batts but maybe don't spin up so well. I need enough to be able to make something useful, and being a 'traditionally built lady', that means quite a lot of yarn ;D
I think I'm just being contrary right now and what I think I want just doesn't exist. I'm perfectly capable of blending and dyeing myself, so I'll just have to knuckle under and do that, unless you come up with something splendiferous Sally.
Back down to Earth - this afternoon is lamb Crovecting time, and the shearing has begun, so there'll be enough to keep me occupied for a while. I'll keep searching though :fc:
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I am spinning some corn tops at the moment and really enjoying it.
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You just need to buy a little lamb from me at weaning time ;D Mum is Lincoln Longwool and dad is Gotland but it was a boy so he's been castrated and we don't have space to keep boys. He'll have a lovely fleece and is very affectionate :love:
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John Arbon has everything - but maybe doesn't list it all on his website.
I've had some Blackface x Southdown from John Arbon; it was lovely. And, whilst I agree that there are plenty of great British fibres, just to let people know : John's merino is Merino d'Arles - very different from the flat processed-to-death commercial stuff, it's really lovely, and European. He has lots of other fibres too, many of them British - and every one of his I've tried has been total delight to draft.
Freyalyn probably only puts things in the Etsy shop at the end of the show season too. When I'm home, I'll dig out some of her blog posts and send you links, so you can see the type of stuff she does. She'll dye any of her colour ways on any of the fibres she uses to order, but I don't think she does batts. If you want batts with different fibres and dyed, Hilltop Cloud's the one. Again, she probably has most of her stock now destined for the shows, but I'll look into it and see what I can find.
I usually buy one or three Indi-dyed batts or packs of tops or rovings, and use them in conjunction with things I've dyed myself, or naturally coloured fibres, and/or ply them with something simpler/plainer. But plenty of folks do make whole jumpers from Indi-dyed fibre.
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My poodle gets trimmed tomorrow. I have never tried to spin his coat but that would be interesting
My ex - a very good, experienced spinner - was once asked to spin poodle clippings. It wasn't the easiest of dog hair to spin and produced a fairly coarse yarn with the poodle effect that can be bought but not to soft. The poodle's owner was delighted though but never asked for any more to be done.
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You just need to buy a little lamb from me at weaning time ;D Mum is Lincoln Longwool and dad is Gotland but it was a boy so he's been castrated and we don't have space to keep boys. He'll have a lovely fleece and is very affectionate :love:
Ooh ooh he sounds gorgeous. We are stopping breeding lambs from now on, and selling off our breeding stock over the next couple of years, just keeping the old ladies. However, I have a Shetland wether we'll be keeping who I'm sure will need company. Could I persuade Mr F that this lamb is essential :thinking: ? How does the Lincoln X Gotland fleece stand up to the weather? We had a Gotland ewe whose fleece matted every year before we could get it off, although her crossbred lambs were fine. Um, Aberdeen is quite far away....... He does sound interesting though.
Sally - you're making it sound as if I really will have to brave the crowds at Woolfest. I know Freyalyn and she is always there. Mostly I tend to walk past the fluff for sale, as there's so much merino in there but maybe I should make more of an effort to fight my way to the front.
I was given a couple of kilos of Portuguese merino when I was at some sheep conference in Europe a few years ago and even then I didn't spin up more than a little - the rest is still sitting there.
After a short pause...........Oh Sally, you are bad. I've had a good look at Hilltop Cloud and ended up buying some Corridale with Yak and rose fibre. See what you've made me do :eyelashes: I might add bits of the seacell or bamboo, both of which are white, to add a bit of a lift to the colours which are rather dark.
I still love the sound of that little lamb Clydesdale clopper. What will be his adult weight? That could be the deciding factor.
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This is the first time we have done the cross so I don't know how big he will end up. His mum belongs to my 5 year old and he really doesn't want the lamb to be eaten. OH works in Glasgow so I'm sure something could be arranged ;D he's only a few weeks old at the moment so plenty of time for you to convince your OH :innocent:
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Hee hee heee
Very glad you've succumbed to something gorgeous. That HTC sounds very special.
Actually, Freyalyn won't be at Woolfest this year, and wasn't last year. She'll have a list of the shows she's doing on her blog.
Sounds like you've found your companion wether, but if you are still looking later in the summer, give me a shout. I've some very interesting 2015 and 2016 wethers I'll be looking to home... ;)
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The best softest dog hair to spin is brushed out undercoat of breeds such as samoyed, rough collie, pomeranian, sheltie. I have a homemade spun and knitted scarf made from my last tri colour sheltie blended with a black shetland wool. We once made a jumper wool / pomeranian blend. Also samoyed/ wool hat ( I'm a dog groomer). They can be very hot to wear. You need the wool to bring elasticity, but the dog undercoat very soft and fluffy and very insulating. Clippings are always courser and best to sprinkle with wool base. Haven't tried the cashmere the goats are casting at the moment yet. Would quite like some of my own mohair.
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Clippings can be horrible. Another dog owner wanted hair from their Newfoundland spun and knitted into a jumper. Having been told to just send the soft undercoat, not clippings. they sent a bag of mixed undercoat and clippings. Ex said he wasn't going to separate it because they had been told so spun it as it was. While I was knitting it, I kept yelping as coarse hair pushed its way through several layers of clothing to stab me in the chest. When I undressed at night, it was even inside my bra. I swore never to knit with spun clippings again.
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Ooh ow MGM. Like when you've been to the hairdresser and bits have gone down your clothes.
All the talk and search for unusual fibres has re-inspired my spinning imagination, and I realised that to get what I really want I am going to have to have a go at producing blends and arty stuff myself. So I've bought a blending hackle from Winghams - despatched but not yet arrived :yippee:. Does anyone else have one of these? Any tips? Of course I'll have to get back to dyeing too, just need the scullery fitting out to be complete for that (progress today so I'm hopeful).
I didn't like being in the slough of despond with my spinning so I'm very pleased to be keen again :excited: :spin: :knit: Having made the decision to stop breeding our Hebs has opened the world of other fibres, which I could never justify before :sunshine:
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No tips but I did buy a nice book from Ashford that includes blending.
http://www.ashford.co.nz/products/product/ashford-book-of-carding (http://www.ashford.co.nz/products/product/ashford-book-of-carding)
Pity you aren't nearer. You could have borrowed it
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Ooh ow MGM. Like when you've been to the hairdresser and bits have gone down your clothes.
Oh no, FW, much worse. Like having bits of yard broom in your bra.
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Ooh ow MGM. Like when you've been to the hairdresser and bits have gone down your clothes.
Oh no, FW, much worse. Like having bits of yard broom in your bra.
:roflanim: :roflanim:
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This is the first time we have done the cross so I don't know how big he will end up. His mum belongs to my 5 year old and he really doesn't want the lamb to be eaten. OH works in Glasgow so I'm sure something could be arranged ;D he's only a few weeks old at the moment so plenty of time for you to convince your OH :innocent:
I met him today and can testify that he is GORGEOUS!!! I'd say he's cute enough to eat but I think his mum's owner will probably beat me up if he's told I said that! He's sooooo friendly too!
You REALLY, REALLY, REALLY NEED this one Fleecewife... 'want' just doesn't cover it!
But will he still be cute and gorgeous when he's 3? Probably ;D We'll pop up and see him in August so I can have a feel of his fleece :yippee:
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This is the first time we have done the cross so I don't know how big he will end up. His mum belongs to my 5 year old and he really doesn't want the lamb to be eaten. OH works in Glasgow so I'm sure something could be arranged ;D he's only a few weeks old at the moment so plenty of time for you to convince your OH :innocent:
I met him today and can testify that he is GORGEOUS!!! I'd say he's cute enough to eat but I think his mum's owner will probably beat me up if he's told I said that! He's sooooo friendly too!
You REALLY, REALLY, REALLY NEED this one Fleecewife... 'want' just doesn't cover it!
But will he still be cute and gorgeous when he's 3? Probably ;D We'll pop up and see him in August so I can have a feel of his fleece :yippee:
No boys stay that cute as they get older regardless of species! ;D
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The Winghams blending hackle arrived today - really quick service. The thing is HUGE :o Having been glued to youtube watching how to use a hackle, I see that the spikes are so long so you can spread out the fibre up the whole length to make dizzing possible. I won't have time to try it out until Monday, which will give me time to delve into my stash for interesting bits to add.
[member=8989]Bionic[/member] - thank you for the book recommendation - I've ordered it as it does look good. Won't come til late next week now, held up by some out of stock silk grrr! I even ordered some more bobbins to take all this yarn I'm going to be spinning :spin: :thumbsup:
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I've sent you a pm [member=2642]clydesdaleclopper[/member]
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I was given my first dizz, made of buffalo horn, back in 2000. I didn't have the first idea what it was for, but the lady who gave it to me said that one day I would know, if I continued my spinning, and to keep it til then. I did and it's quite useful now. It's just a thing with several different sized holes in (can be a milk bottle top right up to a work of art). It's used to pull fibre off the combs/hackle/carder to make roving.
The hackle is an extremely vicious-looking set of spikes, rather like wool combs but bigger and wider, for blending various combed fibres together. It is also used in horse-tail spinning (can't remember what the combed hair is used for once hackled) and in wig making for combing human hair. I only discovered that last gem when I was searching for youtube clips on how to use a hackle.
I have very sadly had to turn down Clydesdalecloppers lovely Lincoln Longwool X Gotland wether, as he's just going to grow too big for Mr F to handle :'(. Maybe I'll get a fleece in a year or two.
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I said I'd post some links to some of Freyalyn's blog posts that show the type of things she does.
Here are a few:
http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2015-06-23T12:23:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=7&by-date=false (http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2015-06-23T12:23:00-07:00&max-results=7&start=7&by-date=false)
(Several blog posts showing dyed fibres)
http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/dyeing-commission-blues-and-teals.html (http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/dyeing-commission-blues-and-teals.html)
http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/the-imminence-of-fibre-east.html (http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/the-imminence-of-fibre-east.html)
http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/packaged-this-morning.html (http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/packaged-this-morning.html)
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Thank you Sally. Have you spun up any of this? I wonder how the colours come out when it's spun. With the stuff I've blended (ready dyed before blending) the whole lot mixes too well, so it mostly comes out sad colours, or muddy.
I know I need to learn to dye ready prepared fibres without needing to re-card or -comb afterwards. Mostly I dye spun yarn, or singles then ply.
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Yes, I'm a big fan of Freyalyn's dyeing.
I used 100g of Goblin King (subtle shades from lilac to deep purple) on delicious Polwarth, along with natural silver Corriedale, and white Corriedale dyed by me in shades of dusky pink with hints of violet, to make my Cumbrian Winter Sunset jumper. I'm told this picture doesn't really do it justice.
I've 100g of Dryad on black Shetland with silk sitting on a bobbin, waiting for me to decide how to use it. The black absorbs most of the colour, leaving vibrant lights on the slivers of silk. I bought it and span it for the love of it, with no plan of how to use it! I might decide to make an airy shawl using the yarn as a single, or I might ply it on itself - I'll probably do some samples and see what I think.
I've two packs of Kingfisher on BFL and silk next in my queue. I'll probably fractal spin - where you split the braid in half lengthways, spin one half end to end, then split the other half in lengthways one or more times again, so the colours repeat against themselves. I shall weave with this; I'm interested to see how the fractal spinning looks in a woven piece. (I've attached a pic of my 'fractal hat' - I dyed some Southdown in outrageous colours, then span some of it one-to-one, some 2-1 and some 3-1 fractal. Then knitted a hat with the resultant yarn.)
I'm part way through a pack of very vibrant Cheviot fleece, having fun picking out a few locks of one colour, carding and spinning them, then another colour. When it's done, I expect I'll dye some Cheviot of my own in one of the lighter colours for the other ply. Or maybe I'll experiment with alternative second ply colours and fibres. I've previously done a kind of similar thing, where I stove-top rainbow-dyed some fleece, and dyed some more fleece in the exhaust bath. I did that twice, using the same dye colours, but ended up with two different exhaust bath colours - one was purpley and one greeny. (Stove-top rainbow dyeing is intentionally unrepeatable - it's a lot of fun!) I span one single using one rolag each of the main colours reddish, blueish, yellowish and greenish, repeatedly in sequence. The other single I span using the exhaust bath-dyed fibre, randomly selecting either greeny or purpley. I loved the yarn I made more than any yarn I've ever seen before or since. I made BH a hat with this.
Oops, I've gone off on a dyefest. Back On Topic... I've also got some of Freyalyn's Vivien colourway on Wensleydale, which I plan to use for socks. I like to make socks in 3-ply, so I think I will split the braid in two or three lengthways, spin each end to end, then Navaho-ply (chain-ply) to keep the colours blocky.
And there are two packs of Dragonfly on oatmeal BFL, bought for spinning to weave. Once I've played with the Kingfisher I'll have a better idea of how much fabric I can produce from 200g of fibre, and will then make a plan for how to use the Dragonfly. One idea is to make a waistcoat / bodywarmer type thing, where I can make the back plainer, or completely plain, if I need to.
I buy Freyalyn's fibres for a number of reasons. One, perhaps the main one, is inspiration. Her colourways are so gorgeous, the choice of fibres and colours together as well as the dye palette, so I always learn heaps each time I spin some. Mostly I don't spin tops, preferring rovings, batts, or spinning fleece directly from the combs, but Freyalyn's dyed tops are always an utter delight to spin. That Polwarth took forever though - it was so smooth, I span it finer than anything I'd ever spun before! I enjoyed the colours as I span it, and again as I plied it (some against the natural silver Corriedale and some against the dusky pink), and again as I knitted it up - and again, each time I wear the jumper :)
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I love the first hat, so colourful! [member=10673]SallyintNorth[/member] It looks beautiful, a bit like a peacock, I would definitely wear it. Was it difficult to make at all?
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Glad you like it, wbf :D
Not difficult at all to me - I dyed the fibre (which was Southdown tops), span and plied it in a variety of ways to handle the colour differently, then knitted the hat with the resultant yarn. The hat pattern was basic in the extreme.
My sister loved it, so I gave it to her :)
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[member=8989]Bionic[/member] - thank you for the book recommendation - I've ordered it as it does look good. Won't come til late next week now, held up by some out of stock silk grrr! I even ordered some more bobbins to take all this yarn I'm going to be spinning :spin: :thumbsup:
I'm still waiting for the book to arrive from Fibre Hut......... Wish I'd ordered it from elsewhere.
Instead I've been ploughing my way through Deb Menz's book 'Colour in Spinning'. I've had the book for a number of years but I still find it a bit obsessive/compulsive, eye wateringly so :'( I did though find my copy of dyeing instructions from my original acid dye supplier, which are clear and easy to follow. These were tucked in the front cover of Deb Menz's book, so no wonder I couldn't find them ::)
The sink is all plumbed in in the new scullery so I can really get going now with dyeing without getting in the way of everyday life :yippee:
I've been looking at the types of dyed fibre available for sale, including Freyalyn's, and I will try to reproduce these. I love playing around with colour.
We've almost decided to go to Woolfest. I wonder if it would work to get one of those toddler leads which go round their and your wrists, so I don't get lost when I stop to look at something and Mr F keeps on going and gets swallowed up by the crowds.
ps Sally I think the hats are particularly successful :thumbsup:
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We've almost decided to go to Woolfest. I wonder if it would work to get one of those toddler leads which go round their and your wrists, so I don't get lost when I stop to look at something and Mr F keeps on going and gets swallowed up by the crowds.
:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
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We've almost decided to go to Woolfest. I wonder if it would work to get one of those toddler leads which go round their and your wrists, so I don't get lost when I stop to look at something and Mr F keeps on going and gets swallowed up by the crowds.
:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
I have suggested a husband crèche at Shetland Wool Week several times; perhaps we should have one at Woolfest?!
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I need mine as a people plough to push a way through the squash and I can follow in his wake. Trouble is he's a bit deaf (so he says) so doesn't hear me when I say I want to stop.
A man crèche would be good though, and they could all huddle together moaning on about being fibre widowers :innocent: whilst wearing beautiful sweaters and hats.....
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If a man creche had copious quantities of tea and cakes and played music, I would have trouble getting mine out at the end of the day.
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If a man creche had copious quantities of tea and cakes and played music, I would have trouble getting mine out at the end of the day.
Oh, well that exists at Woolfest already. It's called 'The Square' and is near the ice-cream stall too, and the Ravelry Interactive area :)
FW's use of hub as people-plough, however, is a different requirement. The wrist-lead thing sounds ideal, yes. :D