# Spinning question!



## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Ya'll have probably already addressed this - and probably to me. So, be patient, I am getting a little senile... it's that over 50 thing. 

ok, now, I am about to clean up my fleece's I have 6! Thought I only had 2 or 3! So, anyway, lest I get side tracked... I am going to skirt and wash, etc... but I really want to do it in cold water, not hot. I would love to have the lanolin in the wool when I spin. 
So - now - I have only spun from purchased roving. Tell me if I am right that I can spin from the wool without carding? Or do I need to suck it up and try to card etc and make roving type thingys?
If I am correct I do have one bag of Angora goat mixed with some shetland. These were given to me by the lady that I got my sheep from. (and I will possibly get an angora goat from her this spring!)

So - help this dense old woman - I can wash in cold, dry, and then just spin?


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Personally I'd card...but that's me. Could finger tease it I guess...But carding is FUN!


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## backachersfarm (Jun 14, 2005)

You can just open the tips up with a metal dog comb and spin the locks like that. This is what I did for yrs because I was to poor to buy a drum carder and despised hand carding. It was always a neat surprise to see just exactly waht i had made when I washed the spun yarn afterwards.


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Sure lots of people spin from the lock without washing (if it's not too gross). It's called spinning in the grease. It makes the wool water resistant and is good for the hands. Kinda messes up your spinning wheel though---you'll need to thoroughly clean it afterwards. No need to card---just flick with the comb, manipulate with your fingers. It's a great way to get "lumpy-bumpy" designer yarn that is so popular. And it saves you lots of extra work and time. Try it and see what you get.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

MamaJ, it'll really depend a lot on the fleece you are working with.

If it's all coily curly sproingy like the Down breeds are, that stuff is really hard to spin if it's not carded first. It just loves to hang onto itself so much (which makes it good for sturdy yarn!) that unless you can get it opened up a little first, you get lots of lumps. Which can be a design feature, but ... not always.

If it's fairly open fleece anyway, you can spin it as it is - I do this with Icelandic a lot, and I have done it with alpaca as well, although I gave up and carded the alpaca after getting tired of picking out so much hay and VM.

As for the lanolin ... again, depends so much on the fleece. The Columbia fleeces have so much grease that even washed and rinsed several times in hot water the fleece still isn't all coarse and dry when it'd done - there's still lanolin in it and your hands get soft working with it. I think I'd use hot water anyway - unless you have a VERY dry (almost ungreasy) fleece to start with, one or two wash/rinse cycles isn't going to scour it clean. You don't end up with dry wool from home processing like mill processed stuff - well, I never do, anyway. 

I think what you should try is this: Look at the fleece. Does it have nice separate locks that pull apart with your fingers easily, or is it all tightly wound into itself? If the former, try the dog combs, if the latter, card it. 

For washing - try some in small batches & see what happens. Experimenting is the best way!


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Experimenting! why didn't I think of that! lol!

Now, I never even dreamed it would gunk up my wheel. That may change everything. I sure don't want it messed up.
Wish there was just some way to save that lanolin that comes out of the fleece. Well, I am sure there is, but not sure I could do it here.

ok, more pondering and reading before I jump in....but I am getting antsy! lol!


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## kyweaver (Nov 30, 2009)

I have found that there is still some lanolin left on the wool, even after washing in hot water. Unless you use REALLY hot water. I washed some Leicester Longwool in 140 water and could still feel the effects of the lanolin after a day of spinning. 

If your greasy wool does gunk up the wheel, it cleans up rather easily. It's not going to be ruined.

Have fun!


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## Ozarkquilter46 (Jun 5, 2002)

You will find theres no right or wrong way just try everything you can think of. Some you will like some you wont. The only thing that is a no no is overworking when your washing and having it felt! But I have known some gals that do that also for small kitchen rugs. LOL
I love fiber arts because there are no rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

MamaJ are these Shetland fleeces? If so they won't be too greasy and you could just spin them raw, unwashed and wash the yarn afterward. That's what I do with my Shetland fleeces. When I have washed them beforehand they got difficult to card because they were all flyaway. MN tends to be pretty dry so maybe down there where you are it won't be so bad.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Yes, these are shetland fleece. Well, I think there is one Angora goat fleece in there, but I have not found it yet.
It is pretty humid here, so maybe I won't have the flyaway issue. I may try it both ways and see.
Thnx for all the help!


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Are these fresh fleeces? If not the lanolin can get hard, then you'd have to get it out. I never wash my Bunny before spinning. And alpaca usally just has dust in it. Never tryed saveing the lanolin, but you probably could if you use very hot water, then let it cool. The lanolin should be floating on the top.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

There was an article in Spinn-Off last year that described how to wash a fleece to leave the lanolin intact.

It went something like this:

Fill a garbage can with water and immerse the fleece, put a lid on it
Let it sit for (I forget how long ... weeks?? months??)
Pull out the fleece, but save the water for your next fleece.

There is something (was is suint???) in the fleece that will naturally clean it and this stuff builds in the water fleece after fleece.

For spinning in the grease, make sure your fleece is warmed up and the lanolin is "flowing". Trying to spin in the lock with cold lanolin is awful! When the lanolin is warmed up and the tips flicked, the locks just slide effortlessly from your hand!

The clean up of the wheel isn't too bad ... it gives a nice shine & patina to the wheel.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Who was it here that just washed fleeces by putting them in a creek? It was one of our guys and he say they turned out really well, no soap nothing, just water.

Cyndi I remember that article! I'm going to search the Interweave site for the article, I'll be back.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Okay here are two articles I think the first one is the one Cyndi is talking about. But I'm putting the other here because it is specifically about a Shetland fleece.

http://www.spinoffmagazine.com/forums/p/878/2733.aspx#2733
http://www.spinoffmagazine.com/forums/p/1191/4018.aspx#4018


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## backachersfarm (Jun 14, 2005)

The wool i had to work with was from a downy breed. I didn't have any trouble spinning it in the grease. You'd be surprised at what you can do without preconceived ideas. It didn't gum up my wheel...just left a little trail on the platform of rhe maidenhead. it cleans off easily.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Thnx March! I have reading to do now! 
These fleece are from last spring, so no, not very fresh. I may have to go with a hot wash.
I bought some netting today at Hobby Lobby, so I can make me a little 'bag' to put the fleece in. Ok, little is not the right word... it will be fairly big. Or maybe I will do one large one smaller....
I need more time at the end of the day!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

MamaJ When I have raw fleeces I will pull off hands full and wash it is small batches in my sink. I find it much more manageable and less time consuming. When one small batch is dry I can work with that one, card, comb, or whatever, while the next one is drying. This way too you can try different methods of washing and find the one you like best.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

even when i wash in hot water i still have lanolin left,

long open fleeces i always spin from the lock, those are my fastest selling skiens too.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

Be sure not to let the water cool down before you drain and rinse the fleece. If you let the water cool down, you will end up with the lanolin redeposited on your fleece in a gummy and gunky mess that never quite washes out again. I did that to one of the of the first fleeces I bought at an auction-paid $12 per pound raw at that. I still have some of the yarn I spun-and even after several washes it still feels sticky. 
I have shetlands, and I wash the fleece in hot water after skirting as soon as I can after shearing. But I've had fleeces sit in the shed over the winter that I've not had time to wash, and they do just fine when I wash them the next summer. I tend to not wash them indoors because the cats won't leave the drying fleeces alone and I end up with fleece all over the house when I dry them indoors.
betty


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