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Author Topic: Bowmont Yarn  (Read 5046 times)

morri2

  • Joined Jun 2008
Bowmont Yarn
« on: November 09, 2011, 12:13:25 pm »
Could I please ask for some more advice!?   ::)  I have acquired a quantity of Bowmont fleeces which are unsuitable for handspinning.  They are, however, OK for processing into yarn, at a cost, a BIG cost!!  My query here is, if I decided to have these fleeces spun into worsted 100g skeins, some 4ply some double knitting would anyone be intersted in buying any.  They would be undyed and unwashed and, give the cost or processing, around £12 a skein - is this feasible or are you cringing at the price  ???

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Bowmont Yarn
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2011, 01:12:01 pm »
Why Worstead Morri2?  Is it more suitable for Bowmont than woollenspun?  Normally I would knit with woollenspun yarn and weave with Worstead (not that I have done much weaving yet).  It could be that Worstead would give a better drape to any garments knitted from Bowmont.

I would think that if it's really lovely yarn, then £12 for 100gm skein would be ok online.  It can look better as £5.99 per 50 gm though.  You would need to hype it up, quoting the micron count, rare hard-to-come-by breed etc.  Why is it unsuitable for hand spinning?  Is it coarser than the best?   Have you shopped around at different mills for the best price to get the spinning done?

I currently have a large amount of Hebridean first shear fleeces spun at Halifax, with about 15% alpaca - I will sell half to cover the cost but haven't offered them for sale yet.  The bill was much more than I had calculated  ::)

One thing which would add a whole lot of value to your yarn is if you were to hand dye it first - dyeing is such great fun and people just can't resist it  ;D
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

ellisr

  • Joined Sep 2009
  • Wales
Re: Bowmont Yarn
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2011, 02:31:11 pm »
Got me thinking if there isn't enough for a posh rug why not try mittens and be proud of them felting when being worn.

morri2

  • Joined Jun 2008
Re: Bowmont Yarn
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2011, 03:23:12 pm »
Hi Fleecewife.  The Bowmont fleece is unsuitable for handspinning as it has been poorly stored (not by me I might add!) and is very dusty. I had to send a sample to the mill before they'd give me a quote on it and fotunatly it had not dried out enough to be useless.  I can certainly plug the rarity angle but as its not my fleece I don't have a micron count for it.  That said, it might be an idea to send a sample off for testing before I go any further. 

Worsted was suggested by the mill I spoke to as being the best method to produce soft yarn.  I already have some yarn here (ex Bowmont Braf - now no longer in existence) which is semi worsted and I didn't consider it soft enough.  I've had some homespun Bowmont yarn (from one of my Bowmonts) and its much, much softer.  However, I'm a beginner at this type of thing, and if you think there is another method of processing which will provide a softer yarn I'm all for it!!  It could be that the fleeces I've acquired are not as good as mine - the micron count will prove that.

Dyeing the yarn is really not something that appeals to me - I've never done it before and probably don't have the facilities - I'll leave it to someone else I think.

What is the name of the mill you sent your fleece/fibre to in Halifax?


Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Bowmont Yarn
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2011, 09:06:33 pm »
Hi Fleecewife.  The Bowmont fleece is unsuitable for handspinning as it has been poorly stored (not by me I might add!) and is very dusty.

By me?

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Bowmont Yarn
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2011, 12:08:52 am »
Hi Morri2

The Mill is the Halifax Spinning Co near Goole (named after the Halifax bomber as it's on an old airfield) Google it then phone them as they never get round to seeing emails.  However, I would have thought that the Natural Fibre Co would have more experience with something like Bowmont and would have the correct equipment to process it.  If they were the ones to say spin it Worstead, then go for it.  Woollen spinning would make the yarn fluffier and therefore 'softer', but worstead would make the yarn smoother and therefore with a softer drape.  In other words it depends on what you mean by 'soft'  ::)

The thing is that you can't expect top quality yarn if the fleeces are not also top quality, but if the mill has seen a sample and they think they can produce what you want, then go with their advice.
Just being dusty shouldn't affect the quality, but if it has been stored wet or moths have got in then it is not worth using.

In my experience, selling all of a batch of yarn takes a long time, so your return may not be immediate and the whole thing will be a bit of a gamble.  Hence your sussing out buyers with this question  :)
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

morri2

  • Joined Jun 2008
Re: Bowmont Yarn
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2011, 12:04:55 pm »

No Anke, not you!  I wouldn't think for one minute you'd have stored fleece in this way.

I acquired these fleeces from the keeper of a now non existent flock of Bowmonts in Mid Wales.  Basically I think I purchased the last of the fleeces they'd been using for processing after the firm business started to wind down.  I think its at least two years old, or more.  It probably was not intended to store them for long as they did, but there's  no moths and no mildew, thankfully, just lots of dirt and dust.  The fibre is still OK.

Fleecewife: Thanks yet again for the info - it has been suggested that I might have more demand for the yarn if its spun very finely.  Perhaps a lace weight.  Only problem is that it would need to be more expensive to buy due to the additional costs of having it spun in this way.  what do you think?

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Bowmont Yarn
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2011, 02:10:13 pm »
I had wondered about laceweight.  The amount you would sell to each person would be very small - you get far more length to a given weight and you don't need much to spin something like a christening shawl or an evening top.  The upside is that the buyer would be willing to pay more per given weight for laceweight.  The downside is that there are not many knitters and crocheters out there who are making shawls.......except in Shetland, but they would use Shetland yarn.  I think you would need to advertise it online and expect to send some overseas.

I have never managed to handspin enough laceweight yarn to make anything...yet  ;D
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

 

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