2 skeins done, and lots to go

I plyed up the singles from the Shetland fleece I have been working on, and the the net results so far are 5.5 oz and about 215 yards done up into two skeins. I never weighed the washed fleece, so I am only guessing that there are about 1.5 pounds left to card and spin. Here is it together.

 And here is a closeup.

I'm not sure if I am going to try dying the finished yarn or not, but I'll probably wait until more of it is finished and I have a project in mind.

I returned the drum carder and I almost bought one on ebay today, but was outbid in the last 20 minutes.   Probably a good thing, because the savings were not considerable over a new one, and there would be no recourse if anything was wrong with it when it arrived.   I can wait.....it is not like I don't have anything to work on..............

Now back to some knitting..........

FLEECE PROCESSING MACHINE!

The system worked like a machine.   Here is what I mean:

Pre-soak

Wash

Rinse 

Spin

Dryer

Card into batts

Batts into Roving

Spin into yarn!

Lest you think I worked on this 24 hours a day all weekend, this is the tally.   All the fiber has been washed from Thursday through tonight.   The last batch of 3 mesh bags is drying outside overnight and a total of 9 bags altogether..    About 3-4 oz. has been carded into batts and 1 1/2 oz.  has been spun into single ply yarn.   Believe me, I have a long way to go to finish this fleece, but at least I have a record and sampling of how long it took me and what the yarn is like.    It is not really as soft as it may look, so it will be suitable to outerwear, felting and accessories.   I may even give dying a try since there will be so much of it and it is such a neutral color.   My plan at this point is to 2-ply it to a worsted weight and then measure and weigh the final product before deciding what it will become.

With the three day weekend, I even managed two walks, 2 loads of laundry, a couple of movies, some reading, and more general relaxing.   I guess what they say is true: you get more done when you have lots to do.  Or something like that.

Carding with a Tool!

The Olympics are over and I chose not to compete.   It is not that I wasn't doing anything for these last 16 days, it is just that I didn't want to put any pressure on myself.  I guess I just wimped out.    I didn't finish any of my projects, but am plodding along on the squares for my GAAA.   You know, knit one row, tink one row, knit 1/2 row, tink 1 1/2 rows.    And so it goes.   At this rate it's like paying off a credit card balance by paying the minimum payment each month:   it'll take 247 years (or so) to pay it off.  

I have borrowed a drum carder from fellow spinner, Lynn, to finish off my fiber

 from last month's shipment before I start on the fiber I got last week.   OK, I opened the inner plastic bag, and it is getting its first cold soak.  And I realized that THIS month's fiber is going out in another 10 days!   Yikes.  It is so soft and lanolin-y and hopefully most of the yuck will come out with the soak.

 The drum carder, a Strauch petite, is one hefty tool, and really does the job of blending the fiber into batts.   What starts out as this:

  ends up like this: a pyramid of batts, ready for spinning.

What could be done in about 10 rolags of hand carding can be carded into a single batt of about 1/2 oz with the drum carder.  What a timesaver, so much so that I feel a major purchase coming on.........    I had a 15 minute lesson Sunday at spinning group ( we are actually "multicraftual") and Sunday night I made 2 more batts on it, while watching the terrible new show, Marriage Ref, which came on after the Olympics closing ceremony.    Perfect background noise, and I am so glad I didn't expect to be entertained by the show! 

  Monday, I made 4 more batts with the rest on Tuesday evening.    I even went crazy on the last two, by blending in some natural mohair and some shredded sari silk.   See how pretty! On the pyramid they are the top two.

The flashes of color make me so happy.    Maybe I will ply with the plain batts, to maximize the yardage.

I'm Baaaaack!

As the last post stated, Mom's house is cleaned out, sold, and turned over to the new owners.   I am glad that's over, but half my garage is full of the stuff we didn't throw out, but want to sell later at a garage sale......more work to come.   I have also started my adventures on ebay where I am selling off Dad's collection of Mineralogical Record magazines.   For the record, I am cologal817 on ebay....if you are a rock hound or mineral collector and want to keep it in the blogging family.   The oldest issue we have is from Vol 2 No. 2 from 1971 and is nearly complete to 2007 when Dad passed away.    I am starting out by listing single issues from the oldest first, and then when I get to the 1990's (unless I get tired of the process sooner),  I will sell off 6 issue volumes by year.   If you or anyone you know is interested, you know where to find me!

In mid January, my first shipment of the Naked Fiber Club arrived and here is a photo montage of the prep process so far.  This is what the water looked like after a 24 hour cold soak to get out the water soluble yuck.   My garden will thank me in the spring!

The locks were still intact after one hot water bath and still really tight.

I started out with a dog brush and it was a lot of work since the locks seemed glued together.   I was told on Ravelry to give the fiber one more hot soapy bath followed by several rinses and then a vinegar rinse.

That seemed to soften the fiber and after it was dry, I used my hand carders and it was so much easier.   I guess that even after the cold water soak, two hot washes were necessary to get out all of the lanolin.

I didn't photograph the carded fiber, but here is my first small bobbin of spun singles!

It is a good thing I am only getting 8 oz of raw fiber a month, because there are probably only 2 ounces on the bobbin, and my next shipment is coming next week!   Back to work on the hand carders with the rest of the fiber.

The Naked Fiber Club has arrived

Today's mail brought a fluffy package and I tore into it as soon as I got home. It is the first shipment of the Naked Fiber Club and inside were three plastic bags. The largest was 8 oz of raw fiber in rich shades of brown and bronze with distinct locks and the greasy lanolin feel of sheep.

But no tag was present, so I didn't know what variety it was. Checking into Ravelry I went to the forum thread to sleuth out what I could find out. Turns out it is a Rambouillet/Teeswater cross, but I am not sure what that actually means as to softness.

I guess I will find out soon enough: It is already soaking in a large plastic bucket in the garage. I figure a good cold water soak first should loosen most of the dirt and stinkiness, before I do the hot water wash to remove rest of the dirt and the lanolin. I understand from my reading that lawns and gardens LOVE the sheepy water left behind. If it sounds like I know what I am doing here, have I got you fooled, because this will be my first try at raw sheep's wool!!! I'm learning all I can from books, Ravelry, you tube!!! To be continued....

In a second small package is 2 oz of BFL, dyed in deep rich jewel tones.

And in the third was a real surprise, and I am not going to do anything with this until someone else tries it first. Guess what it is............

Give up???

My First Fiber Club

I have been eying several of the clubs out there and hadn't joined any, but always looked at what was available. Several are for yarn, several for indie dyed fiber, several for natural fibers. One this week caught my eye, probably because I just finished spinning and have begun knitting the raw alpaca fiber I purchased this fall. (Finished the first Mitten and working on the matching one!)

So, I signed up for 3 months of the Naked Fiber Club by BadFaerie. This will give me 3 shipments of raw fleece weighing in at 8 oz each starting in January, which I will then wash, card, and spin. I won't know what fiber it will be (sheep, alpaca, mohair) until it arrives, but that is the best part of this kind of club- the surprise. It will give me more experience with different raw fibers without investing in a whole fleece. Not. There. Yet!

A gift to myself, because I deserve it. One that will keep on giving.

Alpaca on the Rocks

As promised, this Alpaca show did not disappoint. There were some different vendors this year, or at least ones I did not notice last year. Having learned so much in this past short year, I was more willing to consider raw fiber in larger quantities. I did not buy a whole fleece, but I did get approx. 10 oz of raw fiber. I was amazed what 10 oz of raw fiber looked like.......

Guess what this is???!!!

A pillowcase of picked and washed Alpaca Fiber, about 10 oz, donated by Keller from Jefferson Farms.

The photographs do not do justice to the beautiful color (rose grey with brown) or the exquisite softness of the fiber. I just couldn't keep my hands out of it,

so I washed it all, in 4 batches in the kitchen sink. Above is 1/2 of the unwashed fiber. I even carded up 5 rolags,

but I am saving up spinning it till it is all carded. I can tell already that it will be wonderful to spin, and I must decide what weight yarn it wants to be.

And that's not all!!!!!!!.......................

Three Meadows Ranch brought both fiber (which came home with me) and the animal (which did not)!!! This fiber was blended from the raw fiber into a heathery light brown. Here is the generous donor, Morning Angel:

on the left. With her two tone fiber, this is the blended result:

This fiber is not in roving form but a large batt weighing in at 8 oz. This too, is bad color....I must retake it outside.

I am not done yet....there's more!

Another meet up with my blogging friend, Becky, who bought the other batt of Morning Angel's fiber. She also arranged to buy a whole fleece from a real cutie who was grey and ivory.(edited to add: his name is Kiernan) That is the cutie standing tall right behind us! The camera didn't capture the color properly, but if you check out her blog when she gets the processed roving, I am sure there will be more photos.

Here is another photo:

More random Alpacas:

All these Alpacas were sheared this past spring, so with the cooler weather they will begin to grow their winter fleece, and the whole process starts all over again. How is that for a renewable resource???

Mixed bag of tricks

I quit job number 2 and my last day was Saturday! Yay!!!!! Now I can really concentrate on my new job in the financial industry. My next exam, the Series 66, is scheduled for Monday 4/27 at 8 am-- two weeks from today. I am nearly through the reading materials and have found that much of it is a repeat of the Series 7, thankfully. Lots of rules and regulations to learn though, so soon I will just concentrate on all the self testing that I have at my disposal.. I find that it is the best way for me to learn the relationships of regulations/laws and the points I really have to remember.

As usual, I have been spinning up a storm. I bought some SW Merino from JulieSpins on etsy and here is what is left of the fiber.

The blues and greens are so bright and vivid in the fiber, but as I started spinning it on the wheel, I have discovered that there is a lot of white in the center of the fiber. What is on the bobbins is more pastel and the finished yarn should be very summery. I am spinning with the goal of a tightly plied 3-ply sock yarn. I have heard that some of the weight is lost in spinning, but I started out with 8 oz, so I should have plenty, with leftovers. Here are two bobbins, and the third is still on the wheel.

Speaking of the wheel, has anyone had problems with the leather ties on the treadle snapping? I don't know if it is the angle of rubbing against the wood or what. The first one snapped a couple of weeks ago, and I retied it and then the second one snapped last night. On my last trip to JoAnn's I purchased new leather laces, so now I will be prepared for the next break, but it is a pain to untie and retie often. My other purchases for my wheel include white lithium grease for the squeaks, and a ball of hemp cord for the next time the drive band snaps. It was cheap enough and I read that waxing the driving band with beeswax also preserves it. Oh yes, I had to purchase the beeswax! I should be done with wheel expense for a while, except for fiber of course!

Oh yes, one more purchase for the wheel. I bought from a fellow raveler 3 more bobbins and an arched, tensioned lazy kate.

At the rate I am spinning this SW Merino, I should be able to ply it this weekend! to be continued!

Here is the progress on my market bag. I am on the decrease rows now so I should finish it tonight or tomorrow and then felting is on the agenda....after I do the handles and flap which I am adding. I better get cracking on it. The auction is in 2 weeks.

And last but not least: I had previously seen the Great American Afghan book and although it was cute, some of the squares left me less than thrilled. But last week at Knit Night at A Knitted Peace, I spotted this book:

Now THAT is an afghan! I grabbed a copy without hesitation. I have always been fond of Aran patterns, sweaters and afghans, mainly because it reminds me of my grandmother, Yetta, who taught me how to knit when I was 7. As I remember, she was always working on complicated sweaters which she designed herself with diamonds, popcorn, cables and an amazing variety of stitches. I still have several of her sweaters, although several of the natural colored aran sweaters have yellowed a bit with age. Pause while I run upstairs to photograph one...........

It is still gorgeous, despite the yellowing. Anyone know how to renew the brightness? This sweater is at least 30 years old, and probably older.

Look at the details... the pockets!

The handmade buttons!

The back of the sweater and the number of different panels!

I am an amateur in comparison, but I do think I channel her creative spirit with my newly acquired skills. Thanks, Grandma!

.

edited to add: when I was looking at Julie Spins shop for the link for this posting, she had the most brilliant hibiscus roving available. Her shop is usually sold out within minutes, so I was so lucky to grab it when I saw it. Gee whiz....blogging can be dangerous to your budget!!!!!

Spinning FO

Today I was very productive, fiberwise. Since my birthday, last week, I have been working on spinning singles of the Louet wool top pencil roving in color "Thunderstorms". This yarn is to be entered into the Ravelry Spindlers Group in the August Challenge, whose theme is "rainforest." This is a reminder of what the fiber looks like:

It is my first spinning with multi-color roving and as such, I really didn't know what to expect.
The green seems to be predominant and the colors change at irregular intervals. The finished product will be more tweedy, than striped or pooled, I predicted to myself, and I was correct.

I knit three batches of singles, wound on 3 TP rolls and placed in my super-duper fancy Lazy Kate, made with a shoe box and straight knitting needles.

I used my ball winder to wind a 3 ply ball from the three singles. Then, using my Tracy Eichheim spindle, I plyed from the outside of the ball. I love this shot with the Golding and the Eichheim together.
I have made much progress getting my singles thinner and thinner compared to my beginning spinning and I probably could call the singles, or even a two ply laceweight. This is my early spinning on this fiber: This a shot from today, showing the more recent singles spinning and the plyed yarn still on the spindle.

I soaked the yarn, whacked it, and hung outside to dry quickly.

Here is the final result, 43 grams of sport to worsted, about 106 yards. Pretty, isn't she!

I still have more than 3/4 of the fiber left, so lots more spinning to do.

Then, I started plying on the last of the blue/green CVM fiber into a two ply.

Once I finish that yarn, it will be time to start knitting on it. I have enough to do several hats, mittens, or use it in combination in a felting project. I have seen on Ravelry the Fetching fingerless mitts, and there are hats to match. With gift giving season ahead, it is almost time to get started on that.