Wonderfully informative video. I love wool and yarn but don’t spin. I tried once but it is not something that I found easy. So I will just continue to buy and knit or crochet with it. So interesting to see the variety of fleeces. I’m just grabbing a coffee to rewatch. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I have even more admiration now for spinners and the process.
I never comment on you tube videos but today I am! Oh my goodness...thank you for sharing what you do! I am new to spinning. I want to spin what I card and I just keep finding this perfect looking yarn from combed milled rovings. Your yarn from the fleece is amazing to look at! Thanks again for sharing! Talking through the fleeces, priceless!
Thank you for the wealth of information on your videos! I've watched them several times lol. And found my country spinner band was not on the slower groove. Maybe my rug yarn will not get easily over twisting now. And you were right about the Alpaca being slippery. I find it does not work well on peg loom rugs. And it stretches easily. Also, it sheds terribly. I'll be sticking with the rustic wool. Hope your doing well. Thanks!
Really interesting, always good to hear how someone handles different types of fleeces. 🙂 Your way of spinning from the fleece creates great character in the yarn. It would be a good way to spin other shorter types of fleece. We dont have Shetland here in Australia. Love seeing you dyeing too. Lyn Look forward to your next post
Hi! I resently found your podcast and I really find it very informativ and nice. I like all the things you create and do with wool. The shawl are very nice. Looking forward to next episode.😊
Very interesting and informative. For somebody who cards most fleece and ends up with grey fibre it is great to see different ways of handling the whole fleece. I am going to try spinning from the locks, but not sure how my Ashford Traditional will handle it.
Thank you so much for sharing your creative. It’s a refreshing outlook on natural processes, both dyeing and spinning. I am new to fiber arts (less than a year) and have just purchased my first fleece. It’s from a Boreray sheep and I feel I may be in over my head. I cold soaked it to get some of the dirt out and plan on hot washing it today. Then, if all goes well, I’ll need to decide how to proceed. Do you have any recommendations for a Boreray fleece from the Orkney Islands?
Hi. Thanks for watching. Boreray wouldn't be the easiest beginners fleece. I have spun about half dozen Boreray's from Orkney, and they have varied widely in quality. Firstly you don't want one that has a felted or matted back to it. It needs to be 'open' so you can pull it apart easily. Also hopefully you got one that wasn't full of chaff. Providing you have a good fleece, you could tackle it a few ways. It's a 2 coated ancient breed, with a soft undercoat that keeps the sheep very warm, and a longer coat, more resembling hair (but still often quite soft), that wicks away the rain from the sheep's body. If you have English combs, you could flick card each lock clump. Alternatively, you can hold each clump of wool in your hand and pull the longer coat away from the shorter, and then make a pile of the shorter to spin, either carded or uncarded, whichever you prefer. My favourite way of spinning is usnig my Ashford Country Spinner, (jumbo), and slowly spinning the entire fleece, short and long, into a lock yarn, with all the longer locks dangling off the yarn. Because most Boreray fleeces are well under 1kilo in weight, making the very small indeed after washing and cleaning, then you wouldn't want to throw too much away. Alternatively you could get 2 fleeces the same colour and mix them up. Somewhere on my instagram I think I have a spinning video of boreray fleece, but would need to go and check where it is!! HOpe all this helps a little bit. Nothing like just diving in and finding out on the job!
That's a shame you had to rework your loom from the factory they are not low cost looms and should be better built. Great video of information you shared with us.
Please can you tell me where I can but a clean, high quality fleece like the one you showed us? It is challenging buying over the web when you haven’t seen the fleece.
That;s a difficult question! You could try to purchase from those who understand what a hand-spinner is looking for. That's always a good starting point. It depends what country you live in. Talking to a breeder and find out what they know about their wool is what I would do first.
I have so enjoyed this video. As a spinner/weaver/knitter myself, I appreciate another artisan sharing their appreciation for wool 😊
Thanks so much!
I love the lumps and bumps - gives it character!
Thank you for sharing your videos. And your relaxed manner makes it all the enjoyable to watch!
Really interesting episode, Sarah. 👍 Love the shawl. You're so talented. Looking forward to the next episode.
Wonderfully informative video. I love wool and yarn but don’t spin. I tried once but it is not something that I found easy. So I will just continue to buy and knit or crochet with it. So interesting to see the variety of fleeces. I’m just grabbing a coffee to rewatch. Thank you for sharing your expertise. I have even more admiration now for spinners and the process.
Thank you for such a lot of information and inspiration. I loved watching you so much!
I never comment on you tube videos but today I am! Oh my goodness...thank you for sharing what you do! I am new to spinning. I want to spin what I card and I just keep finding this perfect looking yarn from combed milled rovings. Your yarn from the fleece is amazing to look at! Thanks again for sharing! Talking through the fleeces, priceless!
Thank you! So glad you are enjoying the episodes. I hope to get another one done soon.. just been too busy spinning!!
Thank you for your videos, they are always very informative and inspirational.
Glad you like them!
Very educational. I am loving Shetland wool and it's versatility and softness. Please continue more videos like this!
Hi there thanks for commenting. Yes Shetland is a big part of my spinning-life too. I'm sure I will be revisiting...
Brilliant video! Very inspiring and informative.! Well done and more please!
Thanks! I'm hoping to do more soon...
Thank you for the wealth of information on your videos!
I've watched them several times lol. And found my country spinner band was not on the slower groove.
Maybe my rug yarn will not get easily over twisting now.
And you were right about the Alpaca being slippery. I find it does not work well on peg loom rugs. And it stretches easily. Also, it sheds terribly. I'll be sticking with the rustic wool.
Hope your doing well.
Thanks!
Really interesting, always good to hear how someone handles different types of fleeces. 🙂
Your way of spinning from the fleece creates great character in the yarn. It would be a good way to spin other shorter types of fleece.
We dont have Shetland here in Australia.
Love seeing you dyeing too.
Lyn
Look forward to your next post
I think you are right. I'm hoping to try a southdown fleece soon, like this, which is shortish and crimpy. Thanks for watching!
Very nice shawl!😊😊
thank you!
Hi! I resently found your podcast and I really find it very informativ and nice.
I like all the things you create and do with wool. The shawl are very nice.
Looking forward to next episode.😊
Thanks for watching!
Such an interesting and educational video! 😊 Pam in Australia.
Thank you Pam in Australia!!
Very interesting and informative. For somebody who cards most fleece and ends up with grey fibre it is great to see different ways of handling the whole fleece. I am going to try spinning from the locks, but not sure how my Ashford Traditional will handle it.
You might need a jumbo flyer?
Thank you so much for sharing your creative. It’s a refreshing outlook on natural processes, both dyeing and spinning. I am new to fiber arts (less than a year) and have just purchased my first fleece. It’s from a Boreray sheep and I feel I may be in over my head. I cold soaked it to get some of the dirt out and plan on hot washing it today. Then, if all goes well, I’ll need to decide how to proceed. Do you have any recommendations for a Boreray fleece from the Orkney Islands?
Hi. Thanks for watching. Boreray wouldn't be the easiest beginners fleece. I have spun about half dozen Boreray's from Orkney, and they have varied widely in quality.
Firstly you don't want one that has a felted or matted back to it. It needs to be 'open' so you can pull it apart easily. Also hopefully you got one that wasn't full of chaff.
Providing you have a good fleece, you could tackle it a few ways. It's a 2 coated ancient breed, with a soft undercoat that keeps the sheep very warm, and a longer coat, more resembling hair (but still often quite soft), that wicks away the rain from the sheep's body.
If you have English combs, you could flick card each lock clump. Alternatively, you can hold each clump of wool in your hand and pull the longer coat away from the shorter, and then make a pile of the shorter to spin, either carded or uncarded, whichever you prefer.
My favourite way of spinning is usnig my Ashford Country Spinner, (jumbo), and slowly spinning the entire fleece, short and long, into a lock yarn, with all the longer locks dangling off the yarn.
Because most Boreray fleeces are well under 1kilo in weight, making the very small indeed after washing and cleaning, then you wouldn't want to throw too much away. Alternatively you could get 2 fleeces the same colour and mix them up.
Somewhere on my instagram I think I have a spinning video of boreray fleece, but would need to go and check where it is!! HOpe all this helps a little bit. Nothing like just diving in and finding out on the job!
That's a shame you had to rework your loom from the factory they are not low cost looms and should be better built. Great video of information you shared with us.
The Shetland fleece you are dyeing purple , it is smooth looking so has that been washed and carded and now you are dyeing it ?
I would be interested to know where you buy your fleeces in the UK, especially the Gotland/Shetland cross. Thanks
Hi Dorothy, I'm not sure what's now available, but a good place to check are the raw fleece FB market places. Hope that helps!
Please can you tell me where I can but a clean, high quality fleece like the one you showed us? It is challenging buying over the web when you haven’t seen the fleece.
That;s a difficult question! You could try to purchase from those who understand what a hand-spinner is looking for. That's always a good starting point. It depends what country you live in. Talking to a breeder and find out what they know about their wool is what I would do first.