Show Off Your Handspun Yarns

This weekend I dyed a batch of Leicester Longwool that I'd had a while... the fiber looks marvelous!

This afternoon I tried spinning this long stuff! And I mean it is long... the shortest lengths are at least 6" long... and some are evenlonger. It wants to be spun finely... it will not go thick at all. It was so hard to spin that I tried making a rolag and that was a little bit better, but still difficult... So I just finished carding the whole pile... well it's only 10 oz. and fits into a gallon zip lock baggie...Here is the first part of the spinning I did today... this will be a very slow process.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on May 17, 2012 at 2:59pm

NOT! I did get the pygora/alpaca roving that the seller (or giver away) called "stinky"... it is perfectly clean as far as dirt, VM, etc. but the fiber has a strong smell that is bad. I think it was probably from whatever it was stored in... I've had fibers that smell like this before, and once spun up, and washed in a good wool wash, you can't tell the difference.

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 18, 2012 at 6:30am

pics please

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on May 18, 2012 at 6:50am

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 18, 2012 at 7:05am

Nice! Have you worked with any of it yet?

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on May 18, 2012 at 7:21am

Not yet, Have not had a chance...getting ready for today. I didn't want to have fiber on my wheel.

Permalink Reply by wendy on May 18, 2012 at 9:07am

OMG, today! I forgot about today. This is the starting date for the spin along, correct? Off to take a look. Have not been on here for a while.

Permalink Reply by christina | AlohaBlu on May 17, 2012 at 8:29pm

i think you have to try washing raw wool at least once to see how you like it. i've done it and i'm probably pretty much done with it. had the same experience with you, Susan, and i wasn't too fond of the process. the wool was alpaca, i think, so it was worth the effort and it came out pretty, but i'm ok with not having to do it again.

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on May 17, 2012 at 8:37pm

Every spinner needs to KNOW what this process is like... if not, they cannot fully appreciate what they do. At my age, THIS is too much work.

Permalink Reply by Karen Pike on May 18, 2012 at 6:18am

One thing I've noticed about commercially prepared vs. home prep is that the fiber is soooo stretched out that it is tough to know its true crimp and character until you finish wit the yarn and give it the first bath...

Permalink Reply by Dawn Railsback on May 18, 2012 at 5:36am

I still have three bins of Jacob that I have to comb/pick. Took forever to wash it and dry it and now I don't even want to look at it. Luckily it was free so I don't have that annoying "you paid for it, now do something with it" voice in my head.

Permalink Reply by Susan the Blue Lake Knitter on May 18, 2012 at 5:45am

I have piles of stuff that was given to me... and most of it has to be picked, combed, carded, etc., etc. Most of it is mystery fiber, so I have NO idea what type of fleece it is... just looking forward and not back.

Permalink Reply by Dawn Railsback on May 18, 2012 at 5:50am

Okay, so if you read my recent post from the spin-in thread. . . I'm in an odd mood this morning. After I read your post an image popped into my head of you and I holding hands, skipping happily away from mountains of unprocessed fleeces.