From Fleece to Yarn

Blog Threads
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I like luxurious things. They don’t have to cost a fortune or be “top of the line,” but I am only interested in knitting with yarn that I love.

I was going through my stash (about 40 skeins, I suppose) a couple weeks ago and found that I really didn’t like a lot of it. Some of it I bought thinking I’d find something to do with it and after several years had not. Much of it was just fairly cheap and “nice enough” back then - but no nice enough now. No, I wanted alpaca and silk blends with rich colours, and I didn’t want to spend $20/skein.

So, I came to the natural conclusion that I would have to start making my own yarn. I got rid of most of my stash (I kept back some of the nicer stuff, just in case this whole “spinning” thing doesn’t take off) and started accumulating supplies.

First and foremost, alpaca fleece! I went to visit a local farm and came back smelling of alpaca and in possession of a few lbs of llama and alpaca fleece in white, fawn, gray and brown. Unfortunately, all of it reeking of mothballs. I have been washing my way through it and airing it out as I go along to get rid of that awful stench.

To wash the alpaca, I picked up some eucalan wool wash (I only use a few drops per load because there is no grease in this fleece - only dust) and some lingerie bags to wash and have been doing it in my sink. I will post photos of the process soon.

I also bought some soy silk roving to blend (later, when I’ve gotten the hang of this spinning business).

I also purchased two fairly cheap hand carders. If I like it, I’ll invest in a nicer, finer set later on.

Not sure which type of drop spindle I preferred, I bought one of each. Top whorl is definitely easier! The roving samples that were included allowed me to practice for a few minutes and… not so good. I must have been pulling it in the wrong direction because I wasn’t able to draft.

I also picked up various bottles and jars, gloves, breathing mask, Jacquard Acid Dyes and citric acid crystals, and just yesterday I bought a few dozen pick combs to make a hackle.

I’m still waiting on my carders so I haven’t done much yet. As I move forward, I will be sure to post pictures and updates.

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I finally got my lingerie bags that I ordered online. I ordered them the day before I stepped into the dollar store and saw them for sale there. Blast! Oh well. They do work really well and I have been able to wash the fleece much more quickly.

Photos!

You can do this in a sink, double sinks (transferring the bags back and forth so they don’t get your counter all wet), a washing machine (NOT on, no agitation, just filled with water), your bathtub, etc. I do mine in my kitchen sink, so please forgive the various spices and dishes you see lying around.

[B]Fill the sink for your first wash[/B]

This fleece was mostly free of vegetable matter (VM) but it was still pretty dusty, so I am doing one wash with wool wash, one with vinegar, and then just a plain rinse. You will need to be more aggressive with your washing - possibly doing 2-3 with wool wash - for sheep wool.

Fill your sink with cool water. You CAN use hot (you would need to for sheep wool), but I use cool. I have a temperature gun so I get the temp that way and aim for around 75F, but you can use your hand to match temps. You want to ensure that each bath is the same temperature as the water the fleece just came out of, or you will get some felting.

Add your wool wash. I use Eucalan. You can use dish soap. I use only a few drops but for sheep wool you would have to use more.

[B]Bag your fleece[/B]

Loosely fill your lingerie bags with fleece. You will want to loosely pull apart tight clumps so the water can get to all of the fiber. Do not fill the bags too full or you won’t get it thoroughly clean. Careful not to get any fiber in the zipper or you may have trouble re-opening the bag.

Put the bags in the sink, stacking them. Push them down gently - do not agitate - to push out some of the air that would keep the bags afloat.

Let them soak for 15-30 minutes.

[B]Vinegar rinse[/B]

Remove the bags from the sink one at a time. I fold the bags in half twice and gently press (don’t wring) to remove some of the water. The water in your sink will likely be pretty brown by now.

Refill your sink with water that is approximately the same temperature as the water you just drained. Add some vinegar - I don’t measure, maybe 1/3 of a cup?

Put the bags back into the sink, again pressing down, and let them soak for another 15-30 minutes.

[B]Rinse[/B]

Your water should be much less dirty than it was the first time. If it’s still really brown, repeat the wool wash soak.

If your water is just slightly brown, drain and refill (minding to keep the temperature the same) with plain water, and push the bags back in to soak for another 15-30 minutes.

[B]Drying[/B]

Pull the bags out, squeezing to remove some of the water. If your water is still a wee bit brown, that’s fine. Your fleece will likely go through water a couple more times to set the twist after you spin it, and when you dye it, and by the time your yarn is done it will be quite clean.

You can lay the fiber out on a dry towel and roll it up and press on it to “dry” the yarn (it will still be damp) or you can use a salad spinner, as I do. I find it a bit cleaner because fibers don’t get all over my towel / carpet.

I do 1 to 2 bags at a time in the spinner. Too much, and it’s really hard to spin. When no more water comes out of the fleece when you spin it, it’s time to lay it out to dry.

[B]Dry it for real[/B]

I lay my fiber on an opened garbage bag (one side and the bottom cut open to make a flat sheet) and aim a fan over the fleece. I flip the fleece every few hours (or the next morning if I’ve left it out overnight) to ensure thorough drying.

You could also put an old (clean) screen window over a bathtub and spread the fiber over it so get it to dry.

[B]Storage[/B]

When it’s thoroughly dry (when you think it’s dry, let it sit out another 24 hours) store it in a bag that breathes - either a paper bag, or a large plastic garbage bags with holes cut in it, which is what I do.

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Is this thread to be a Blog Thread or did you put it in the wrong forum?

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I was wondering that as I was posting last night! I meant for it to be blog thread but it is sort of turning into a pictorial / guide. Please feel free to move if it would be more appropriate elsewhere.

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Hand carders!

They finally arrived last night. I sent DH out to get them from the post office for me (in exchange, I did the dishes and cat litter). The downside is that they are a bit small (5" x 3.5", approximately), but given that they were less than half the cost of all other carders out there, I think that’s appropriate. I figured that if I really enjoyed it, I would invest in better carders later (or keep an eye out for used ones).

I have so much stuff on the go right now - knitting a scarf (that I’ve re-started 20 times but I think I’ve got it now!), making a hackle, washing fiber - that I didn’t spend too much time carding, just enough to test it out. It’s quite enjoyable, really! I’ve been making rolags by carding and then rolling the “sheet” of fiber around a chopstick. Eventually these rolags will be hackled ([I]verbing weirds language[/I]) and made into roving to someday be dyed.

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It’s fine for a blog thread. You should be aware though that very few people ever come into this forum so you’ll not get many viewers. If it’s just for your own use that’s fine.

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Yup, I noticed that. It’s mostly to track my own progress and if anyone finds it during a search it will hopefully be somewhat helpful.

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[FONT=Century Gothic]I’ve been keeping up on this post! I do find this to be extremely useful, and the directions are clear and easy to understand. Thanks! :)[/FONT]

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[U][B]Making a rolag[/B][/U]

[B]What you need[/B]

To make a rolag - which is basically a “sheet” of combed fiber, rolled up - you need your hand carders and some fiber. I use a chopstick to help me roll up the rolags, almost making punis (tight little rolls of cotton).

[B]Picking the fiber[/B]

Start with about a handful of fiber. Depending on density and carder size you may end up using more.

Picking the fiber consists of holding the fiber loosely in one hand, and picking it apart, bit by bit, with your other hand. This loosens and opens the fiber so it can be carded.


[I]Picked fiber on the left[/I]

[B]Charging the carder[/B]

Gently brush the picked fiber across one of the carders. It will sort of grab on and stay there. Don’t put too much fiber on your carder! It should cover the carder in a relatively thin layer.


[I]You can still seem some of the bristles through the fiber.[/I]

[B]Carding[/B]

I’m not going to go into detail here because there are many great videos on youtube; just search for “handing carding” or “using hand carders”.

When you’re done, it should look something like this, with all fiber on one carder:

[B]Rolling up the fiber[/B]

As I mentioned, you don’t have to use a stick to roll the fiber around. I find it makes a tighter, easier-to-store roll (a rolag is bigger and fluffier), but I don’t think it technically qualifies as a rolag. That said, I have tried to spinning from one and it works well enough.

Pull up the fiber sheet along the top of the carder so you can start rolling it up. It’s tricky at first, you have to find of tuck the corners under the chopstick before you start rolling.


[I]Sorry for the crotch shot.[/I]

Once you get started, it should be easy to finish the roll. You can roll it a bit along the top of the bristles to smooth it out.

Pull out the chopstick and add it to the pile!

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I have come to realize that maintaining wordpress blog is easier for me than the forum format here… So for anyone who wishes to track my progress, feel free to pop over to http://cleveroctopus.wordpress.com/.

Thanks!

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Love what you are doing… amazing information that you are putting out as well.
I’m doing a blog here myself… my ‘meblog’… LOL!

Jan is right, hardly anyone ever comes here but the people who like to blog. I’m not having any problem with that especially since I’ve never blogged in my life… :slight_smile:

I do hope you will continue to write here as well… I hate to be alone… :roflhard:
TEMA

12

Current mood: :hair:

AKA, a bit frustrated!

I put my hackle together with a board and pick combs. I thought I’d try using epoxy because it would be so much easier and I had some on hand for something else. Of course, no such luck, but it made it easier to nail the combs to the board.

However, when I tried to use the hackle, I found that the nails just weren’t enough (turns out you have to pull with a fair amount of pressure!) so it looks like screws will be where I turn next. I’m also finding the relatively short fibers (2") that I’m using are a pain, and for whatever reason the roving just wasn’t holding together very well.

Sooo, I’ve taken a break from all that stuff and am focusing on finishing my scarf and washing the rest of my raw fiber.

I also think I’m going to give combs a try. I think that they will be easier for me to use than the carders. Now, do I DIY or buy? How much is a few hours of my time worth? Hmmm :think:

13

Do you know what always makes me feel better? Spending $100 on wool combs! :wink:

I decided to put the carders on the back burner and give combing a try. I flirted dangerously close with making my own combs ($15 vs. $100 is compelling), but it seemed like such a hassle drilling all those holes, keeping the nails evenly spaced, finding some way to make a handle, having to sand it all, that I decided my time making sub-par combs was worth more than the cost of buying new.

From Benjamin Green Studio (on Etsy and Ebay)

Washing up the rest of my fleece should keep me occupied until the combs get here. :woohoo:

14

What a productive day! As of 2:40 am, I have just finished washing the last of my alpaca/llama fleece.

That represents two loads (six or seven lingerie bags for each load); about two hours of time (mostly just sitting in the sink), and; one third of my total raw fleece (the rest is 1/2 fawn, 1/2 white).

The best part of the evening was making my own diz out of a shell. I was undecided about buying one online, but none of them seemed to be exactly what I wanted, or making one, but I didn’t want to use an old yogurt lid. I found this shell (almost 2" across) in the “free” bin at the rock workshop (where I make cabochons sometimes) and using a drill press and diamond bits, made three holes: 2mm, 3mm and 4.5mm, approximately.

I also coated it in clear nail polish. I’m not sure why, but it made sense at the time.

Resting on my in-progress “Rose Tyler Boomtown Scarf” it looks small, but I’m working with two strands of bulky so keep that in mind.

15

Well, I made my first bit of yarn!

Erm… not so good. BUT! Imagine that it’s a bit better, that there’s more if it, and it’s dyed a nice bright colour. I see potential!

To make these, I spun the punis I made with a top whorl spindle.

I didn’t wrap the yarn around the spindle tightly enough so it sort of slipped off, and I stopped when I made the amount you see in my hand two photos above. I then wrapped it around the back of a chair, tied it into a hank, wetted it with water, squeezed out the excess, and put it back on the chair to dry.

I think I’ll make cat toys with these first “test” yarns.

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I have good news and bad news. Good news first!

I spun another ~50 grams of punis! This time it turned out much better. I’m starting to get the hang of drafting. I can’t wait to get my combs!

The bad news is my stupid Rose Tyler Boomtown scarf. I started it and frogged it a dozen times, spent a fortune on yarn, finally finished it, blocked it, and… it’s too gosh darn long! By like two feet. Darn it! Not that shortening it is the end of the world, but… ugh! I thought I was done with this thing! Just in time for summer… :gah:

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My combs came in! They are totally snazzy, well made and work beautifully. I’ll get some photos up soon.

I made my first rolags with them. Unfortunately, the fiber is fairly short, so about half of every clump that gets combed can’t be pulled into the rolag, and I end up carding it and making punis. Hey, whatever works!

I also found some videos on Youtube that were really helpful in wrapping my head around some of the elements of spinning like how much twist is needed, drafting, etc:


I definitely recommend them; since watching them, my spinning has come a long way. I’ve found it easier to spin really thin (lace weight) yarn and so far, it’s been pretty even.

I really want to get dyeing, though. I’m getting a bit bored of this dirty tan colour.