#processing wool

More adventures in fleece washing with the urn!

Rewashed this merino cross fleece, it was still so greasy and a bit yucky. Got it to about 85 degrees for a good soapy wash, it's a lot nicer.

It also dried in an afternoon, thank you hot sunny weather!

Note to self, next fleeces get sorted during skirting and pulling apart for further processing and storage. There is such different consistency between different parts of this fleece and I am learning a lot from my mistakes.

I am about halfway through the white fleece with a large ram's fleece and some yearling lambs shears in the yellow bags.

*More muffled screaming from a pile of wool.*

So you knew this was coming; as soon as I start a new craft or enter a new chapter on something fiber-related, I ruminate on it ala blog.

As you've read before, I've had an interesting back-and-forth on texture vs. function, wild vs useable.  Batts, of course can be both: spinning from a batt can give you some of the easiest, draftable spinning you can do, and it also opens up the possibilities for wilder and more varied textures and colors.  And the carder's done two great things: given me more choices for colors and textures... and given me the ability to process raw fleece at a rate that actually allows for my 'oh look, a muffin!' attention span.

Because there is SO much awesome fleece out there, so many awesome wools, and I love them ALL in different ways.

Thing is, though, I bought the carder for making batts to sell as much as (okay, a little more than) to play with it myself.  So when it comes to batts I'm going to be putting out for others, I do have to consider (because I'm like that) what I want to present.  So for anyone who's going to buy a batt from me, here's what I'm going for:

Every batt I put out is going to have flare.  It's going to have color and life and thought behind it when it comes to design; I'm not a kitchen sink kinda girl (just not my thing).  I'm going to try to make beautiful, thoughtful art when I make a batt. I'm also going to make these batts as a spinner who likes function, so any batt I put out is going to be something you can spin wild and crazy OR balanced and smooth with ease.  I want the buyer to make the decision there.  I want someone to be able to spin whatever they want from something I put out, and to have the spinning experience to be fun and easy and enjoyable while still making something they love.

I'm going to use dyed wool, but I'm also going to try to make batts that use and show off the beauty of the natural color of fleeces.  I'm going to use merino and BFL and Corriedale, but I'm also going to try and mix in interesting, unique wools to let people experience these different fibers and their beauty: crossbreeds and longwools and finewools and downsbreeds and anything I can find that'll give spinners unique textures to play with.

I'm going to spice it up with silk and sparkle and firestar and mohair and bits and bobs, but I'm going to try my best to make sure that the spinner is never FIGHTING these elements as they spin.

In short, I'm going to try and make the very best batts I can, as a seller and as a spinner.  So I'd love feedback from you guys as I learn and grow.  I promise, I'm happy to listen and answer questions and take criticism and hear when there's something I need to do better.  After all, I can't test every batt I make ^_^ I have to put some up in the shop!

Maybe this is taking it a little seriously, but I guess I do take this pretty seriously.  I like to draw, I like to sing, I like to do graphics on the computer; creating is AWESOME!  But this is the stuff I love doing and I want to really do it well for me and for Ariadne.  We're not the biggest and we're not the most popular little shop in the world, but myself and my partner love doing this, love playing with colors and textures but seeing people make beautiful things out of our work is just an amazing experience in and of itself.  Which, in a way, might be why this is the art I'm really dedicated to.  People don't just get to look at our work; they get to transform it themselves into something beautiful and functional and their own.

So I really hope you like the new addition to the shop (we'll have some things up soon, I promise!) and here's my word on what you should be getting when you nab one (or anything from our shop!)

The journey from knitting or crocheting or weaving down into the depths of fiber processing is a long and strange one, but not one I think is unfamiliar.  You start to knit/crochet/weave, and then you want to control the yarn so you spin.  You start to spin and you're opened up to the world of different materials available in fiber form.  And once you've tasted that, the idea that a certain kind of fleece is unavailable in a processed form, or the idea of getting a whole pound worth of wool for 10$ is absolutely maddening. 

So you look into washing and processing your own fiber.

And you see that the tools involved are hella expensive.

And you run screaming into the niiiiiight.

And you get discouraged. 

At least, that's what happened to me.  Then I got a bit curious and a bit stubborn and a bit brave and decided to try something else.  I figured I'd try to do it with relatively simple tools, grab what raw wool I could get, and see what I could come up with.

Fleece: $5 for 2 oz of wool + shipping

I went and got my wool off of ebay, mostly because that way it could be shipped to my house.  I went for the smallest quantity I could, if only so that I could get a taste for it, see if I liked doing it, before investing a lot of time or money.  I found a sheep breed that seemed good (Dorset crossbreed, a Downs breed that wouldn't felt if I messed up anything) and got the smallest amount I could find.  Unfortunately for me, and probably a decent number of people, finding and/or traveling to a farm or fiber festival isn't always an option.  So... eBay. 

As a suggestion, try looking for someone with: good feedback, feedback from spinners, someone who is a spinner as the seller, the seller clearly stating information about the fleece such as staple length, whether the sheep were coated or not, whether the fleece has been skirted, etc.  And of course, breed.

Dish soap: $2

I suppose you could use a professional cleaner, but since your job is to cut grease, this stuff works just as well.  I also guess this could be considered free since most people have some in their houses but I put it in the cost just in case.

Don't go for anything fancy or special.  Grease cutting is what you're looking for, that's all.

Big Plastic Bowl/Strainer: $2

That's all I use for washing my wool.  Put soapy water in bowl, put wool in bowl, let soak for a bit, pour out, fill with clean water, put wool in bowl to soak out the soap , etc. etc. etc.  Just a big plastic bowl like you can get for a dollar or two.

Pick Combs: $3

This, I'll admit, is the spot where originally I got flummoxed; I wanted to comb my fiber since really the only alternative is carding it and dog combs are $16 a pop... then I thought hard about what part of the wool combs was really necessary and decided to try this.  Is it a bit awkward?  YES.  Is it optimal?  NO.  Can you get spinnable combed top from working some fleece between a pair of pick combs?  YES.

Cardboard Diz

Take a piece of cardboard, poke a hole through it with your knitting needle/etc.  You can has diz.

So what did I do?

Dishsoap + water inside of bowl.

Wool put in bowl to soak for a bit. AND DON'T AGITATE.  That's a standing order unless you want felt.

Wool taken out, bowl washed out, filled with clean water.

Wool put into bowl to soak out soap for a bit.

Repeat 4.

Wool taken out, bowl washed out, dishsoap + water inside of bowl

Wool put in bowl to soak for a bit.

Wool taken out, bowl washed out, filled with clean water.

Wool put into bowl to soak out soap for a bit.

Repeat process (and keep repeating the processes until you feel like your wool is clean).

Let wool dry out until it's fluffy.

Pull out locks of wool.

Place locks on tine of pick comb.

Comb in a similar manner to how wool combs are used.  The angles are a little different, but the movement, etc, is the same.  See youtube for details.

When your fiber is all in one direction and you've taken some of the 'popcorn' off, twist the end of it and stick it through the hole in the diz.

Pull your combed top through the hole in the cardboard like you would if you were using much better equipment.  See Youtube for details.

VOILA!  Combed top.  

Spin the combed top.  Maybe... maybe comb in a few bits from random combed tops you have sitting around.  And it looks a little like... THIS: