# Katie's Sheep-to-Finish Thread



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Ever since shearing a couple of weeks ago I've been dying to get my hands working on my fleeces. I've had sheep about 23 years (yikes) and have NEVER spun yarn from my own sheep! I need to remedy that, and this is the year to do it!

I've washed a half of one fleece so far, and I've been watching all sorts of Youtube videos on how to process it. The fleeces I'll be working with (one at a time) are from my natural colored Romney/Southdown fleeces, and I've got several stored that have been patiently waiting for me!

The plan is to use my hand cards to make rolags, and spin from the rolags using my drop spindle. It looks so easy on the videos, so I'm hoping I can get the hang of it quickly!

My county fair is in August, and I'm hoping I can finish something for the handspun class....it's coming up quickly though!! 

Feel free to chime in with tips or comments along the way.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Tip #1 get practicing and practice often. 

Tip#2 Start with good wool not cast offs. You have a whole fleece worth of wool and more is growing all the time.

Tip#3 get practicing

Tip#4 ask for help often if needed and take pictures of any issues so we can see and help. Maybe have your DH video tape you


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

ENJOY the process, each step ..... or you may get overwhelmed ! It relaxing and the satisfaction is incomparable ! Take pics along the journey ... its fun to look back at a later date !


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Exactly as MzMary said Slow down and enjoy each step in the process of processing fleece. It can be overwhelming if you look at everything at once. Hmmmmm, would this be the Zen of fleece processing? Become one with the fleece. Listen to it along the way and see if it tells you what it wants to become. They really do speak to you. I am very excited for you and your journey.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

I'm excited too! You know, they say there are 2 types of knitter, process and product...and I'm very much a product knitter. I'm hoping I can force myself to not want to rush through it to get to the final product, and that I can enjoy the process along the way! 

I was hoping to start carding last night, but I had an order for a coffee cozy so had to whip one up real quick. Tonight, I plan on finding my cards (easier said than done) and start right in on the fleece!! If it's nice outside and not raining, I'll probably try to sit outside and enjoy the weather, and maybe even sit with the sheep while I do it. :grin:


----------



## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

With a hand spindle yet! That's ambitious! Let us know when you'll be looking for a spinning wheel, we're enablers around here!

Since spindles are pretty slow, you may not need to process a whole lot of fiber before starting in on spinning it. Small batches will get you spinning faster and as you spin you'll learn how you prefer your fiber prepped. It would be a bummer to process your whole fleece to rolags (a lot of work, that!) only to find out that you actually prefer it processed to batts, unprocessed or spun from the locks or some such.

It is really lovely spinning your own yarns, though. Pretty soon you'll decide you need yarn for (fill in the blank) and then start looking at your fiber stash to figure out which fibers you want in your yarn even before deciding how thick or thin you want your yarn. After you figure out what fibers and what diameter, then you can contemplate which spinning method - woollen or worsted. Then, when you start dyeing your fibers, you can add color choices into the pile of things you can specify for your yarn. I'm always amazed at how complacent folks seem to be about their very limited choices of available commercial yarns.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

hotzcatz said:


> With a hand spindle yet! That's ambitious! Let us know when you'll be looking for a spinning wheel, we're enablers around here!


I would LOVE a wheel, but it's just not in the budget right now! I've got some other, more important things on my to-buy list now, first including rabbit cages so I can re-vamp my rabbits and make their care much more streamlined. 

I did sign up for a 2 day artisans fest though, and I'll be selling my soap/body products and fibery items. That's in October, so I'm hoping I'll make a good profit there and maybe a wheel will be in my future then!! :grin:


I was wondering about spinning directly from the fleece, but I'm pretty sure I need to card it first...not sure? I have a good bit of roving that I was given, so I'm wondering if it'd be best to use that to really get better at the spindle before I move on to my own fleece.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Katie make your rabbit cages, it's the easiest thing in the world to do.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Marchwind said:


> Katie make your rabbit cages, it's the easiest thing in the world to do.


I've made one, and I don't like how it turned out. I used the "cheap" wire, and I figured by the time I buy high quality wire I may as well buy the cages.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

The key is to get welded then galvanized wire. It's been years since I made cages but you could buy a few rolls of wire 2x1" and 1/4 x 1/2" and make several cages, depending on size, for a song. Maybe you have a good source for inexpensive cages.


----------



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

> I have a good bit of roving that I was given, so I'm wondering if it'd be best to use that to really get better at the spindle before I move on to my own fleece.


 I would practice with the roving first, just to get the feeling of it all.

I would experiment too. Try the clean roving, then some dirty/greasty fleece, then some clean. 

When I 1st start hand spinning that's kinda what I did. I bought some good roving & raw wool & just experimented with both, then cleaned some of the raw I had & tried that.

Sounds like a wonderful adventure before you, Have Fun!!


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

I took the kids to the library this morning, and searched for spinning books. I got excited when I saw a book called, "From Sheep to Fleece", but then found the book was a children's book. :gaptooth: Not exactly what I was looking for.


----------



## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

At our library, we can order in books from the rest of the state, but it's a state run library and not by township since we don't have any of those. We only go state and county and the state does the library. They still don't have all that many spinning books, but the local librarian has been bringing them in for me.

For bunny cages, we can't afford to buy them so they are made with whatever we have around. A wood frame is made that the 30" wide by 10' long roll of 1/2" x 1" wire will fit on. That's about the only specific thing we buy to build bunny cages and that's the wire used for the floor. It's galvanized and I'd quote you prices, but it would be much higher here than what you'd be able to get it for. Tractor Supply has it as well as most hardware stores, I'd think.

If you were only making one layer of cages, it would be easier, but we don't have a lot of space so we make the hutches two layers thick. There's a slanted sheet of tin roofing between the upper and lower levels to shift all the bunny droppings to the collection bins in the back. We use the bunny berries for the garden and give it to friends.

Most of the rest of the hutch and especially the doors are made from old refrigerator racks we get from the town dump. Not all places will let you dump pick, but if you can, it's great. Otherwise and old appliance repair place may have some old racks. They make great doors since they don't sag. The hinges are just wire loops screwed to the wood frame. For some reason, the bunnies don't really chew on the frame, I'm not sure why.










If you make the bunny hutch, then you'll be able to use the money saved to buy a wheel! Woot!

Since you've got the rovings and raw wool, try spinning some of each and see how it goes like Pearl B mentioned. Your sheepies are out there making more fiber all the time, so it's not like there won't be more. Sometimes there will be too much fiber around here and I'll use it for mulch. It makes great mulch, especially the bits that are skirted off the edges of a fleece.


----------



## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

I will be bad and admit...after doing raw fleece to yarn to project a few fleeces ago...I can't part with any of it! I only have a hand spindle but I see a spinning wheel in my future for sure because I need to pick up the speed. It takes a fair amount of time to make yarn with a spindle...I say it is financially more feasible to figure out a low cost rabbit cage like Marchwind said and other wares of course!!:banana:

However, I crocheted some cute stuffed animals that I put my roving inside while using a commercially produced yarn.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Well, I pulled out the drop spindle to try spinning some yarn today. Uh, they make it look way easier on youtube. :happy2: I know I have a wooden spindle somewhere, but heck if I can find it. I found a metal one (bottom whorl) with a hook, but it's hard to spin by rolling along my leg. I found another wooden one...bottom whorl, but there's no hook at the top. I may look up a video on how to use that one, since I can't find my other one. 

I'll have to think on the rabbit cages....I use those every day, twice a day, and I'm leaning towards ordering them and being done with it, since our mish mash of homemade/cheap ones now are driving me nuts. 


But I am going to sell a doe in milk soon......$$ :happy2:


----------



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

> I found another wooden one...bottom whorl, but there's no hook at the top.


 Some bottom whorls are made with a pointy tip instead of a hook. Youre supposed to spin off the tip. Kinda like a quill.

This is my current hands down favorite. Its a supported spindle. I got the spindle from 
www.SpunkyEclectic.com & the bowel from my LYS.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

I figured this one out...it has a notch so I do the little backwards loop thing to hold the yarn still. It's much better than the other spindle, but the yarn is very....interesting.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I think the spindle you have MDKatie might be a tahkli spindle generally used for spinning cotton. Does it look like this? http://www.woolery.com/Store/pc/Tahkli-Spindles-c179.htm
I suppose you can spin your wool on there but I think it will take you forever.


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

This is my favorite spindle.... spin it from the top and it spins a long time.

Sadly, I can't remember who I bought it from, but I do remember he handmade everyone.


----------



## bergere (May 11, 2002)

MDKatie said:


> I figured this one out...it has a notch so I do the little backwards loop thing to hold the yarn still. It's much better than the other spindle, but the yarn is very....interesting.



Bet your yarn is beautiful!


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Here are the spindles I have...not sure if that metal one is for cotton. I started with the wire one, and then moved on to the wooden one. I found the directions for the wooden one today (amazing what you can find when you look through your stash ) and I don't have the yarn wrapped correctly around the spindle, so I'll fix that today and try again. 

I see all the videos of spinning and they're all making thin yarn. Do I need to make thin yarn? Or is a thicker single ply ok? 

I definitely need to work on my drafting! Romy, I'm not sure how you spun all that suffolk by hand!! That was a huge job!


I'm not sure exactly what type of wool I'm spinning. I was gifted a lot of fiber and not all of it is labeled. I just know I liked the colors. :grin:


----------



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

MDKatie,

The one on the left looks like it could be used as a supported spindle. I think the middle is a top whorl, the one on the right, the metal hook, Ive not seen one like that before. Interesting. Does the wood/whorl piece move? maybe its a dual, top or bottom whorl.

Your spun yarn looks great!! & that roving is scrumptious!!!! Anyway you want to spin is okay, thick or thin. I like the vids by Megan Lacore. She spins it all, thick-thin. Shes got really good vids on drafting too!
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXTWgMeMgI[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us0nk_ryMDI[/ame]


Below is a Tahkli, like Marchwind mentioned. The bowl I have actually went with it. Ive discovered Ive no talent at all for spinning cotton, & got the other spindle :hysterical::hysterical:


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

MDKatie you can spin thick or thin or both at he same time . If you want a thicker yarn you probably want a spindle a bit heavier and with a bigger whorl, almost like the one in the video but you certainly don't need it. The only problem I see with spinning a thick yarn on one of your spindles is that you would fill it up pretty quick without much yarn to show for it.

Your fibers are beautiful, love those colors they tend to be my favorites


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

MDKatie- just look at you go!  I LOVE those colors, too!


----------



## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

The suffolk wool fleece after much picking, washing and then turned into roving by an inexperienced me was pure stubborness. I thought it needed to look pretty like everyone elses. So I took a long time on the roving part. When I went to spin it...the drafting became the easiest part! It pulled apart so much easier than what I did two days ago which was alpaca, that required more pull. The way the suffolk wool roving turned out was as light as an airy cotton..it was pretty easy to spin but yes, it took time. I work on something every day so that is how I got through those two fleeces. The first one, 17 pounds I didn't even trim off any. I processed the entire fleece into roving. You are smart to try the spinning first so you can process the fleeces when you have mastered the spinning. I love your examples..they are just great!

I am working on a cardigan right now of the prettiest blue. It was so thin of a wool that I am working with two strands. I may have to use white wool also to finish it but hey..thrift store scores of great natural fiber yarns. 

Handspun yarn is a treasure indeed! We should all call them our heirloom pieces when we craft from them.


----------



## Taylor R. (Apr 3, 2013)

Katie, pre-drafting when you're just getting the hang of it helps a ton. Basically, you're just getting it loosened up so it isn't so difficult to draft. I have a much better time spinning thinner with my littler, top whorl spindles (which I paid >$10 a piece for). I know there are plenty of people who can spin lace weight on their jumbo bottom whorls, but I'm not one of them.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Taylor R. said:


> Katie, pre-drafting when you're just getting the hang of it helps a ton. Basically, you're just getting it loosened up so it isn't so difficult to draft. I have a much better time spinning thinner with my littler, top whorl spindles (which I paid >$10 a piece for). I know there are plenty of people who can spin lace weight on their jumbo bottom whorls, but I'm not one of them.


Yes, I've been pre-drafting! It definitely helps!!


----------



## grandma12703 (Jan 13, 2011)

Keep posting pics. I would love to learn to do this with my wool as well. My DH thinks I am crazy but then again that is why he has spent 30 years with me. Never a dull moment. Good luck and great job so far.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Welcome to a The Fold Grandma12703!


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Welcome, Grandma12703 ! You CAN do this !! Just jump in !!!


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

MDKatie, that is GREAT !! You can spin any thickness ya want ... I dont think theres yarn police !! ...maybe , but I havent seen 'em !!! 

I have been "collecting " spindles ..... LOVE turkish and supported ! 

Pearl, your set is beautiful !


----------



## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Thank you Miz Mary!

Supported spindles are my favorite now. I like the little one for thin yarns, & the one below for thicker. Its my Schacht Navajo spindle that I put in a bowl. It actually works better!!, Contains it so its not all over the place. It holds way way more than a bobbin, & is a defense weapon too :hysterical: :sing:


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Pearl B, that spindle is HUGE!! I think my DH would be scared if I brought that in the house! ound:


I've been practicing, and my spindle is almost full! What do I do with it now? 

It's getting much easier to draft, and I'm able to draft much more smoothly, and from higher up in the roving instead of just the immediate fiber just before the spindle. It's going faster!

There are still a few thin spots, but it's much more even than before.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Wind it off the spindle into a ball and either ply it back on itself or wait until you have any other ball to ply with. If you have a shoe box you can poke a hole in the side to hold your spindle on its side while you wind the yarn off of it.


----------



## Pigeon Lady (Apr 4, 2004)

You're doing great!!!!

Do you have a ball winder? I just wind from the spindle to the ball winder. As you get to the end of what's on the spindle, stop. Don't take it off the spindle. take the end from the center of the ball you've made and attach that to the spindle. Hold the ball in one hand and ply the two threads together in the *opposite* direction of how you spun it. 

I hope that makes sense. In a pinch, all you need is roving, a spindle and a ball winder to make yarn. I've just finished a whole sweater from spindled yarn made this way.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Shoot, I already took the yarn off the spindle! I just wound it into a ball by hand. I do have a ball winder, but I was traveling this weekend and didn't have it with me. 

I think I may leave this as a single instead of plying it....that way it'll go further. :grin: I need to read about doing that. I think I may have a pvc niddy noddy around here somewhere...

I went to my aunt's this weekend, where we normally have our annual MLK (Must Love Knitting) weekend. She had some fiber and gave some to me, so I got a pretty braid of some blue/purple fiber, and maybe something else I cant' remember. I'll take pics and post them. I did some spinning while I was there. She hasn't started spinning yet, but has a wheel and some fiber and wants to do it some day. 

I haven't spun in a few days. I did knit up some new coffee cozies (that I sell) and I've been trying to think of new things to felt on them.


----------



## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

Lookin' good guys !!! I do the shoebox thing Marchie was saying ....


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I would love to get one of the spindle lazy Kate's but they are really expensive, at least the ones I want are. The shoe box works well enough.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

I'm making progress!! I finished spinning all of that roving I had, then I couldn't find my niddy noddy (I'm 60% sure I was given one a while back), so I used my treadmill so I could get a hank. Then I soaked in hot water, then put in cold and then hung the yarn. I hope that was right? I read on several websites to do that to set the twist. I barely weighted the yarn, just to make sure it would dry fairly straight. 

Now I have to wait for it to dry! I'm not sure if I'll enter this in the fair as yarn, or if I should make something with it. I am not exactly sure how many yards I have....I need to try to measure it.

I have no idea why the last picture is sideways!


----------



## Kasota (Nov 25, 2013)

WOW!!! Look at you go!!!! Just beautiful!!


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I've never heard of the hot soak and then a cold. I usually just wash my skeins, they get really dirty from spinning, then I just snap or thwack them and hang it to dry.

It's beautiful! Did you dye it also? I love the colors and the way it all turned out.


----------



## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Well, I think the hot and cold was to slightly felt the fibers to help the twist stay? The lady whose website I read said she works the yarn a bit, but I just soaked it because I didn't really want it to felt.

I didn't dye it, it was already that color. I love how it turned out too, especially on some of the blue-to-purple color changes...it is swirly! Love it.


----------



## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

MDKatie - I sometimes do the "shocking" method of finishing woolen spun yarn by doing a hot wash-then a cold - then a hot- then a cold. The fibers will certainly felt a bit in the process and if it is a singles yarn or lightly twisted or underspun, it helps give it a little more strength - UNLESS I PLAN to knit somehting and then full that - then I wait and full the finished project. 

Looking good!


----------

