Wool Pickers

My swing picker (looks much like this one) is my other medieval torture tool.  Seriously just look at those tines!!

 

There are box pickers and swing pickers.  There are a few manufacturers and also DIY versions on the internet.

With DIY instructions in hand I originally asked a carpenter friend of mine if he would make one for me.  Even he looked wide eyed at all those long stainless steel nails (in the picture) and responded, “you have got to be kidding”.  Well no, I wasn’t kidding, and no, he wasn’t willing to risk injury in his backyard workshop making such a dangerous looking implement. 

So, off to the internet I went again to look for an affordable one.  Eventually I found a lovely lady who was needing to downsize her fibre hoard and fibre implements so a near new one found a new home from her garage to my wool shed.  And I then had a swing picker.

Why did I think I needed a swing picker?
Well firstly it is a bit hard to ‘try before you buy’ many of these tools as they are few and far between.  I hear that many guilds have a selection of tool to try and borrow but as I wasn’t a member of a guild I didn’t have that luxury.  Given I was now processing whole fleeces I thought a wool picker would come in handy.

Do’s and Don’ts of wool picking

• Do use with sufficient clearance between you and anything else.
• Sit back from your wool picker (you don’t want your jumper or t-shirt getting picked!)
• Do understand the ideal set up of your implement.  The spacing of the tines for the type of fleece you are picking is important.  Some implements should always be adjusted with the tines slightly apart, while some are built to interlock the tines slightly as they are offset.
• Do wash your wool before picking.  Alpaca doesn’t need to be washed first as it has no sticky lanolin.
• Do sweep it out VERY CAREFULLY and thoroughly after each use. 
• Don't use out in the open unless it is a breezeless day.  Your fluff will blow away.
• Don't push your fingers too far into the area where the tines are.  (Hopefully this one doesn't need more explaining!)
• Don't use near small children or inquisitive pets.
• Don't overload it.  More is not better and getting too much fibre jammed between the tines makes for a dangerous exercise to sort it out.

What to do with your picked fibre?

• You can spin from the cloud without further processing.
• Use this ‘fluff’ to card or even comb into roving.
• You can dye your fluff but be careful not to agitate it or it will turn into felt.
• You can use your picker to begin the blending process with different coloured fibres.

The benefits of a wool picker?

• It quickly gets rid of small amounts of VM.
• It fluffs up your fibre.
• It can help you begin to blend large amounts of fibre.

What have I learnt about my picker?

It is one of many tools in my arsenal of fibery things.  I really like to process alpaca fibre through the picker as it is the quickest and easiest way to get the VM out.  Feel free to pop your fibre through more than once. 

Useful links

http://www.petlyn.com.au/Fleece-Picker

https://spidersworkshop.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/building-a-wool-picker/

How to use a Fleece Swing Picker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg6mTIFHcgI&feature=youtu.be

 

Happy Spinning :-)

 

 

Wool combs

Valkyrie Wool Combs...

Wolverine without the side burns!!!!  Well not quite, but perhaps reminiscent of some sort of medieval torture tool.  These things can be dangerous so make sure your tetanus shots are up to date.

Learning to use these requires careful attention, primarily so as not to stab ones self and draw blood.  And mind you this is VERY easy to do.  But the end result is beautiful roving.

I find the main benefits of using wool combs is to strip out VM and second cuts.  Many people, as you will find if you start looking through YouTube clips, will use combs with a hackle.  I don't have a hackle yet but you can use them with or without a hackle.

I found this wonderful image and at the same time discovered another spinners blog, Barbro's Threads.  I hope you don't mind me using your pic, but in the process I have added you to one of my fav blogs.  So much history and wonderful information.  But I digress...

You can see in this picture, not only the sharp tines of the combs, but the fluffy results achieved.

Another spinner, and just overall handy girl extraordinaire is Rexi R.  My kids love her videos even though they are not yet fully addicted to spinning.   Whilst she is demoing Indigo Hound Combs they are much the same thing and Rexi R brings spinning instructional videos to life.  If you have even the slightest lop sided sense of humour you too will smile at her helpful, practical and amusing videos.  Yay Rexi R.

I watched many videos on using a comb and hackle but since I don’t have a hackle I was struggling to get my technique right if I didn’t attach one of my combs to a work bench.  Then I found this video by Susan McFarland.  Susan shows us how to use the combs safely without having to attach them to a bench.  This is a great video on using hand combs.

Combing is currently my favourite technique.  Well perhaps the technique is not the favourite but the result certainly is.

Yes it takes time, but the results are oh so soft.  You can create little fluffy bumps to spin from or to dye or blend.  And once you get your groove happening it is surprising how fast you can comb a well washed fleece.   I have heard it said that combing is faster than carding.  I suppose that comment is relative to the  size of your carder, but noting blend through a card nicer than well combed fleece. 

It is good to have a variety of fibre processing techniques.  Variety of movement helps ensure you don’t suffer from muscle or joint overuse.  More on the health and safety aspects of spinning in a later post.  You can do a bit of combing, do a bit of dying then blend it on your hand cards or carding machine for another effect altogether.  The possibilities are endless.

Back to combing.  There is probably not much more I can add if you watch the two videos that I have linked in.  These ladies have nailed the technique.

However, a word of advice.  You will find combing much easier if your fleece is well washed.  I have tried combing unwashed fleece and it just turns into a clumpy sticky mess.  My sheep all seem to have a reasonably high lanolin content which is where the stickiness comes from.  You can comb raw alpaca quite successfully as alpaca does not have lanolin.  The same would probably apply to other hair type fibres.  Also, don't overload your combs at least until you get the hang of it.

So that's all on wool combs.  Like everything there are many different brands.  but you may find that only a few brands are available in your country.

Hand Cards

Before I launch into today’s blog, I want to thanks all those wonderful people who put in the time to make YouTube videos.  I use them to learn more about spinning techniques, new knitting or crochet stitches, even how to trim the toenails on my sheep.  Whilst sometimes I wish for a less technology based world I would never find enough resources in my local libraries to supplement my search for woolly learning.  Thank you internet and thank you YouTube’rs.  ;-)

I also love promoting other spinners web sites.  One of the first ones of real value that I found (and all you others don’t think your site is no value, I may have just not found you at the time), is Tulasi Zimmer’s site “The Joy of Handspinning” (http://joyofhandspinning.com/).  Tulasi has a wonderful way of explaining things in the most simple terms and with just the right number of pictures to assist.  Her explanation on how to roll rolags was the only one that made sense to me and I finally got the hang of it.  (And Angora rabbits are definitely part of my retirement plan ;-)

Here is a link to her page on hand carding.  Check it out. 

There are many brands and types of hand cards on the market.  I just happen to have Ashford ones but nearly all the wheel manufacturers also make hand cards.  Essentially hand cards are a flat or curved paddle with carding cloth attached.  It is possible to make your own hand cards if you have skills in that area, although I have found it a little challenging to source carding cloth in Australia.

Teachers and experienced spinners may tell you that there are carders for various purposes.  The downside is that when you are starting out you may not be able to buy tools for all occasions and really when you are starting out there is no need to.  (Remember there are no spinning police here.)

You can card most anything on a basic set of hand cards but be flexible with the results if you are trying this with specialties.  Fibres like cotton card better on finer carding cloth, as does angora (rabbit), ox, possum, silk roving, milk silk and various other fine fibres.  That’s not to say it can’t be done, just the results are a little less smooth the further apart the tines on the cloth are.

I only have one set of hand cards and they do everything for me.

My assumptions about hand cards?

I overloaded them at first.  The more you put on the quicker you are going to be able to process this fleece right? WRONG!! You just end up with a matted mess and lots of neps if you load too much on the hand cards.  (Neps are those little balls of fibre.  Sort of like pills in a finished fabric.)

Load just enough to not clearly be able to see the tines.  Most people find it better to use washed wool.  Trying to process unwashed wool will leave your hand cards sticky with lanolin and over time they get grubby so that when you want to process something fine or expensive you need to overhaul your hand cards back to a presentable state (and that may not be easy).  I’m not saying it can’t be done but most spinners will advise against using hand cards for unwashed wool.  Or at least if that is what you want to do, have a second set just for the nice clean fibre.

I also thought that I would get smooth roving from my hand cards.  Well I haven’t yet.  If I start with roving and am blending it, then yes the results are nice, aligned and smooth.  Processing a washed fleece does not get the same results.  Although I haven’t yet tried cutting the tips of the wool off yet.  (yes this is suggested by some!)

Perhaps my results are a little less than what I expected as I didn’t really understand these tools when I first got them.  But I think we all learn best from trial and error.  My hand carding is slowly getting better as I observe more of what I am doing and learn to adjust my technique to observe different results.

But what do I use my hand cards for?

I initially thought I could use them in the house by my wheel in place of the Wild Carder.  Well the results there were yes and no.

Rule 1 of spinning in my house.... ALWAYS have an old sheet or table cloth under your work area.  Even mill washed roving deposits dust and debris under where you are working.  At least with some sort of covering over the floor you can take it outside and give it a shake between having to vacuum after every spinning session.

So I carded to make rolags.  I blended to make coloured rolags.  I used my hand cards to prepare small samples of fibre or colour blends.  I came to the conclusion that my hand cards are a tool with their own purpose.  They don’t replace my carding machine, my flicker brush or hand combs. 

Some spinners appear to do most their processing on hand cards.  But I am looking for variety in technique and from a health and safety view that is also good.  Hand cards are a different action to carding machines, combs and flickers.  And, variety of action is good for us.  

A handy tip... If you ever go to a show to buy fleece, pop your hand cards in your bag.  I find being able to card a few locks of a fleece will give you a better idea of how it will handle when you take it home to spin it.

So where to now?

With spinning being an ancient craft, developed in different ways, and with different fibres around the globe there is much information to be found and much to be learnt.  In this modern technical age we can and should learn much about our chosen craft.  I have included an extra link to the Ashford clip on hand carding, but time and a suitable internet data allowance will allow you to find many many more resources.

I know Wikipedia often gets a bad rap for being unreliable but their page on Carding is pretty informative for those of you who like a little history and technical info, to supplement the practical “how to” type info.  The post covers all sorts of carding and has some informative links at the bottom if you would like to read further.

So experiment and spin happy.

My Wild Carder

So moving along my spinning preparation journey and the need to gather many fibre toys, I thought I needed a Wild Carder.

The specs and sales pitch straight from the Ashford web site...

Make unique blends for art yarn
- adjustable packer brush
- extra long 72ppsi teeth
- adjustable drum clearance
- lacquered and assembled
- cleaning brush, clamps and awl included
- cards up to 40gm fibre

The Wild carder has been specifically designed for today’s fabulous, fun and funky art yarns. The extra long 72ppsi teeth allow you to include differing fibres, fabric, ribbons, feathers, paper and novelties to create unique blends. The packer brush is adjustable and will control fine, low-crimp fibres and increase the size of the batt. The drum clearance is also adjustable which allows you to set the teeth distance for total control of your fibre.
All nylon bearings ensure it is light and easy to turn. The card cloth has wire teeth with a special protective coating and a flexible rubber backing for long life.
The doffer and cleaning brush are stored on the carder. The carder is strong but lightweight with hand hold for easy carrying. The carder has rubber feet to prevent it slipping. It comes assembled and lacquered ready to use. http://www.ashford.co.nz/newsite/carders/75/carding/wild-carder/moredetail.html

Honestly, the Ashford Wild Carder is a great little tool.  To see what it can do just have a look at this YouTube clip by Ashford.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB32vVuh7xs

When I started spinning, whilst I was processing some raw Corriedale with my dog comb, I also was buying processed roving.  I wanted to dye and blend different fibres and play with all the different textures I could in my learning.  The only problem in doing this is that I was constantly spinning lots of different fibres lots of different ways so may have taken longer than I should have to perfect certain techniques.  But hey, this journey is meant to be a fun one and for someone that is sometimes bordering on obsessive tendencies the freedom I was learning was somewhat liberating.

So back to why I bought a Wild Carder.  I could so see myself blending all manner of fibres into colourful batts and spinning them into wonderful yarns.  And I did plenty of this.  The wild carder became my go to tool.  I bought lots of clean smooth roving and started mixing.  I bought silk; I cut up ribbons; I cut up bits of mill yarn with interesting textures; I blended and coloured.  Whilst I stuck to the script of what the Wild Carder was to be used for (see the specs above) I got great results.

Then I bought my sheep and started trying to process my fibre into roving with not so great results.  It took me a while to figure out that a carder, wild or otherwise, was not going to get small amounts of VM (vegetable matter) out of my washed fleece.  And those grubby tips that sometimes stay grubby after you have washed them stayed grubby even after I carded them.  <sad face>

So I needed other tools.  Or did I need to go back to basics and figure out how to process wool from the very beginning.  After playing with my flicker brush or comb then putting this through my carder I got a much better result.  This was highlighted even more when I partnered up with the people from ElectriCarder to test out their motor for the Wild Carder.  (www.electricarder.com)

I worked the little motor hard.  And then it dawned on me in very practical ways the difference between wool from a sheep and fibre from an alpaca.  (We might discuss different fibre types in the future.)  I could process half an alpaca fleece in very little time through the Wild Carder with an ElectriCarder motor fitted.  The batts were smooth and tons of VM fell out in the process.  In no time I had lots of bumps of alpaca fibre ready to spin.

Wool on the other hand was hard going.  I had the belt slipping, the grubby bits on the tips of the wool were still there, I could only process small amounts at a time before the drum stopped turning.  I returned to the Ashford videos for revision and thinned my fibre input to something resembling cobwebs.

Realisation slowly dawned on me that...

A CLEAN FLEECE + HAND COMBS = WELL PREPARED FIBRE

WELL PREPARED FIBRE + A WILD CARDER = VERY NICELY BLENDED BATTS

Now the hand combs can be replaced by the flicker brush or the comb, but in essence you need reasonably well prepared fibre to start your blending journey with your Wild Carder.  The old adage, "garbage in garbage out" is so true.  You will frequently hear that a well prepared fibre will spin better.  A poorly prepared fibre will take longer to spin as you pick out neps and bits of VM you didn't get out in the preparation process.

Now my batts look something like those in the Ashford video so I am pleased.

But, I continue to chase fibre tools that will make my life easier or just bring a different dimension to my fibre processing and ultimately my spinning.

Until next time, happy spinning.

Dog Combs and Flickers

DOG COMBS

Yep you read right, dog combs. 

When I first bought my wheel I had raw Corriedale fibre and was flicking the tips with a dog comb.  Lock by lock I combed the edges on my trusty piece of black vinyl.  I would comb a few then spin a few.  It was slow work but I knew no better and it was a reasonable result.  I could practise dying with spun wool or individual locks.  I must say, I was pleased with my first skein of lumpy, bumpy, colourful yarn.  I had nicely prepared fibre and spun up something that I could crochet from.  I actually think my spinning was better than my crocheting!!

I had no assumptions as I knew no better.  I was simply enjoying the process and learning the feel of the fibre and how a well combed lock responded verses a no so well combed lock.  I wasn’t inhibited with trying to spin woollen or worsted.  Some I combed the tip then base and spun from the base.  Some I combed the base then tip and spun from the tip.  There were no spinning police just my desire to get better.  Was this right or wrong?  I didn’t really care.  There are plenty of years in my spinning life ahead to settle on puritan ways if I so choose.

I think this was a good learning base as in some respects things got easier as I began to move onto other tools.

FLICK CARDER

A year or two after buying my wheel and still considering myself very much a beginner, I took a spinning class.  Most there, were still learning how to spin a continuous length of yarn.  I had already mastered that but knew there was still much to learn.  Unfortunately, I had Grumpy Teacher who told us there were three types of Alpacas (Huacaya, Suri and Alpaca!) and not so politely (well I felt at least) asked “so what do you expect to achieve out of coming to a beginner class?” :-P I was there to learn.  Whatever there was to learn!  As it turned out I improved my spinning.  I got a taste of a few different fibres, bought a Flick Carder and learnt how to use it.

Again I had no assumptions about the flick carder as I had spent the last while combing all my raw wool with a dog comb or spinning nice smooth roving that I had since discovered on that horrible (haha) site called eBay.

 The flick carder allowed me to prepare fibre much quicker and I think the end result was a little better, although that seemed to depend on the fibre.

 

One piece of advice.... have a sheet of black vinyl or a wooden board on your lap.  A flicker will do significant damage to your clothes over time.

One of my favourite sites I first stumbled across when looking for resources was ‘The Joy of Handspinning’.  Lots of great information on many aspects of spinning and the fibre arts.  Here is a link to one of their instructional videos on the flick carder.

http://joyofhandspinning.com/how-to-prepare-fiber-with-a-flicker-carder/

 WHICH ONE IS BEST?

They both serve a purpose and if you experiment you may settle on a favourite.  A few years down the track on my spinning journey I do find the comb is sometimes better for longer and coarser wool/fibres.  If I want to spin Suri from the lock then the comb is the preferred tool for me.  If I want to spin my Merino or Boarder Leicester in the grease then the flicker will get me through enough fibre in a day to keep me spinning at night for the week.

 If you have the opportunity to try both, do so.  Of course you can buy a dog comb at most any discount store or of course pet store.  A flick carder is a specialist spinning tool so you will have to go on eBay or to a spinning supply web site or store.

At some point I will post a supplier guide of all the places I know where you can buy spinning gear from.  Of course you all have the internet (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this) and can search away.  But, sometimes they are a little tricky to find.  So anyway, I will post something one day to help you on your way.

Happy Spinning until next time.

 

My Spinning Tools

I thought a series on spinning tools would be useful to many.  I’ve been spinning for a few years and thought my dog comb was as handy as they got, then my hand cards were pretty funky, then a flicker  brush replaced my dog comb for spinning in the grease.  I quickly migrated to a wild carder as my go to tool (and later added a motor).  My current tool of choice is a set of Viking combs.  On reflection I think my tools have journeyed with me and changed as my experience has grown. 

It is often difficult to find useful information on the internet and searching for it can take a long time.  Whilst I certainly haven't used all the spinning tools on the market sharing my experiences with what I have used may help others.  Over time you will lean towards a favourite tool (like I am my Viking combs) but it is not my place to impose expert advice.  A good spinner will acknowledge they are forever learning.  I now see each tool as unique in itself, for a specific purpose and to achieve a different result even if the results are later combined.  Perhaps my way is different to something you have seen on the internet (YouTube is a great place to play and learn), but that doesn't mean I am right, or wrong.

Over coming weeks I will share with you how I have learnt to use my tools, some of the assumptions I made about them (often wrong) and how I see them fitting into the broad range of spinning tools that you will come across.  The focus will be on fibre preparation as the foundation for your end product.

So what is in my tool box?

 

• Viking combs
• Hand Carders
• Flick Carder
• Comb
• Wild Carder (now with Electricarder attached)
• Wool Picker

And I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised to know that I have a wish list set of tools somewhere in my future (hopefully).  These might include:

• A blending board 
• A motorised triple drum carder

Of course you can always get your fibre professionally processed, but even so, you may wish to have some of these tools handy for further processing.  I have 6 fleece from my best sheep with a processor at the moment and cant wait until I get some nice clean smooth roving back.  In the mean time I will continue to hand wash and hand process my other fleece, into clean smooth roving. 

Happy Spinning until next time...

I finally finished the Tour!

Well it is far too long since I posted a blog and I really have no other excuse than not moving it up enough on my priority list.  I didn't quite finish what I aimed for in the 'Tour de Fleece' but I enjoyed the experience.  (Perhaps embarrassment at not finishing assisted the procrastination that stopped me posting!!)

I finished the ‘Tour de Fleece’ not quite achieving what I set out to but still feeling OK by the end.  I did spin mostly every day even if it was for only a few minutes.  I didn’t get through my 4oz of fibre by the end of the race period, but I did finish it eventually (with a little help from my wheel).

 

Now just what to do with it I’m not sure.  My family suggested I knit or crochet myself a new winter beanie since I seem to have lost my favourite one.  Now just to find that perfect pattern.....

It wont be as long between posts (she boldly says).  I have done some preparation and hope to craft a small series for you on Spinning Tools.  So until next time...

Happy Spinning :-)

Tour de Fleece

I’m sure most of you have heard of the Tour de France.  The cycling race in July each year through towns and mountains and across many countries ending in France.  Well for us fibre focused people there is a Tour de Fleece.  So I teamed up with a bunch of like-minded spinners via the Crazy Sheep Ladies (Spinfoolish) 

I’m sure there were many other groups to join for TdF fun but hey, my kids call me the Crazy Sheep Lady (when they aren’t calling me the Crazy Cat Lady!!) so you can see what I mean by like-minded!!. ;-)  Different groups have different rules, but just like the comment in my plying post, they are more like 'guidelines'.

As a TdF participant we are asked to,

• Challenge yourself.
• Spin.
• Have fun.

So we are now well underway for our Tour de Fleece.  Among other things, we are asked to challenge ourselves.  Some do a challenge on certain days, others like myself have decided on a challenge for the whole Tour.  I am trying to spindle spin 4oz of MissBabs Hand Dyed.  80% BFL & 20% Tussah silk.  I bought this in the USA while on holidays a couple of years ago. 

It is my first Turkish spindle.  Just a beginner one, not fancy, but I do love it and am really pleased with how fine I have been able to spin on it.  Everyone has a spindle preference (well those who spindle spin do I guess!) and mine is bottom whorl.  The Turkish is just that bit more convenient as you end up with a ball ready to ply.

So a bit more on the TdF.  According to my new friends at Spinfoolish, the Tour de Fleece was started on a blog by Star Athena in 2006 as a way of connecting with other spinners, and by the sounds of it, to incorporate her other passion of cycling.  (Check out Ready to get on your bike for the full story.) The relationship is definitely there.  Just type ‘spinning’ into your favourite search engine and you will get plenty of cycling hits.  You usually need to add ‘wool’ to focus your search on fibre things.

From 4 July to 26 July.  We spin, or try to, everyday except the two rest days just like in the actual tour.

So happy spinning peoples and if you hadn’t heard of the Tour de Fleece before then perhaps you can join us in 2016 for a fun ride ;-)

Now back to that spindle.

To Ply or not to Ply or even How Many to Ply?

So many choices...

Now depending on how you started your spinning journey, who and where you received your advice from, you may get the impression that the spinning police are waiting for you to do something your own way just so they can nab you.  They will make an example of you on what YOU SHOULD NEVER DO and you will forever feel bad about breaking the so called spinning rules.

Well being the closet rebel that I am ......

THERE ARE NO SPINNING POLICE AND YOU CAN BREAK WHATEVER RULE YOU WANT!!!

Now that's out there (yikes!!)

As Captain Barbossa (Pirates of the Caribbean) said about the pirates code, "is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules".  The same applies to many things you are told with spinning.

Not all wool needs to be plied.
Not all singles need to be plied only with another single.

Now I am a creature of habit and usually ply two singles.  I just can't bring myself to knit with un plied yarn.  There is nothing wrong with that, its just not my thing.  But after about 5 years of spinning I finally plied three, yes three singles together.  And, they were different fibres.  Alpaca, Border Leicester and Suffolk X.  (A bit out there, <eye roll> but what the heck.)  I recently found out that most commercial yarn is more than two strands plied together so thought I would try it out.  The result was a fuller yarn.  So far I have Tunisian crocheted mittens and want to wash these a couple of times to see how the combination of fibre types go together before I choose my next creation from them.

When you ply your yarn it creates balance and makes your finished product stronger.  Your knitting is less likely to lean to one side and it often seems to even out any lumps and bumps in your singles.  But plying can be used to create something special and unique.  It may be a colour combination that when knitted ends up looking like a tweed.  You may spin fat singles then ply them with something thinner to create particular effects.  You may ply two wool singles and add a cotton metallic thread for shimmer.  The possibilities are endless.  

I have read multiple times Handspun and Intertwined, both by Lexi Boeger.  If you are wanting hints and tips to do something a bit different with your plying (and spinning generally) try to source these from your local library.  Of course if you find you must add them to your collection the usual online book sellers should have them.

The folks at Spinning Daily have produced a how to guide on Plying.  Check it out at http://www.spinningdaily.com/media/p/8590.aspx  And most of all, be daring and experiment.

So if you wonder why you are told to ply your yarn its because that's how it is usually done.  But remember, it is more what you would call a guideline rather than a rule.

Happy Spinning. :-)

Spinning raw fleece or washed fleece?

I often hear the question asked, Do you prefer to spin raw fleece or washed fleece?

For some people there may be an easy answer.  You simply may not like the smell or feel of raw sheep's fleece or have no desire to spend time preparing the fibre in any way.  Nicely washed and carded roving is your preferred starting point.

Not all fleece and fibre are the same.  My advice if you are newish to spinning is to keep an open mind and be prepared to try something different from time to time.  And even try something again that you didn't like the first time.

Some fleece, like Merino are high in lanolin (spinners may call this grease) and can be sticky to the touch.  Other fleece such as Border Leicester or Suffolk (I have both) are not so high in lanolin content but some people may find it just as sticky.  I have found that the degree of stickness depends as much on the temperature of your surroundings as it does on the fleece.  I find that the warmer weather melts the lanolin so that it doesn't feel as sticky.  A raw fleece in winter will be a little harder to draft if you are not in a warm room.

Fibre such as Alpaca, Camel, Mohair and Angora (often bunched into a group called hair fibres) do not contain lanolin so many people will spin them after combing, carding or just a good shake.  It is even said by some that it is easier to spin these fibres dirty.  (A word of advice when trying this though, is to place an old sheet under your working area.  I find a lot of dust drops from some fibre and I prefer this not to be on my carpet!!)

So if you prepare raw wools, flicking the tips to get rid of dirt may be sufficient.  The hair fibres often respond well to carding before spinning.

Of course if you choose to wash your wool before spinning you can card or comb without fear of getting your tools sticky from the lanolin.

So, Do I prefer to spin raw fleece or washed fleece?

I don't mind spinning either.  The decision may depend on what I plan on doing with the spun yarn or I may decide to spin a particular fleece a certain way for the experience.

You choose.  But as I said earlier, even if you didn't like it the first time, try it again when you are more experienced.  You may surprise yourself that your view has changed.

Happy Spinning. :-)

My First Blog

Well I'm not there yet and I think it will take me longer than I would like to get this blog underway.  However, for those who might visit during my development phase you probably want to know what this blog will be about.

I am a shepherd and a hand spinner.  This blog is to share my spinning journey with anyone who want to know.  But also to share some of my learning and experience along the way.  I'm largely self taught but have had a few lessons.  I can't share with you now as it will spoil the topic of a future blog.

If you have an interest in hand spinning, this might be a place for you to check out from time to time.  I would also like it to be a source of information for Australian spinners as Aussie info is sometimes hard to come by.

I'm not sure when my next post will be as I am still learning how to set up my site just the way I want it.  Hopefully I will see you in the very near future.

Happy Spinning.
Suellen