[wellies]

hello everyone  . I'm full of cold and feeling a bit sorry for myself so thought I'd get more cheery by planning some sheepy things  We run flocks of Ryelands & Coloured Ryelands having approximately 28 sheep sheared. Normally I give the wool away but I'm thinking this year I'd like to have something done with it. Had thoughts on having a wool throw made to keep me warm on the sofa in the winter. Does anyone know how much wool this would take & anyone who would do such things? Any ideas/suggestions welcome. Hope you're all staying safe in this horrid weather

[Fleecewife]

The Natural Fibre Co will do the spinning then forward the yarn to a weaver such as Gwillan Teifi (can't spell it).  Have a look at the services they offer and prices they charge on their website.
 
 
Please please don't give fleece away - it devalues it and undercuts other fleece producers.  Someone who is given a fleece will think you give it no value, so they in turn will not value it.  A Ryeland fleece should bring in £10-£15, and more for a coloured Ryeland, if they are picked over, well shorn and rolled nicely - and of good quality obviously.  Any which are not good quality are best used on the garden as mulch or used to fill potholes rather than being offered for sale or given away.  Fleece is one of the many products from your sheep, so is part of your crop and should be valued as such.  great that you have decided to do something with it this year    (the initial layout to get it spun and woven is quite a lot, but then it's a lot of work)
 
Sorry if that sounds a bit ranty.  I don't mean to but I'm getting a migraine and need to get to bed 

[Bionic]

Having the fleece professionally spun and then turned into something is an expensive business. I spin my own fleece from Ryelands and Coloured Ryelands. OH got a jumper for Christmas from a 2012 fleece. He was out on Sat evening and people were commenting on the jumper. He boasted that if they came to our house they could meet the originator, the sheep the fleece had come from, not me 


If you don't fancy spinning you could always try your hand at a peg loom. It's very easy to do and takes much less work.

[spandit]

Could you use it as loft insulation or does it need to be processed in some way?

[wellies]

Hi Fleecewife, I sympathise with the migraine and hope you feel better today. In the past I have given it to my shearer and they spin it and put it to good use. I'm sure they are aware of the value but I take on board your comments. When we first started we only had 5 and I really was at a loss to know what to do with 5 fleeces and I think it became a habit not to utilise it as part of our sheepy out put (even though our flocks have grown over the years). I also have to admit that I really know very little about wool products etc but am very interested to learn. Thank you for your recommendations I will have a look at the companies you have recommended and get organised for shearing time. 

[wellies]

Oh Bionic you sound incredibly talented I'm not sure if this is something I could do but I will certainly have a look on the internet to see how it works (have to admit though I can't even knit  ) I would love to have something done with it. How many Ryelands have you got and how much wool do they produce. I'm trying to imagine how much my 28 will produce? I think this is going to be a fun learning curve 

[SallyintNorth]

wellies, if you do start spinning - more on that in a mo - I would expect that you find that you will use some of your 28 fleeces and swap or sell some to /with other handspinners.  Ryeland is nice fibre, you should have plenty of takers (unless there are a lot of flocks in your area.)

Those of us who spin find it incredibly relaxing, and a lovely hobby.  Because we can make jumpers, socks, hats, gloves, rugs, blankets, etc, etc, for ourselves and our loved ones, it never feels self-indulgent to be spinning! 

There are plenty of videos on YouTube - if you fancy having a go with a spindle, have a look at Abby Franquemont's videos, she's very clear.  If you have access to a spinning wheel, there are plenty of vids to choose from but a lot of us like the frankly bonkers but very easy to follow if you don't mind her 'quirkiness' Rexie R.

You can make a perfectly serviceable spindle using 2 CDs, some 15mm dowelling, a grommet and a small screw-in hook.  Or the standard Ashford spindles are not expensive and quite suitable for learning.

Best way, however, is to find your local spinning group or Guild.  There will be people very happy to give you a hand, some groups have wheels you can use at meetings, even take away and use at home.

There's a list of the non-Guild groups on Ravelry here, and you can look up your nearest Guild here.  Most Guilds and groups are happy for you to attend as a guest, paying a small contribution each meeting, so you don't have to join for the year until you are sure you want to (although you may need to join in order to borrow a club or Guild wheel, of course.)

Some people 'get it' within a few hours, others take a lot longer.  But when it comes, it's very sudden and you often can't work out what you've changed!  It's one of those pat-your-head-while-rubbing-your-tummy things, just takes a while to get your muscles working together in this new way, but once they get it, it seems easy.

I 'blame' jaykay and fleecewife for 'enabling' me and getting me started - and I will never ever stop being grateful.      

[Bionic]

Wellies, I only have 8 sheep, 3 of which are white. I love them and enjoy the fact that I can make use of their fleece.
I'm not a great spinner but get by with the help of my local group. When you get some fibre you might find crochet easier than knitting. Have a little dabble and see how you get on.

[kanisha]

I am loving working out how many different ways i can use the fleece from my sheep. Spinning and knitting or crocheting is one use but there are so many more. As a complete beginer to the art of wool all I would say is rather than spend the money on getting someone to process the fleece, if necessary pay someone to help you learn to use the fleece yourself infinately more satisfying. My first attempt at needle felting!

christmas heart decorations 100% Ouessant wool

[Bionic]

Oooo, I love these Kanisha 

[Fleecewife]

Thanks wellies - migraine has just about gone.
 
 
Although I'm the first to suggest learning to spin, as Sallyintnorth has pointed out  , I think that trying to deal with TWENTY EIGHT fleeces in your first season, or any season, would put you off forever.  Do try spinning, felting, peglooming and all those things with a couple of fleeces, but I think having a rug or two made up from your own animals is a wonderful thing to do.  They might even be able to weave a pattern using your different colours.  We had our first rug woven about 15 years ago from our Hebridean fleeces (not a promising fibre on first appearances).  We still have that rug on our bed now - it's still in perfect condition (yes, it's been cleaned a few times  ) and keeps us cosy through the worst winters.  Being from our own animals makes it very special.
 
 
If you have money to invest, you could get yarn spun up, make your own ball bands and offer it for sale online.  Similarly you could have the fleece carded into tops, batts or roving for sale - or to help you with your prep when learning to spin.
Keep doing your research into all the possibilities, and we'll all help where we can. 

[kanisha]

You could always pay someone in fleece 

[smallflockshearing]

It's always worth registering with BWMB and dropping off your wool with them, if you have spare fleeces and if the travel is worth your while and you have >4 sheep.  Prices are due to be better at auction this year than 2013 (ie selling 2013's wool in 2014) - you should be getting >£1/kg for most fleeces.  With 10 sheep yielding 3kg each, that could give you £30-£36.  If you live within 90 minutes of a depot, I'd travel for that - may pay for your shearer.
Not a vast return, but better than sticking it in the shed and letting it deteriorate.
I've heard no projection of likely 2015 prices yet, from the 2014 shearing season.

[smee2012]

Eek! I threw our Zwartbles fleeces away last year! Am now feeling extremely bad about that 

It was only four fleeces but I contacted our local spinning guild but no-one was willing to come and get it (despite it being offered for free as it was in the grease) and I certainly wasn't going to travel to someone to give it away for nothing. I wanted to clean it all up and store it but I just didn't have the time or space last year.

Wellies, what I'm hoping to make is a 'woovet' (as opposed to a duvet). Wool is supposed to be excellent for duvets and it 'only' needs cleaning, carding and then laying out between two layers of fabric to sew together. I'll need to save up lots of my fleeces to do this though - hopefully I'll find the time this year! You've probably got enough to make one from all those fleeces!

ps - did you keep all of last year's lambs? I seem to recall that you had fewer sheep than that last year!

[SallyintNorth]

smee2012, a woovet sounds like a good plan for your Zwartbles fleeces.

And Zwartbles fleeces are huge, so you will probably need less number of than you think

I don't know if quiltycats is around, but she had some Zwartbles off me for quilting and may be able to offer some advice...  (No, I don't have Zwartbles sheep, but I get given 4 fleeces from the 'Chariots of Fire' display team's Zwartbles sheep each year.  They're actually rather nice - huge, filthy, but clean up easily and card well. )