Spinning Milk And Honey

Day 158: I have always found that I make more progress at the start of a project than at the end. I tend to get bored easily, and although I am not guilty of having a houseful of unfinished crafts, some seem to linger longer than they should. The first two two-ounce skeins of Purple People Eater went quickly. The third began well, but then began dragging its anchor. However, when I wound it up, the fourth and last was hard to start, and after spinning a quarter of it, I set the wheel aside and worked on bandweaving for a couple of weeks. When I finally said, "Okay, I've got to get that stuff off the wheel," I went at it with a will. I completed it in the evening two nights ago, and rather than put the wheel to bed empty, I spun up a few yards of another wool which I'm calling "Milk and Honey" for the cream-and-caramel blend of natural colours. Yesterday, I worked up roughly half an ounce spinning off the fold (technique shown in the upper image), and this morning, I finished the first one-ounce bobbin of singles. That was fast! Given that I have a whole pound of the wool, we'll see how long it takes before it's done, or whether I feel I need a mental break to a different colour.

Footnote 3/22: Found its missing label under the cedar chest. Yep, it's BFL!

Dyeing To Try This

Day 294: I've been dying to try this: trying to dye this Blue-Faced Leicester wool with unsweetened Kool-aid. It seems to be a popular way to break into the science of dyeing, and one which gives surprisingly good, non-fading results. Chemical dyes require dedicated equipment, whereas Kool-aid dyeing can be done with your regular kitchenware, using either a Crock-pot or a microwave oven. I opted for the microwave version. I presoaked three ounces of BFL (a stray skein of handspun I found in my stash) in six cups of room temperature tap water for about 20 minutes, agitating it lightly halfway through. Then I gently removed the wool from the water and added two packets of "blue raspberry lemonade" Kool-aid. I chose it because it was the only flavour available to me which wouldn't have resulted in pink yarn! Since the drink powder already contains citric acid, there was no need to mordant the yarn. After replacing the wool in the cup, I heated it in the microwave for two minutes on high, then gently moved the yarn around, taking care not to handle it too roughly for fear of felting. After repeating the process twice more, all the dye had been absorbed. Once it has cooled to room temp again, I'll give it a light rinse with a little Dawn, and hang it out to dry. The colour will undoubtedly lighten as it dries, but will still be a lovely permanent shade of light aqua blue.

Dreamy And Creamy

Day 90: What with the holidays and all, it slipped my mind entirely that I had two spindles of Blue-Faced Leicester handspun waiting to be wet down to set the twist. I realized it only when I began spinning some dyed Corriedale and discovered that I only had three empty. I only have five to my name, which ensures that I won't get too far ahead of myself on single-ply, although sometimes I really wish I had a sixth one. Unfortunately, the model which fits my wheel hasn't been available for decades. In any event, because I will also be plying the Corriedale (I always ply my yarns), I needed to free up the spindles. For the last three days, I've had sheep in my shower. Now you might notice that this is a fairly fine yarn. In fact, it is a fingering weight at 87 yards/oz., and should be knit up on #2 needles.

The Last O' Th' Leicester

Day 70: The basket holds the only batts remaining to be spun of a pound of Blue-faced Leicester wool, i.e., that's the last o' th' Leicester which, if pronounced correctly is "the last o' th' lester." One skein is already plied, and I should be able to have the rest done before Christmas. For the most part, this was a delicious wool to spin, very long in the staple (up to six inches!) and quite soft. A few nepps (nasty little knots of tangled fibers) unavoidably escaped the carders and my fingers, but these will be easily picked out during the plying process or when the yarn is knit up. I managed the raw fleece quite differently this time around, removing most of the lanolin with hot water and detergent before spinning as opposed to spinning it "in the grease." Although I was initially nervous about sinking wool in hot water, the procedure was surprisingly effective and made for a much more pleasant spinning experience. Gentle handling of the wool is the key to preventing matting of the locks. Simply soak for fifteen minutes, drain and lightly squeeze, and then repeat until the wash/rinse water is clear. Subsequent baths should use water at the same temperature as that drained from the wool. After rinsing, I spread the fleece to dry on an old window screen suspended across my bathtub. Over the next two or three days, I flipped it several times so that it would dry throughout. When the spinning is done and when I have finished a piece of band weaving on the bonker loom (probably before Christmas), I'll be ready to start an entire new batch of projects!

Leicester Lustre

Day 9: Breeds of sheep are generally separated into two categories: those raised for wool and those destined for the meat locker. There is some latitude in those definitions, and some people raise cross-breeds which offer both options at the cost of excelling in neither. When I had sheep, I raised a Romney-Suffolk or Romney-Corriedale cross from which I generally got two adult fleeces from each animal as well as a lot of lamb-burger and chunks of mutton destined to become my favourite soup, Scotch broth. The wool from both was good for "every day," but not particularly silky or lustrous. Recently a friend offered me a pound of Blue-Faced Leicester fleece which, after surveying my fiber stash, I accepted gratefully. I've never spun BFL, but when I opened the parcel and saw the crimp and sheen of the wool, I knew I was going to love it. BFL is a long-staple fiber, and although the breed is primarily raised for meat, the wool is popular with handspinners for its length and softness. Thanks, Shelby!