Tour de Fleece Detour

The early part of my Tour de Fleece is making a detour through Indiana this year.  One of my challenge projects is spinning some yarn for a friend, from one of her sheep. Blaze is a Shropshire/Border Leicester cross and this is definitely a Sara fleece.  I like wool that feels like wool.  Not scratchy by any means, but not cottony or too silky either.

The light gray color is her most recent growth (nearest her skin) and the red, sunbleached tips are what had been on her the longest.  Unfortunately this beautiful fleece has a fiber break, or a weak spot, about 2/3 of the way up the growth.  This is fairly common with ewes raising lambs.  The weak spot is in the red area.  The staple length is quite long though and I pulled out a big chunk of what I thought was the best and gave it a wash.

My plan was to comb off the ends and see if what was left was still a good spinnable length.

I lashed on small groups of locks by the strong clipped (as opposed to the tips) end.

Combed the fiber from one comb to the other.

This is what came off.

I did two passes with the combs (one to comb it off the stationary comb and one to comb it back on) and then pulled out a long thick "strand".  I do this by gently pulling from the very end, pull, pull, pull, not letting the "strand" break apart.  This is called combed top.

I wrap it around my hand and then tuck in the end and it's ready to spin.

I started with 8.8 ounces of raw wool.  After washing (which removed oil and dirt) it was 6.4 ounces.  After combing (which removed broken ends) I have 3.6 ounces left to spin.  I started spinning it last night and we are good to go :-).

The following is a short video of the yarn being spun.  I also show how I join the next "bird nest" of combed top.  

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A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

I'll post updates on IG/FB as I go and I'll share a picture of the finished yarn here.  Don't let me forget!

 

And That's A Wrap...For Now

This is the last fleece I'm washing for awhile! *

I actually thought I was finished yesterday.  I took down the pre-rinse table, swept the wash room floor, stacked up all the laundry baskets, went into the skirting area just to inventory what was left...and found one more fleece. 

I'd looked at it last week when I was gathering up Ewen McTeagle fleeces, but didn't see a card with it and thought it felt too soft to be Ewen, so I set it aside thinking it was probably Burrnie.  I still felt like it was not likely to be Ewen, but something made me pick the bag up once again and turn it over.  The tag had fallen to the bottom.

Since the tag has a question mark on it, it was obviously not his original tag from skirting.  The Ewen fleeces are old and after several years of cats and chickens climbing in them and wind blowing them around, it's not impossible to lose a tag. When I'd rebagged this fleece, I must have questioned the sheep just as I was again yesterday.

But then I saw this tiny cluster of dark hairs.  That's a great clue, but sometimes stray hairs get picked up from the shearing board.  I dug a little deeper...

...and found this.  If you click to biggify, you'll see a little gray wool with some dark hair mixed in.  It's Ewen McTeagle :-).  This wool and hair was shorn from just around his face, where the dark hair from his head turns into the white wool on his body.  If it had been Burrnie, the only other short wooled sheep here, the hair would have been red.  

As far as the extra softness, I'm guessing this was one of his earlier fleeces.  I sheared him myself in 2019 so I know I didn't save that fleece.  I sent the nicest one of his fleeces off for the Lamb Camp bottle lamb yarn.  There were five fleeces left here.  Counting back I think this might have been his 2013 shear when he was just six years old.  

So Ewen wasn't the softest sheep on the farm.  It sure didn't matter.  I loved that dear sheep just the way he was.  And while he might not make a fancy knitted garment, he's going to be great fluffed into a couple of cozy comforters that we can tuck around ourselves this winter. 

* * * * *

* Why does it sound like I'm tired of washing wool?  Because I might be a little tired of washing wool ;-).

Normally I try to sell as many raw fleeces after shearing as I can.  This brings in some quick cash to cover spring vet work and shearing bills and clears a shelf or two.  With Covid throwing a wrench into that plan, I had a huge stash of wool here.  Some sheep had three years of fleeces stockpiled.  

I knew I needed to do something and decided it would be much more fun to market fresh roving than raw wool so I started washing.  I have washed 34 fleeces this summer!  220 pounds of raw wool, averaging 6.47 pounds per sheep.  11 of the fleeces weighed at least 9.5 pounds.  

While they were all fun to handle, there were a few special treats.  I've never washed some of those sheep before...the ones who get snatched up right away at the festivals - Murphy, Spud, Levi, Rocky, Big Moose, Mini Moose...  I knew they were nice fleeces, but now I know exactly how nice they are.  

Big Moose was so beautiful I couldn't even bring myself to send him off to be processed into roving.  I'll just keep looking at and playing with those curls for a bit longer.  

Of the 34 fleeces, 28 are being processed.  The five Ewen fleeces are going into quilt batting and everyone else will be ready to spin roving.  That's a lot of roving, so if you are thinking about gearing up for some fall spinning, I hope you'll keep our flock in mind.  

I think a fall farm spinning day and sale (in person and virtual) would be fun.  Stay tuned :-).

Time To Air Up Your Tires

While it seems like summer lasts forever (at least to me), it's almost time for the 2022 Tour de Fleece! We are a week away.  It's time to pick out your challenge, tune up your wheel, pack some snack bags, download a good audiobook (or three) and get ready for three weeks of fiber fun :-).

Pinto is going to be our team captain this year.  He was the obvious choice not only because he's the newest sheep on the block, but also because there has been so much interest in what breed(s) of sheep he is and what his wool is like.

I know what his wool is like, having processed a sample amount, spun some yarn and knit a swatch...but apparently I never posted that over here...fer cryin' out loud :-/.  I'll go find some pictures.  In the meantime, I'm going to process another small amount and offer it as one of the team prizes.

I'm pretty sure Pinto would be that interested in a spinning wheel if he had access to one.  He's a pretty smart sheep ;-).  For a fun Tour kick off I'm going to set up a zoom with him out in the barn.  I'll most likely start it off with an Instagram Live and then switch over to zoom so more people can access it.  Details to come.

The Tour de Fleece (and Tour de France) starts July 1st.  Here is a link to the main group.  Here is a link to the Punkin's Patch group.  You do not have to participate online, but the Punkin's Patch group is a fun small group of  kind and encouraging spinners and we have a good time :-).

Since Pinto is having to learn a lot about his new life as a wool sheep on a fiber farm, I would like to encourage everyone to add something to their challenge this year that will help us all learn something new.  While I haven't picked out my spinning challenge for sure yet, my "learning something new" challenge is going to be washing an entire fleece in locks.  

Who's in?

Porch Days

We've had some crazy hot weather lately, but I have to give the Wool House porch credit for being pretty tolerable.  Possum agrees.  

I've been trying to get a big batch of fleeces washed for a roving run.  I'm experimenting with a new/new to me technique that so far seems to be working out.  I have half of Rocky in the wash right now and if there are no issues in the final rinse, I'll share what I've learned.  

It's hard to hurt a Texel or Jacob fleece, but those more sensitive Cotswold crosses can be a bit trickier, especially the finer fleeces like Rocky.  If this works, I think we're good to go!

While we wait, here's a new puzzle :-).

  

Work In Progress

Sadly not new pictures of my only knitting WIP...which is a basically just a work with no progress :-/.

Just a pretty fleece and a bunch of drop spindles on the porch.  Yep, it's that time of year.  Time to be getting ready for the fall fiber festivals.  I have two coming up - the Millersburg Chautauqua Days festival this weekend and the big Kentucky Wool Festival the first weekend of October...which isn't far away...but it sure feels like it today.  96 degrees this afternoon. 

'Nuff said.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...this is Hershey.  Remember when Hershey was...Hershey colored?  2013 :-o.  How did this happen?  

He's a beautiful silver now.  This is only 1/3 of his fleece.  It was too big to wash all together.

It sure looks pretty and cool and relaxing on the porch this afternoon...  Luckily now that "August" is finally here (after two months of July apparently) the evenings cool off pretty nicely.  The Wool House Crafters meeting tonight shouldn't be too awful.  Auntie Reg made chocolate cake so that will make it all better...until tomorrow...when it's 96...again.  No break until at least next week. 

'Nuff said.

The Week In Review...Because It's Been A Busy One

Don't get excited.  There wasn't any knitting.  I had great hopes for posting with the monthly Yarn Along on Wednesday and even took some pictures of my current (sadly idle) project.......  Maybe today.

So, let's see...

The 2018 Christmas card is finished and printed.  Not stuffed and mailed, but they are painted, printed and on the dining room table.  Whew!!!  I'll post a puzzle version this weekend for anyone who'd like a sneak peak and I'll also have some at the Wool House tomorrow.  Not for sale (until next year), but if you come out to the farm (open this Saturday from 1:00-4:30), I'll give you one :-).  

If you didn't follow along with the Wovember Instagram photo challenge by daughterofashepherd last month, I encourage you to go check it out. There were so many interesting prompts and excellent posts from all over the world.  What a fun way to really focus on sheep and wool.  One of my posts was selected for the top ten!  :-D

The sold out calendars are back in stock.  Tim brought home some more Lamb Camp calendars last night, so everything still here on hold will ship out today.  Thank you so much for your patience...and all the orders.  Your support, on all levels, really means so much.

There are still three 2018 Equinox Farm fleeces left (Baaxter, Liddy and B. Willard) and several Tring Farm fleeces (lovely Maybelline and a few other white, gray and black), in case anyone is looking for a fun winter project.  Rebecca Boone was so dirty and greasy I offered to wash her fleece before shipping, so that was my fun project for yesterday.  Look at that shine!  Some is from the grease, some just because it's fun, shiny Cotswold.

I divided her into two parts so there'd be plenty of room in the washer to loosen up all the dirt.  Before washing on the left.  Washed on the right.

Washing wool in the winter is like an all day spa treatment.  The room gets warmer and steamier as the day progresses and it smells like heaven, not "smelly animal fur".  If you aren't aware of the Duluth "issue", here is one article that addresses it.  Clara Parkes always says it best.  

All washed and set out to dry.

Isn't she pretty?

So back to the picture of the yarn and project at the top.  That's Rebecca Boone!  I spun that yarn several years ago and had never found the perfect project for it.  Isabell Kraemer's Indigo Frost capelet kept showing up in my favorites and it (finally) dawned on me that the design shape looks just like Rebecca Boone's cool dreadlocks...and if I dyed some of the yarn, I could match her colors in the color patterning.  So I did!  

I overdyed her light gray to get a darker gray like her nose and legs and a reddish/brown to match her sunbleached locks.  I then spun some Woolliam for her white nose.  I wasn't thinking and didn't wash her yarn before I put it in the dye pot and the remaining fabric softener made the dye take up unevenly and I love the effect.  

I'm now ready to start the colorwork section and I can't wait.  Maybe today!

Yarn Along - Meanwhile, Back At The Wool Mill

Somewhere between shearing and skirting (months ago) and heading to the mill came washing and deciding if snipping the sunbleached tips off Baaxter's lamb fleece was going to make enough difference to justify the effort.  Miss B and I pulled out two samples (also months ago :-o), snipped the tips off one and not the other and then combed and carded each and...

...yes, there was a significant difference.  Baaxter Black should be as black as possible so I snipped as many sunbleached tips as I could stand.  If I ever have another black lamb, I'm going to do that while the fleece is still on the sheep.  It was a Job.

So here's Baby B. all washed, snipped and ready to go to Ohio Valley (at least a month ago - what is going on around here?!?).

I'm sure I am speaking for everyone in saying how comforting it is to see Beth and Darlene still running these wonderful old machines.

The wool is dumped into the back of the machine, comes up over the top...

...down into the beginning of the rollers...

...and out as beautiful ready to spin (if you can just find the time!) roving.

Here's a short video:

We took up seven fleeces that day - Billy Belly, Allie, Henri, Ford, Baaxter, Woody and one for Miss B from shearing at Kathy's (also months ago and still not on the blog even though there are some great pictures to share...I think...if I remember back that far.)  Am I ever going to get caught up???

Maisie's headed to the mill tomorrow along with Auntie Lila, Daniel's stunning first shear from last year that I finally talked myself into washing and processing and the dark green Renny.  I'm excited!

*       *       *       *       *

I listened to A Cold Day For Murder by Dana Stabenow (first in a series based in Alaska) this past week in hopes it would remind me of cooler/cold weather...but it didn't.  It's just plain hot.  To make matters worse, I somehow (and this is actually a pretty funny story, so don't let me forget to share it) ended up jumping into several really miserable (because of the heat) projects outside...in the midday sun...when I could have been inside spinning or knitting!

Joining in with Ginny...

Portal Pics

I purposely took the Liddy/boat/truck portal picture, but when I downloaded the other shots, I realized I had several other portals too :-).

Liddy's doing very well out in the B A R N.  She's got Blossom and Lila with her now.  Blossom is pictured here.  Lila had already headed in because it was getting hot.  

I'm toying with adding Maisie to the mix today.  Liddy needs to get used to dealing with multiple sheep and while Maisie will probably punch on her some (the little darling ;-), she doesn't have horns and might be more apt to "play" a little.  The older aunties are pretty dull I'm afraid...which is also why they make great aunties.  Miss Ewenice would be proud :-).

Look at that smushy mouth.  Sweet Daniel sleeping on his foot :-).

Poor Kate has had a rough couple of weeks.  Between the never ending thunder storms and then days upon days of fireworks (don't get me started!) she's worn out.  On an interesting note, when Liddy is with her, she's much less stressed.  Or maybe she's as stressed, but if Liddy lays down, Kate does too and that makes us all feel better.

Del Boca Vista Summer Annex.  The storms and cloud cover kept things cooler last week, but now the sun is back out and Jester is really struggling.  He's in pretty good shape in the cool, breezy aisleway, but he sure complains about having to move in here every morning.  Of course, that's after he's complained about being outside first ;-).  Those opinionated Jacobs!

Tour de Fleece Update:  I've gotten quite a bit of wool work done now that Liddy is (mostly ;-) hanging out in the field.  I have several fleeces washed and ready for the mill.  I spun some Billy Belly on the owl spindle at the house Saturday night and started Petunia on the wheel yesterday afternoon.  We have a great group checking in on Ravelry.  It's never too late to join!  Or just pop over to see what everyone's working on :-).

Yarn Along - From Sheep To Sweater

I've had some questions about fleece skirting and what comes after that. The one fleece I know I'm going to keep for myself this year is Baaxter's. I always keep the first shear from my bottle lambs because that's the fleece I held on my lap.  The fleece I know by heart :-).  I think it will be fun to chronicle it from start to finish.  

So we watched Baaxter grow up (well, he's actually still growing for probably another year) and get his first big boy hair cut.  His fleece was then wrapped up in a sheet, tagged and added to the pile (:-o).  Sheets make great storage "bags" because they are easy to use (just tie up the four corners) and breathable.  Plastic bags can be problematic sometimes.

I love untying fleece bags and taking that first peek.

Everything's so smooth and orderly (you hope) and ready to unroll/unfold/untwist whatever it takes to get it laid out like it just came off the sheep.  The easiest way I've found to do that is to locate the back legs (the wool is usually longer and coarser, so easy to spot) and work forward to the neck.

I think the boys are very handsome with their crew cuts, but I sure miss their cute fuzzy snuggly warm wool. They on the other hand are not missing it one bit.  We've had several really hot days already :-(.

After I have it laid out I start working my way around the outside, pulling off anything I don't want in my yarn.  Obviously anything super dirty and gross gets tossed.  VM (vegetable matter - hay, straw, sticks...) get picked out.  Belly wool or short wool or hair from around the face and legs gets pulled off, second cuts, coarse britch wool...toss it.

Side note:  If you find any prickly burrs, don't try to pull them out.  Not only will you hurt yourself but they can also break apart and then you'd have lots of tiny burrs instead of one big fat one. When you wash your fleece, the burrs slide right out.  Don't worry about them until then.  That being said, I wouldn't want to buy a fleece full of burrs, but a few wouldn't bother me.

Hard to see in this picture, but this is short wool from around the front legs and also full of VM. Tossed.

The only white hairs I'm aware of on Baby B. are on his face, so this must have been a pass up along his cheek.  That face wool is too short, but most important, any time you see loose hairs, quickly pick them out before they contaminate the rest of the fleece.  Hair is prickly even if it's from B's cute X.

Belly wool and a second cut off to the side.

Coarse britch wool on the left.  I set a couple locks from the rest of his body on the right for comparison.  Britch wool is found where their britches would be...if sheep wore pants.  Sheep don't wear pants ;-).  

Sometimes the britch wool is very different - like Baaxter's - and I separate it out.  Sometimes it's not really that different and wouldn't really detract from the rest of the fleece and I leave it in. Baaxter's fleece is short(ish), soft(ish) and nearly black.  I don't want to add in some long, silver, heavy/thick "hair".  The birds can use it for nest construction :-).

Second cuts - a big controversy among handspinners.  Second cuts happen when the shearer makes a pass along, say, Baaxter's fat tummy, notices that he or she left a strip of wool a little longer than the rest and they go back and make a second pass over it.  

I don't worry about second cuts as long as they are just super short like these.  I wouldn't want a shearer to leave an inch of wool in spots and then go back over it.  That 1" second cut would still shake out like the short ones, but your beautiful fleece is going to be short that inch.  

The other reason I personally don't worry much about second cuts is that I want my sheep to look pretty ;-).  If you don't make that second pass over the sheep, there are no second cuts.  However, if don't make that second pass...your sheep can look a bit funny, all lumpy and bumpy.  Baaxter needs to look good for his pictures :-).

And here he is, ready to head to the wash room.  Next week!  Any questions?

Joining in with Ginny.  I don't have a book to share this week :-/.