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Spinning a Fine New Zealand Merino Fleece
I can’t tell you how much enjoyment I am getting out of my new Merino fleece recently imported from Stuart Albrey at Fine Fiber Farms in New Zealand. According to Margaret Stove The Merino wool of New Zealand is among the finest and highest quality wool fiber to be found anywhere in the world and I second this opinion. The New Zealand climate is just perfect for this particular breed and quality of wool and the sheep can be raised out of door without any coats on and without getting chaff and other veggie matter in the wool. It is super clean, ultra fine and soft and surprisingly white. Spinning…
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More of my March Spinning Adventures
Meredith has just sent me a few pictures of the sweater vest she created with the last of the Mango Merino Wool and Silk that I spun up into a yarn for her. She’s amazing. When I spin for Meredith she doesn’t ask for yardage or WPI and I don’t have to match a gauge. She lets the yarn do the talking and doesn’t even decide what it will be until she’s had it in her hands for a while. This is creative freedom at it’s best. Meredith has also generously sent me a testimony for our testimonials section. Here’s what she says about the yarn and a few pictures.…
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Finishing Jacob The Sweater my Guys Like
A few months ago I shared the pattern for the Hat my guys like and now here is the sweater that falls into that same category. With lots of input from DH, the eventual wearer of this pullover, I designed another sweater to match the one I knit him almost 30 years ago. Not only did the original sweater last for 30 years, but hardly a day went by that it was not called into service (except those hot summer days, of course) and it’s still all in one piece even if it is showing a little wear now. As you can imagine, I’ve knit him a few sweaters over…
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Hand Spinning a Worsted Sock Yarn – Slow Cloth
I have one little skein, only about 1/4 of what I’ll need for my socks but I am very proud of it and it was hugely satisfying to create. These socks will certainly qualify as “Slow Cloth“. I am only just learning that there is a movement toward and a name for my own philosophy and passion in the my Fiber Art. I love the notion of slowing down in order to have quality rather than quantity in life. The idea that Fashion should be less dependent on rapidly changing trends and colors (fast money for the rich) and more about quality, sustainability, and thoughtfulness in design and materials. The…
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More on the Spotted Fleece – Jacob
I thought it was time to post an update to “Spinning the Spotted Fleece”. The sweater now has a name. It will be called Jacob. I will probably do a pattern for it after I’ve knit it in another colour pattern for variety. I’ve had quite a few orders for handspun yarns so the knitting is coming along rather slowly. I’m at the neck shaping. We tried it on and it’s within an inch of exact measurements which makes me very happy. That can definitely be worked out with washing and blocking.
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Preparing a Raw Wool Fleece for Handspinning
Yesterday I got out one of the wonderful Polwarth fleeces I imported from New Zealand where they are able to produce some of the finest and highest quality wool in the entire world. Polwarth The Polwarth is not a rare breed but its fleece certainly has enough wonderful characteristic to make it a favorite among hand spinners, knitters and those who wear their creations. It is a dual-purpose sheep, developed in Victoria, Australia in 1880; they were first introduced into New Zealand in 1932. It has been crossbred to 75 percent Merino and 25 percent Lincoln. Polwarth wool is similar to Merino in softness but has a longer staple length…
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2 New Luxury Angora Baby Gifts
I am working really hard to get some of my special hand knits listed here on the web site and in the Etsy store. Today I got 2 more really special Angora garments listed that would be perfect for baby gifts. One for a baby boy and one for a baby girl. These are both one of a kind garments. There is no pattern available yet and I have not knit them again in any other form. Each was designed specifically for that particular special garment. They are both luxury items which would be perfect heirloom gift. Ok, enough talk, lets see the pictures! Little Boy Blue Whisper Angora and…
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Breed Specific and Rare Breed Wools
My new passion! Breed Specific and Rare Wool Breeds. I have always been totally in love with wool – my number 1 favorite fiber without rival. This love of wool has risen to a whole new level of passion with my virtually “meeting” of Deborah Robson and becoming aquainted with her work with Breed Specific Wool and Rare Breeds of Sheep. It all started with a free class on Craftsy Know Your Wool. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in wool. This sparked some research on the subject of Breed Specific Wools for spinning and knitting and expecially the Rare Wool Breeds. I found a few resources over at…
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Spinning the Spotted Fleece
The testing and planning for this project may just be the most fun part. I have now washed, carded or combed, spun and knit swatches (or small projects) from 4 of my stashed fleeces. I’ve been working with the multi coloured fleeces this time because I wanted some colour texture in my sweater. This one is a Jacob from Great Britain. It’s for Earl. I considered my choices for working with the stark contrast of the colours in this fleece. I could do a relatively homogeneous blending for a smooth mottled look, I could keep the colour separate and ply a white with a black for a ragg look, or…
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Washing a Wool Fleece
Today I got out a couple of beautiful fleeces that I had stored over the garage for a few years. They came from a huge sheep ranch in Australia that specialized in raising coloured sheep especially for the hand spinning market. I was fortunate enough to visit for 2 weeks at sheering time, working in the shed and getting my pick of that year’s sheering. It was an oportunity of a lifetime and I will never forget it. Getting out the fleece today made me so happy. They are still perfect! I attribute this to the storage containers we used. They are a very strong cardboard with metal bottom and…
Simply Elegant Timeless Classics – Handspun and Handknit Luxury Heirlooms
