SPINNING RAW WOOL.
THIS IS THE BEAR AND WOLF -UNSCIENTIFIC PERSONAL AND COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE PAGE ABOUT SPINNING WOOL IN THE GREASE.
LONG DRAW.
THE WAYS TESTED.
THE BREEDS TESTED.
WHEN I FIRST SPUN RAW WOOL I USED THE SHORT BACKWARDS DRAW, WHICH WAS MY DEFAULT WAY OF SPINNING, AND EVEN THOUGH I REALLY LIKE WORKING WITH RAW WOOL, THIS WAY OF SPINNING IS NOT MY FAVOURITE. IT SEEMS THE LANOLIN SLOWED DOWN HOW THE FIBRES SHAPED INTO YARN AND THE SHORT DRAW FELT TOO SHORT.
WHEN I SWITCHED TO SPINNING THE RAW WOOL LONG DRAW, IT SURPRISED ME HOW THE LANOLIN HELPED INSTEAD OF HINDERED THE SPINNING ANDTHE SINGLES SPUN EVENLY.
WORKING WITH THE UNPROCESSED, UNWASHED AND UN-CARED WOOL GIVES A VERY DIFFERENT YARN THAN WHEN YOU WORK WITH A PREPARED AND COMBED WOOL. IN THE YARN YOU SEE THE DIFFERENT COLOUR VARIATIONS OF THE FLEECE ITSELF AND WHEN YOU PLY THE YARN IT IS MORE HEATHERY BY NATURE.
Not all fleeces and all parts of a single fleece are created equal and for this project I spun and tested different A-grade raw wool fleeces, which means there was a minimum of plant matter and nebbs and they were also freshly shorn or shorn this year so the lanolin was still soft, and that makes spinning life a bit easier.*
Every breed of sheep and then every flock within a breed, every sheep within a flock and the different parts of a single sheep produces a different fibre and not all of the fibres are easy to spin evenly long draw. when you do this more often you will get to know your likes and dislikes.
* If you have an older raw fleece, just make sure you work in a warm area so the lanolin is less sticky or crumbly.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO SPIN IN THE GREASE OF COURSE. I FIRST USED TO SPIN WOOL IN THE GREASE AFTER I CARDED THE RAW WOOL AND THEN SPUN IT SHORT DRAW.
BUT THIS YEAR I STARTED EXPLORING THREE WAYS OF SPINNING RAW WOOL LONG DRAW. AND THIS PAGE IS SOLELY ABOUT THOSE WAYS AND MADE FOR YOU IF YOU’D LIKE, FOR YOU TO EXPLORE THESE WAYS WITH ME.
THE 3 METHODS USED.
THAT FIRST WAY, GRAB A SMALL HANDFUL OF THE FLEECE AND SPREAD IT OUT AND CAREFULLY REMOVE ANY VM OR 2ND CUTS. THE STASH IN YOUR HANDS SHOULD BE VERY LOOSE, ALSO THE TIPS. THEN JUST SPIN A LONG DRAW YARN AS YOU ARE USED TO AND IF YOU ARE NOT USED TO LONG DRAW SPINNING THIS MIGHT NEED A BIT OF PRACTISE, BUT I ACTUALLY THINK THE LANOLIN IS HELPFUL IN THE PROCESS OF MASTERING LONG DRAW SPINNING. IT HELPS STICK THE FIBRES TOGETHER..
THIS WAY YOU GET A PURE WOOLLEN YARN. WHEN YOU FLUFF UP THE HANDFUL OF FLEECE THE FIBRES ARE SPREAD IN ALL DIRECTIONS AND (DEPENDING ON THE FLEECE OF COURSE), AFTER WASHING YOU WILL HAVE A SOFT BOUNCY WOOLLEN YARN.
THE SECOND WAY IS PARTICULARLY AMAZING WHEN YOU ARE SPINNING QUITE LONG FIBRES WITH A HIGHER MICRON COUNT (THICKNESS OF THE FIBRE). YOU SPIN EVERY LOCK SEPARATELY,
SO, GRAB ONE LOCK, SMOOTH OUT THE FIBRES BUT KEEP THE SHAPE OF THE LOCK INTACT, YOU SMOOTH IT SO IT IS STRAIGHT AND THEN YOU SPIN EVERY LOCK FROM EITHER ONLY THE TIPS OR ONLY THE CUT ENDS. I FIND IT EASIER TO START WITH THE CUT END OF THE LOCK EACH TIME. AT SOME POINT YOU WILL NOTICE ALL FIBRES START TO GO WILLY NILLY BUT THIS WILL SORT ITSELF OUT. THE MAJORITY OF THE FIBRES IN YOUR FINISHED YARN WILL LAY IN THE ONE SMOOTH DIRECTION.
THIS WILL GIVE YOU A VERY STRONG AND NOT BOUNCY BUT STRAIGHT YARN. AND AGAIN THIS DEPENDS ON THE BREED, BUT I NOTICED THIS YARN HAS A PARTICULAR SHINE.
AND THEN THERE IS THE THIRD WAY. YOU TAKE ALL AND EVERY STEP OUT OF THE PREPARATION. NOT ONLY YOU DO NOT WASH OR CARD THE WOOL BUT YOU ALSO DO NOT SPREAD OR SMOOTH OUT THE WOOL .THIS WILL GIVE YOU A YARN WITH AS MUCH COLOUR DIFFERENCES VISIBLE AS THERE ARE IN THE WOOL. SOME FLEECES GAVE A GENTLE WOOLLY MOVEMENT IN THE YARN, ESPECIALLY WITH THE MORE CRIMPY FLEECES WITH DEFINITE LOCKS AND TIPS. THE SOFT LANOLIN HELPS WHEN YOU WANT A SPECIFICALLY THIN YARN WHEN THE FLEECE IS VERY DIRTY OR COMPACTED IT IS BEST TO USE THE FIRST METHOD.
THIS ONE IS TO ME THE MOST AMAZING AND MADE ME QUESTION SO MANY THINGS I WAS TAUGHT OR THOUGHT ABOUT SPINNING WOOL. THE YARN BECOMES UNEXPECTEDLY EVEN, THE COLOURS ARE MORE VARIEGATED, BUT IT IS THE SPINNING PROCESS ITSELF WHICH SURPRISED ME MOST. THE NATURAL EASE.
IT IS THE EASIEST METHOD TO EXPLAIN, BUT NOT THE EASIEST TO SPIN IF YOU HAVE NOT TRIED IT BEFORE, JUST BECAUSE IT MIGHT MAKE YOU FEEL TEMPTED TO AT LEAST ARRANGE OR TWEAK THOSE FIBRES IN YOUR HAND BEFORE YOU START.
JUST MAKE YOURSELF A CUP OF TEA, RELAX AND ENJOY THE PROCESS.
SO. YOU HAVE YOUR FLEECE AND JUST GRNETLY GRAB A SMALL HANDFUL, DO NOT TEAR APART THE REST OF THE FLEECE, AND LEAVE THAT SMALL HANDFUL AS IS. DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO SPREAD IT OUT OR CHANGE ITS SHAPE, JUST TEASE SOME FIBRES AWAY TO ATTACH TO YOUR LEADER AND START SPINNING, THE FIBRES WILL FIND THEIR WAY. RELAX YOUR HANDS AND SHOULDERS AND GO SLOW AT FIRST.
I SAW HOW DURING SPINNING, THE FIBRES IN THE DRAFTING TRIANGLE JUST FOUND THEIR WAY NATURALLY. THE INEVITABLE PLANT BITS OR BUGS AND EVEN THE BRITTLE TIPS WERE OFTERN PUSHED OUT OF THE YARN OR LAID ON TOP OF IT AND JUST FELL OFF DURING SPINNING OR LATER DURING PLYING. AND YEAH..THESE ARE MY FAVOURITE SPINS.
THE YARN OF COURSE CHANGES A LOT WHEN YOU WASH IT AFTER SPINNING. IT FLUFFS UP AND SHOWS YOU THE FIBRES CHARACTER, DO CONSIDER THE CHOICE YOU HAVE ABOUT IF YOU WANT TO REMOVE ALL OF THE LANOLIN OR NOT. BUT IF YOU WANT TO WASH IT THOROUGHLY, PLACE THE SKEINED UP YARN IN A LARGE BOWL OF FAIRLY WARM WATER FOR A FIRST RINSE. AFTER THAT LET IT REST IN CLEAN WATER OF THE SAME TEMPERATURE WITH SOME DETERGENT FOR 5-10 MINUTES AND RINSE TWICE. IF THE LANOLIN IS VERY STICKY YOU CAN REPEAT THIS PART OF THE PROCESS.
I TESTED SEVERAL FLEECES FOR A SMALL SORT OF A PRETTY UNSCIENTIFIC ;) BUT HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE- DATA BASE FOR YOU.
AS THERE ARE MANY BREEDS OF SHEEP I ASKED OTHER SPINNERS TO COME SIT AROUND THE FIRE WITH ME AND DO SOME RAW WOOL TESTING. BUT AS LOGICALLY SOME FLEECES SPIN SOMEWHAT IN THE SAME WAYS PLEASE DON’T WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE SPINS AND GIVES YOU THE INFO ABOUT YOUR LOCAL FAVOURITE BREED. =)
HAPPY SPINNING!
BADGERFACE.
THE BADGERFACE IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FLEECES TO WORK WITH, EITHER AS A CLEAN BATT OR AS A RAW FLEECE, BOTH IN SPINNING AND WEAVING, SO LOGICALLY I TESTED IT FOR THIS PAGE.
I SPUN THESE TWO TEST SKEINS IN THE FIRST AND THIRD METHOD. BOTH WAYS OF SPINNING GAVE ME A SOFT AND BOUNCY YARN. THE 3RD WAY TO ME THOUGH FELT THE NICEST. THE YARN IS EVEN AND SOFT AND WITH A GOOD COLOUR VARIATION.
SOME PARTS OF THE FLEECE, CLOSER TO THE BELLY WERE TOO SHORT FOR A LONG DRAW SO I KEPT THOSE PARTS TO CARD LATER ON.
THE MICRON COUNT OF THIS WOOL IS BETWEEN 30 AND 35.
DRENTS HEIDE.
ANOTHER OF MY FAVOURITE MOST BEAUTIFUL BREEDS TO WORK WITH. THE FLEECE HAS THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FIBRES. IT IS RUGGED AND HONEST AND BEAUTIFUL IN ITS COLOURS. I EFFORTLESSLY SPUN LACE WIEGHT YARN WITH THIS WOOL AND TESTED ALL 3 OF THE METHODS I WROTE ABOUT, AND THINK THAT IF YOU WANT TO SPIN ALL COATS TOGETHER I WOULD GO FOR METHOD 1.
ROMNEY (GREY)
THIS WOOL IS BEAUTIFUL WITH ENOUGH CRIMP AND A LOT OF COLOUR VARIATIONS WITH DARKER SHORTER FIBRES NEARER TO ITS BELLY. IT IS SOFT ENOUGH FOR WRAPS AND SCARVES.
WHEN I BEGAN TESTING THIS FLEECE I USED THE FIRST METHOD AND SPREAD OUT THE FIBRES BEFORE SPINNING BUT FOR THE MAIN BULK OF THIS FLEECE I USED THE 3RD METHOD TO GET THAT COLOUR VARIATION VISIBLE AND SPUN FROM A DK TO SPORT WEIGHT YARN.
THE MICRON COUNT IS 29-35
HÄLSINGE FÅR.
THESE SHEEP FROM HÄLSINGE ARE STRONG AND BEAUTIFUL. THEY ARE DUAL COATED AND THEIR UNDERCOAT WOOL CAN BE SOFT BUT THE WHOLE OF THE FLEECE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR ANYTHING ON THE BODY. THE COLOURS AND FEEL OF THIS SPIN WERE AMAZING THOUGHT AND I WOULD VERY HAPPILY SPIN MORE.
I TESTED DIFFERENT WAYS BUT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE WOOL I CHOSE NOT TO SEPARATE THE COATS AND USED THE 1ST METHOD.
BADGERFACE.
THE BADGERFACE IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE FLEECES TO WORK WITH, EITHER AS A CLEAN BATT OR AS A RAW FLEECE, BOTH IN SPINNING AND WEAVING, SO LOGICALLY I TESTED IT FOR THIS PAGE.
I SPUN THESE TWO TEST SKEINS IN THE FIRST AND THIRD METHOD. BOTH WAYS OF SPINNING GAVE ME A SOFT AND BOUNCY YARN. THE 3RD WAY TO ME THOUGH FELT THE NICEST. THE YARN IS EVEN AND SOFT AND WITH A GOOD COLOUR VARIATION.
SOME PARTS OF THE FLEECE, CLOSER TO THE BELLY WERE TOO SHORT FOR A LONG DRAW SO I KEPT THOSE PARTS TO CARD LATER ON.
THE MICRON COUNT OF THIS WOOL IS BETWEEN 30 AND 35.
DRENTS HEIDE.
ANOTHER OF MY FAVOURITE MOST BEAUTIFUL BREEDS TO WORK WITH. THE FLEECE HAS THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FIBRES. IT IS RUGGED AND HONEST AND BEAUTIFUL IN ITS COLOURS. I EFFORTLESSLY SPUN LACE WIEGHT YARN WITH THIS WOOL AND TESTED ALL 3 OF THE METHODS I WROTE ABOUT, AND THINK THAT IF YOU WANT TO SPIN ALL COATS TOGETHER I WOULD GO FOR METHOD 1.
WHEN YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A PHOTOSHOOT WITH ME, AND WANT TO KNOW THE DETAILS JUST USE THE CONTACT FORM BELOW.