Is there a best way to wash raw wool?

I was inspired to write this after reading a comparison of detergent v Power Scour on Nearly There. A blog about fibre things.

https://nearlythere.com/2015/01/24/power-scour-v-dish-washing-detergent-for-washing-fleece/

It was the first result in my search about detergent for washing raw wool.

An interesting thought came to me that there is much advice out there and many experts but sometimes you just have to try stuff yourself.  I'm one of those.

I had some great success using the natural way with the fermented suint method.  However, I don't live in suburbia.  Although the family did limit me changing batches and rinsing stinky wool to times when the wind was blowing away from the house or they were out for the day.  I'm pretty sure the vat gets more smelly with age.

In terms of cleaning power it does work. Leaving the fleece out in the rain for a day or two before rinsing I felt resulted in less rinsing. You do still need to do a couple of hot rinses for best results.  And did I mention the smell!!!

Some people wash locks.  Some whole fleeces.  Your washing method does need to change, to a degree, with how much fleece you are washing and how much time you have.

Personally I find Power Scour expensive when I wash a fleece at a time.  But it is great for small sample batches (eg. A sink full).

Volume washing works best for me with a good detergent.  I use the mid range detergent from Aldi, but anything that is good on greasy dishes works for me.

Depending on the greasiness of the fleece it's seems impossible to get away from one - two washes and two rinses.

So the best way to wash wool is what works for you given your circumstances, facilities and quantity to be washed.

If you are still new to washing fleece, read lots and experiment.  You will soon find a method that works for you.

By the way my current preferred method is soaking in an old washing machine.  Drain and spin.  Remove the fleece to refill the machine and do it again.  Of course hot water is a necessity.

Happy washing.

Postscript......
If you are looking for more reading on washing methods, the following are useful links.

Since posting the above I came across a great little flyer outlining a variety of washing methods (including the smelly one) on the YarnMaker magazine web site.
http://www.yarnmaker.co.uk/fleece/FleeceWashweb.pdf

One of my original learning sites, http://joyofhandspinning.com/how-to-wash-your-fleece/
Washing machine method with pictures, http://gfwsheep.com/washingwool/woolwashing.html

And of course you can search YouTube for a plethora of videos on washing raw wool from locks to whole fleeces.

Happy washing until next time. :-)

Tour de Fleece has ended for another year

Well I am totally disappointed with my achievement (or rather lack of) in this years TdF.

On race days my aim was to spin as much as possible of a BL cross fleece.  But even such a vague goal was set to disappoint.  I have had a very busy few weeks with work, website updates for my local church including photo shoots of the local area, trying to complete an online course (final assessment due this weekend :-o) and organising a teenage birthday party.  All I could manage was two small bobbins even though I spun a little just about every day and prepared fibre on rest days!

My challenge days weren’t too bad with about half of the cotton branch prepped and spun.

What do I think of spinning cotton?
Ugh!!  Cotton is so NOT my favourite fibre.  I know some spinners love spinning cotton but unfortunately I just do not understand them.  Despite the number of YouTube instructional videos I watched I found my fingers sore and my shoulders tense.

• I tried spinning slowly but extra peddles before I let it draw in.
• I tried spinning fast and found I had a death grip on the fibre.
• I ended up spinning 14:1 ratio with about a second per peddle (double peddle wheel).  At least I succeeded in spinning continuously with few fibre breaks.

I will finish the cotton I have but won’t be rushing out to buy more and don’t plan to grow it (I once dreamt of growing my own little patch of cotton).  Then to decide what to do with it.  Perhaps I will ply some of it with the BL cross that I have spun.  It might make an interesting yarn for a toddler beanie or two.  Cotton plus 25 micron BL fibre… sounds like a plan.

Where to from here?

• 2017 TdF – yes definitely and try not to enrol in an online course at the same time!
• Just like the cyclists and other spinners do, I will prepare for the race so I have a mini stash of fibre at the ready with the objective to complete the stash during the race.
• What about the BL fleece? – of course I need to finish spinning this fleece.  There are only another dozen or so fleeces in the shed to spin and I have a further 6 fleeces on their way back from the mill soon.  I will never admit to a fleece overload but storage is becoming a little challenging. 

Until next time,

Happy Spinning

 

 

2016 Tour de Fleece

So many things to do and places to be and so little time to do it all... :-(

I am currently trying to spin up a storm as part of the 2016 Tour de Fleece.  If you don't know what this is about, check out the SpinFoolish team (http://www.spinfoolish.com/tour-de-fleece/).  I think we are one of the biggest TdF teams with people from all over the world.

Basically the Tour de Fleece runs along the same lines as the Tour de France (the famous cycling race).  We have race days, challenge days and rest days (which are usually spent preparing fibre for the next day).  We don't' compete to spin more than the next person, it is rather about personal challenge and commitment.

This year the Tour de Fleece runs from 2 July to 24 July.  My goal is to spin as much as possible from one of my Border Leicester cross fleeces (left).  This is from Charlie and about 24 micron.

The fleece is unwashed, very clean and not a lot of grease. There is about 3-4 kilos.  In reality, I doubt I will get through it all but hey, that is part of the challenge.


On the challenge days I have started spinning cotton from the bolls.  I picked up a branch like the one on the right from a florist in the city.  They are using them in rustic flower arrangements.

I am lightly carding them into small punis which makes the small staple length easier to spin.

So pop back and visit soon and I will try to post some updates on how much I actually succeeded in spinning.

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.

 

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. :-)