homespun wool

[haybine]

does anyone make homespun wool? how do you clean the wool after shearing and how is it spun for yarn? what equipment is needed? are their any websites to learn more about this? obviously, i need a lot of help, but i have to start somewhere. any and all comments are appreciated.

[earthmother]

This is an area my husband and I want to get into also. I haven't done it yet myself , although we have raw wool from our angora goat. There are spinning groups out there that can give you info. You can usually find them at county fairs, etc. Also go to fiber shows. I know the raw wool needs to be sorted and washed. Not all of the wool is usable. I believe the belly and back wool is the section that you use. I don't know the specifics yet on washing the wool. Then you have to card the wool to get the fibers going in the same direction. Carding combs looks like big dog brushes. I've seem carding brushes at some large feed and tack stores. Then you need a stinning wheel for spinning the wool. They are small, and portable. They should run you a couple hundred dollars. Lehman's catalog , I believe, also has brushes for carding wool. I can't remember if they have spinning wheels, so call and find out. Also check the web for spinning material. Lots of luck. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[thewife]

Yikes! I keep forgetting some people didn't grow up with a spinner for a mother. For newbies, an excellent book is "Hands On Spinning" by Lee Raven.

Wool can be spun "in the grease" which means unwashed, or after washing. If you buy a fleece, generally that fleece has been "skirted" which means the unuseable or less desireable parts of the fleece have been removed. You can wash a fleece by hand in a large tub (bathtub) with lukewarm water and a detergent like "Dove Dishwashing Liquid." Make the water nice and bubbly, and immerse your fleece. Do NOT rub (you'll felt the fibers) but gently swirl. Rinse several times. Now you have to dry the fleece. A screen window works great for this. Lift your fleece onto the screen, gently squeezing the water out, and set outside to dry (preferably not in the sun). When it is dry you can card the fleece and begin spinning.

A beginner will find it MUCH easier to start spinning if they buy roving, wool that has already been washed and carded and is drawn out into long "sausages" ready for spinning. In fact, many spinners never bother with buying raw fleece, the possibilities available with roving are too much fun. Raw fleece is fun to work with if you have a lightly greased breed (like an Icelandic) and enjoy the feel of the lanolin in your hands as you spin out the wool.

T

[egon]

Don't bypass the carding segment. It builds character!!

Egon

[fiber_n_strings]

Hi! I spin wool. The directions on cleaning the wool are basically the same ones that I've read, heard about and use myself. I use a wheel or a drop spindle. There are several sites on the net that tell how to make a drop spindle and begin spinning. One of the advantages of using a drop spindle at first is that this process allows you to learn each step of the spinning process at your own pace for an extremely small investment (about $5 tops if you make your own spindle).
I've use a 3/4 inch square hardwood dowel cut to about a 14 inch length and two 6 inch pieces of 1/4 inch x 2 inch poplar. I cut a 3/4 inch hole in the exact center of each 1/2 x 2 x 6 inch piece of wood. I sanded the upper 8 inches of dowel to smooth out the sharp edges and the bottom 4 inches as well. I also shape the bottom 2 inches more or less to a point. That leaves about 2 inches that you really don't want to smooth out much at all. That's where your two flat pieces will lie perpendictular to each other making a cross. These pieces are now called the whorl. The square shape of the dowel prevents the whorl from spinning independently and causing all kinds of grief. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Now you have what is basically a Turkish style drop spindle.
To spin on it you need about 2 feet of yarn ( some people say it has to be wool but I have found any piece of commercial yarn works). Tie the yarn to the under side of the whorl (that's the short part of the spindle) (I use the spindle in the low whorl set up some people use a high whorl but that's all another story) Take the yarn up between the cross pieces of the whorl and wrap it around the spindle a few times until you reach the top. There you tie a half hitch (just the first half of a knot). Now you fray the end of the yarn. To do that you can untwist the yarn, comb it with a wire dog brush, or very fine tooth comb. Take a bit of carded wool. Lay the yarn on the wool and holding the wool and yarn together, like a hotdog sort of, spin the spindle clockwise . The twist will go into the yarn the trick is to let the twist travel into the fiber but not to let it go to far before you pull the fiber back or you will have a rope. The book on hand spinning that was recommended is a great one to help you out. Also the web sites on hand spindling are a lot better than what I've tried to explain here. Once you have mastered the spindle process and decided whether or not this is the craft for you you can easily switch to a spinning wheel which is a much bigger investment. I hope you have as much pleasure with spinning as I do. It's really a wonderful craft. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[Rozzy10]

Though many people card the wool first there are two types of woolen thread. One in a "woolen thread" and one is a "worsted" thread. If you want the smoothest and strongest thread the latter is the way to go. In this process the wool is spun before washing and drawn out from the "cut end of the fleece. This makes use of the natural barb or scale in the wool and will give a very nice wearing yarn of any weight. The wool is then washed much the same way as described previously in hanks and then hung to dry. either way you do it you will find there is nothing warmer than a handspun wooly.
Spinning geasy wool will do wonders for your hands with all that natural lanoline. (advice if you are spinning greasy wool straight from the sheep and you like to do it in by the fire in the family room - avoid ram fleeces)
Have fun
Roz - an australian spinner

[Pat]

Wool spun in the grease and then woven tightly is darned near waterproof. A good shirt jacket or better yet an anorak made of this is super natural (if not supernatural) outdoor gear for cool weather.

Sure, I like authentic Pendleton woods wear but this is better.

Pat

[eccentricfarmer]

I know this is an old thread but i have been spinning for a few years now including poodle trimmings and others.

Would like to add that a washing machine that can be filled with HOT water and left to soak is a wonderful way to wash wool. Do not let it agitate, just soak in the soap solution and then spin dry and repeat as necessary to get clean and rinsed. Much easier. The wool will tend to not be itchy because harse chemicals were not used to clean it up.