So what happens when you're really not very good at something that feels important to you?
It's late on a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon in the middle of March and we've made the decision to stop with the farm work and spend some time together as a family crafting outside.
It's a crazy time of the year and often I'll find myself getting ready for bed at night not able to remember a single time when I sat down all day. Everything is ripe and needs picking, everything is dry and needs irrigating, everything is going soft and needs preserving, everything is becoming a jungle and needs weeding, and mowing and feeding and fencing and fixing and moving and stacking and and and and...so stopping early just to sit together and chat and make feels indulgent, and precious, and also necessary.
My farmer boy is carving a spoon. It's been months since he's made one but he's committed to demonstrating and selling at a market soon and has lots of cutting ahead of him. His hands feel out of practise, his fingers are sore and blistered, but he's in the zone and not long after he starts chipping away he remembers and he becomes excited at the possibilities and the feelings.
Nearby Indi is weaving wool around sticks and inside the house Jarrah is creating with paper and washi tape.
Miss Pepper is taking staples from our sheep's shorn fleece, combing them, using some for her fairy house and making neat piles of the rest for me. I can't help but joke about how she owes me. How I've been brushing and braiding her bottom-lengthed hair for eight years now and it's time for her to pay up. She is strong and likes to discuss the feeling of the lanolin on her hands, the sheepy, woolly smell and the bits of dirt she finds as she cards.
And I am sitting to the side, shoes off, straight backed, deep breathed, trying my hardest to find some sort of rhythm on this spinning wheel I borrowed from my spinning group.
And it's hard for me.
And I am a little disappointed because I think I had hoped that it would click for me sooner. That wool and fibre and textiles are such a big important part of who I am and what I love that spinning would just be an extension of what I can do and would be easy for me.
To be honest and fair I haven't given the wheel that much time. When time is precious it feels better spent on projects that will produce a sure thing. I have a sleeve to knit on a jumper, I have squares to knit into a blanket, I have Indi's cardigan to cast on, winter is coming and there are socks and mittens and beanies in the queue.
But still the spinning calls to me.
I visit the sheep that grew this fleece every day. At the moment I know that they are in our south orchard eating the grass that grows between the trees. I love that they feel so comfortable amongst the chickens and that they sleep with the dogs. I watch them carefully to see how they behave on the warm days and when it is cooler. I love how they stick together as a pack, how they panic when they are separated from one another by accident and look relieved and chummy when they are reunited. I don't mind that they are eating the lower leaves on the branches of the apple trees and I am sure that their little pellet poo is doing great things for the orchard's fertility.
Now that we have sheep, I find myself less interested in buying commercial wool.
I want to knit with wool that tells our farm's story. Wool that holds our seasons, and bits of our land and the love and respect we have for them as part of our farm.
And yet I find myself with lots of tangley twisty bits.
And a bobbin filled with yarn so bobbley and uneven that it almost looks like that novelty pom-pom yarn you find in op shops and wonder why it was made in the first place.
I will persevere of course. I will hold the fleece in my left hand, draft with my right, while treadeling with both feet and trying to get the wheel to spin in a clockwise direction. Phew! And I'll hold my breath when my farmer boy hops on; part of me wanting him to get it and explain it simply to me, and part of me wanting it to be too hard for him too so it's not just me spinning my way into lumpy-town.
I wonder how far away from my dreams of a hand spun, hand knitted jumper my reality is.
In the meantime, we've opened our farm gate stall for the season, Yay!
You can find us at - Daylesford Organics - 19 Foxs Lane Muskvale.
The stall is open between about 8am and 8pm every day.
Apples are all certified organic, grown here, picked within the last 24 hours, DELICIOUS and cost $6kg.
Please bring your own bags, exact change and honesty.
And tell me, if you please, when was the last time you tried to learn something new?
When was the last time you didn't at first succeed?
And how long did you try and try again for?
Oh and I'm on the hunt for my own wheel if you have any suggestions.
And youtube spinning videos, can you suggest any?
Thanks.
I'm off to pick today's tomatoes and plant some cabbage.
Big spinny love to you,
Kate
xoxo
Yay Kate, so happy to see you have (finally) got on to spinning ;)
ReplyDeleteA couple of tips- treadle SLOWLY and consistently - it's a good idea to just sit and treadle the wheel without feeding any fibre into it so you're not worrying about putting wool through at the same time- once your feet know what to do without you thinking about it you can concentrate on your hands. another thing you can do is attach some commercial yarn and spin that onto the bobbin- that way you can play around with the tension brake and feel how much uptake you get at different adjustments. To be honest I had to be shown in person to get going, but I was home and hosed once I did, so maybe sit down with someone at the spinning group or find a youtube vid you like- hope that helps- enjoy!!
cheers, jane (missjanemissjane)
I want to be perfect at all the things straight away every time. My new mantra is "don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle" and this keeps me persevering when my lettering looks like it was done by someone who has never formed a letter before, or when that welt pocket made my brain turn to mush, or when my hands couldn't figure out how to use the hook having only ever use sticks. And so every night I practice, and I watch YouTube and I get a little better and a little better. You'll be past your beginning and into your middle before you know it xx
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jane - practice, without wool, and see how slowly you can treadle with a constant speed. When you've got that bit sorted, then add the hands and wool into the mix.
ReplyDeleteI love your post. I am also a beginner spinner and have my own sheep. I find that different breeds of sheep really make a difference for me. I have blue faced Leicesters and also bfl/Shetland cross...what do you have? It's possible that you may want to begin spinning on a simple spun breed like bfl then take your new knowledge to apply it to your breed. I could NOT spin a silk blend I bought but others have been really simple for me. Also, I use carders that really get the fleece locks straight, which I find the straight and more combed they are the easier it glides through your fingers to the wheel. Don't give up!! Try some other types of breed even if it is just a little. I also paid for the Beginning Spinners" course on Craftsy and it helped me so so much!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to learn too, so I can spin wool from our two sheep, and I completely understand your frustration! My mum taught me when I was little and I could do it then so it felt like it should just come right back but it hasn't yet...and I so wish she was still alive to teach me again! I have a fantasy of owning a small mill and dyeing with natural dyes so it's especially galling to not even be able to manage the cottage industry side!! But I know I'll get there, some time when I manage to get a few uninterrupted hours to try. I'm sure we'll get there in the end. There's a great Facebook group that are super encouraging - I'll post the link on you fb page.
ReplyDeleteOh Kate, this is exactly how I feel about sewing! I'm sure the spinning will click soon enough, but it must be hard to find enough time for that to happen when life is so busy. Are there any local spinners who might swap some apples or preserves for a one-on-one tutorial? x
ReplyDeleteOh Kate, you made me laugh! As a kid, it was my job to sit on the floor & turn the spinning wheel as my mother learned to spin - it took her ages to master the hand movement with the feet movement! ..it took ages! I think I spent months & months sitting on the floor turning & turning so my mum could spin!
ReplyDeleteMy mum is an ace spinner now, it just takes practice... lots of practice. I can spin too but my wheel is broken and even though it would be easy to fix ..well, I've got two young kiddies & I want to sew & knit & crochet & play peekaboo & bake. Perhaps when they are both in primary school I shall pick my wheel up again!
Good luck & keep practicing!
When I taught myself how to be a business owner I wouldn't ask a question I didn't already know the answer to because I didn't want to expose my ignorance on the matter. So I spent an entire year researching alone when I could have swallowed my pride and asked for help. Eventually I came out the other end, but it took a long time and it was a lonely place. Once I was established I started receiving emails from people looking to me for advice, and I was flattered and told them everything I knew. I wish I had reached out and asked for advice early on. We have so much to learn from people who have done things before us. But it can be hard to show vulnerability and admit that we don't know everything, or it was for me.
ReplyDeleteI know you'll get there, because you want it so badly. And anything worth doing well takes time to learn. Sounds like you've already gotten some great advice! Happy spinning! xo
Kate it takes time and suddenly you will be spinning and not realise it seems to take a few hours of continuous spinning for it all to click then you will wonder why it felt so hard your best bet with buying a wheel is try a few from the group first to see what you really like before you buy they are different I should know I have a. Few 10
ReplyDeleteI know a Danish lady who is marvellous at spinning, dying and silk painting.
ReplyDeleteShe told me when I asked her about spinning that my first few skeins would be uneven and bumpy - just like novelty yarn. She said to treasure it because soon enough your yarn will be straight and you'd actually find it hard to make novelty yarn again if you wanted to.
So treasure those first spinnings, knit a wobbly hat or scarf out of them and know that soon enough you'll be spinning perfectly even yarn.
I'm so inspired that you're trying - I hope to learn to spin this year too xx
At the beginning of this year I started taking flamenco dancing lessons. Up until last week I felt very frustrated and discouraged after every lesson: I just couldn't follow all the complicated steps. And then yesterday, all of a sudden, it all fell into place! I'm still very slow but now I know I can do it. Practice, practice, practice and you will be spinning beautiful wool in no time at all! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful stories.
ReplyDeleteHaving knitted for years, I tried to teach myself crochet about 7 years ago. It took me a good year and a half off and on to learn. I just couldn't get the knack of it. I was so frustrated, other people seemed to do it with such ease but no matter how hard I tried I would just end up with a knotted tangle. I kept at it though, every few weeks I would have another go & eventually with the help of youtube & the wonderful Attic24 blog I finally cracked it. I have never looked back & although I do still knit, I am more often to be found crocheting these days. It will click for you Kate I am sure & you will look back on these frustrating days with fondness because you'll have the sense of achievement that comes with knowing you persevered! Thank you for your ever inspiring & beautiful blog. xx
ReplyDeleteHello Kate, gosh I do love your posts, the pictures, the way you right, your story...... I have dreams of living your kind of life but due to our circumstances, it is not possible right now but when the last baby (I have 3 like you) leaves for Uni, I am going to work so hard to fulfill part of that dream! We live a creative urban life in London Town, but escape to the country whenever we can. In terms of trying new things - the story of my life is that I want to run before I can walk. My Mum loves to tell the story of me learning to swim - I was a 'duckling' and could swim perfectly well in the little pool but when it was time to become an 'improver', I froze and wouldn't get into the big pool because it was the Unknown. It was new and in my mind I was starting again. I find learning something new so hard and there are often tears, anxiety and time outs, but I suppose like you, I am determined and I get there in the end. I am challenging myself to enjoy the process! I can totally see you spinning like a pro......
ReplyDeleteLucy x
Oh Kate, keep at it! Learning to spin is one of the best and most calming things I have ever done. As others have suggested, just treadling in front of the telly or while reading is the best way to get a rhythm going. Try to relax. The best spinning is done when you aren't forcing it. Play with tension to find your sweet spot. We are all different and sometimes the way you are taught or shown might not be the way that is natural for you. Lastly, I know how desperately you want to spin your own fleece, and I have no doubt it is beautiful fleece, but starting with pre-carded tops is probably much easier. For years I prided myself on spinning in the grease, any fleece that came my way. Then I moved interstate, started going to a Spinners and Weavers Guild and bought some prepared rovings - oh my! Like spinning fairyfloss. My local "dealer" who does mail order and is very reasonably priced is Kathy's Fibres (find her on rav as kathy4fibres) Good luck - may the fibre be with you!
ReplyDeleteKate, you WILL get it. Two of my aunts were keen spinners and weavers, both also taught others. When my Dad retired he started going to garage sales and one day came home with a spinning wheel. He had a go and got no where. He got rather frustrated with the whole affair and finally bundled the wheel and Mum in the car and drove 4 hours to his sister's place. She taught him the basics and he came home much happier, although his spinning was still rather rough. Next, he joined the local Spinners and Weavers group, being the only male. We joked about Dad and his harem. He gradually got better and became the Mr Fixit for all the local wheels. Mum was never interested in spinning, but has always been a keen knitter. She was eventually enticed by the ladies to join, even though she has never taken up spinning. I don't know how happy Dad was about that. Dad became an expert spinner, he restored numerous wheels twhich he had bought for very little and sold them on to others for very little, just to give encouragement. Both Mum and Dad found the spinning and weaving community to be the most friendly, caring people. Dad has now passed,(he was spinning till he was 93) but Mum is still a very active member of the group. I think you will gain so much enjoyment from this, once you get the hang of it. I can then see you getting right into the fun of natural dyes and felting. There are so many options. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI remember a school friend's mother brought her wheel into our class in grade three. We all had a go, we were all in awe of her rhythm.
ReplyDeleteYour post made me think about things I know I can do, and the things that seem so related I should be able to do. The problem is that often the process of the mastered technique can be so very different to the new technique.
Your post reminded me of this post! http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2014/01/spinning.html about learning to spin from her own sheep and finding it difficult! I am sure you'll get there :)
ReplyDeleteI am learning watercolor [in my 50s]. It has a mind of its own. It is frustrating, but practice makes master. I am a spinner as well and the feelings I have now mastering watercolor are very much the same I had learning to spin. Take breaks, congratulate yourself on having the courage to learn a new skill. Soon enough you'll master it and be knitting away at yarn you've spun yourself. And it will be glorious.
ReplyDeleteLearning to swim freestyle at 45 when I had been swimming since I was 3 but only breaststroke, so hard I kept thinking I was drowning, couldn't get my breath, kept going back to breaststroke which I could do for hours. Finally at 53 freestyle is as easy as breaststroke, I have muscle memory to help me along, keep at it and take all the advice you can get.
ReplyDeleteI've never been able to master spinning. I am a knitter, yarn dyer, crocheter, embroiderer, quilter, and I cannot spin to save my soul. There it is.
ReplyDeleteI have such wonderful news for you! You are doing spinning perfectly right! I've taught a gaggle of people to spin before, and I sort of taught myself too. It feels wrong right up until the day it feels right. I know that is the least helpful thing in the world to hear, but honestly, it's the best thing I can say to you. Plus the wheel you are using has a weight in it because it's a foldy up kind, so you are fighting against that weight too. If you can knit, I bet you'll be a boss spinner too. It's just finding that rhythm and giving yourself permission to feel like a chicken playing a violin for a while. Awkward and silly and just terrible at it. That's what first yarn looks like. That's what learning to spin feels like. Happily, that weird first yarn makes great hats and toys. And if you super hate it, it makes great stuffing for things as well. OR you can use it to make a lumpy, rustic garland for a Christmas tree! I promise that it will make sense eventually if you give it time. Remember how wobbly we are after we take the training wheels off of a bike. It's finding that rhythm and balance that makes it fun and easy. You may also find that spinning in the grease (the unscoured wool) may make it harder for you to draft than spinning washed locks. You may do an experiment where you wash some of them before you comb them out just to see how they feel in your hand and in your spinning practice. You are exactly where a beginner should be, so take heart! :D
ReplyDeleteWishing you the patience and time to master this new craft.x Especially in such busy times! Do you have good luck with the honest system in your stand? Thinking of trying one myself. As for learning something new, knitting socks for me, at the moment. I've ripped it out a few times but determined to master it. Also not breaking the comb in our TBH's, that took a few seasons. As they say- practice, practice practice! Good luck with the spinning! (Something else I'd like to learn.)
ReplyDeleteKate, luckily you have an endless supply of wool so you won't feel like you're wasting it. Lacey is right, though I don't spin, my daughter does, and she went through the same thing you are. Everything takes practice and sometimes the easier something looks (or the more we want to make it happen) the harder it is to get right. You will, though. Just relax.
ReplyDeleteI just want to share that I feel your frustration as an also new spinner. (spinster? haha) I don't have the physical connection to the sheep, but I've knit and crocheted for years, I sew, and all of that has come really naturally to me. It's really hard as adults to find that sometimes your fingers and hands aren't creating the physical result that you can see in your mind. I tried to learn to spin by reading books, watching videos, and giving it the ol college try. While I still need to put in a lot of practice, the thing that really helped me turn the corner was a private lesson. It was IMMENSELY helpful for me to be able to sit beside someone who knew what they were doing and watch her hands move. I could ask her to slow down, back up, explain to me EXACTLY what she was doing and how it should feel. I was embarrassed to show her what I was doing since it wasn't "perfect," but it was awesome to have her give me some critiques and some troubleshooting. You are so lucky to have a local spinning group. Hopefully someone can offer you that kind of help? I was so pleased to find that in just a few hours with some one on one, I felt so much more comfortable going back on my own and applying what I'd learned. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea - and an expert spinner can probably identify your own particular technique issues straightaway and save time in the long run. Best to learn correct techniques at the start rather than develop 'bad habits' unknowingly due to being a newbie and then having to correct yourself and relearn later.
DeleteWhy not try with a drop spindle first. You have more control and can go at your own speed.Your handy hubby could make you a really nice carved one. I only made enough yarn to knit a purse. I was surprised how much was needed. Also I thought the yarn could come out all the same thickness ! I now know better.
ReplyDeleteYou've gotten heaps of good advice like practising treadling until your feet know what to do and making sure the tension is right and how to do that. I second is the fleece scoured (washed)? The yarn I spin in the grease is horrible stuff but if I wash the fleece first and then flick it (comb out the ends so it is all fluffy) it is a lot easier to draft and I make nicer (and cleaner) yarn.
ReplyDeleteYou may want to pre-draft the fleece too - fluff it out and pull it into a long sausage of fluff. This will make spinning easier.
It took me a couple of weeks to figure spinning out and after someone showed me how to draft tops/fleece, suddenly it all clicked. I've been spinning since 2004 and have a Majacraft Little Gem II after starting out on an Ashford Traditional.
One more suggestion is to look into the Craftsy class. They are always on sale so you could probably buy it for around $20.00. Many of the suggestions above are in the class but you get to see a human at the wheel doing them. The class is yours forever and you can go back to get parts until you are comfortable moving on. You might also get help from someone in the guild where you borrowed your wheel. If you have the opportunity, you might want to try out an e-spinner. I struggled with the eye/hand/foot coordination for about a year off and on. I finally tried an e-spinner and right away, I was making yarn! Real yarn! Good luck! Sue
ReplyDeleteKate I just know you'll get the hang of this, I can see you there confidently and competently spinning your wool. What a romantic picture!
ReplyDeleteYour farm gate stall looks magnificent in that beautiful autumn light x
I tried to knit for years but never succeded. then When i was pregnant with my son about 3yrs ago i tried again, watched several youtube videos and it just clicked. Maybe its not something i could learn from my mother, maybe it was the fact that i could watch a video that made sense to me that made it work, but now im slow as hell, but i can knit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for always being honest when things are hard or don't come easy. There is not enough of that on the internet and it makes your blog inspirational rather than aspirational. It really means a lot to me as your photos always make your life long ok so idyllic. The last thing I tried that I thought would be easy was pottery. I had all these visions of me drinking from my handmade mugs, surrounded by house plants in handmade pots and ended up with lumpy ugly wobbily things. And my teacher was really irritable which sacked all the joy out of it. Maybe I'll try again one day. On a more positive note last weekend my bf and I made a hand loom and so far I've found weaving really fun and easy.
ReplyDeleteI cannot offer you any spinning tips Kate but I love reading about life at your place xx
ReplyDeleteHow fun (and a bit frustrating) is it to learn something new? I have much to learn about farming right now, I've grown a few fruit trees and had a backyard veggie patch but now I need to learn about doing that on a bigger scale... and I've had cats and dogs before but now I need to learn about what it takes to look after a cow or sheep or alpaca or chickens... or all of them? There's lots to learn but you know it's all on the path to a dream so it's exciting (if not overwhelming)... I can see a beautiful post appearing here one day with that homegrown, homespun, hand knitted jumper... Your knitting is so beautiful I have no doubt whatsoever that your spinning will be too one day... bet you had wonky knitting with holes when you started right? You'll be spinning smooth balls in no time! x
ReplyDeleteMy big girl (year 4) had an artist in residence teaching felting in her art class at school yesterday. I was the art helper (lucky me) for the session. So I was learning a new skill & immediately helping the girls without having mastered the skill myself. The results were far from perfect but gee we had fun & now I want to learn & experiment more. How many hobbies is too many when it comes to being creative?
ReplyDeleteLike the others before me, I too want to learn to spin. I have all the stuff: spindles, roving, desire, ineptitude !~! Here's to new skills and muscle memory...
ReplyDeleteKeep at it Kate and it will come, just practice a little bit each day. You will get their.
ReplyDeleteOh I can so relate to this! I was gifted a spinning wheel late last year as a 5th anniversary present. It's a double drive, antique, and it spins very fine yarns (fingering and lace weight, which I rarely use). I was ready to throw the thing out the window it was so frustrating to learn. My spun yarn is so overspun it looks ridiculous and I can't think of what it would be usable for, but I still am so in love with the wheel and spinning that I dust the cobwebs off it while I wait for a day I have enough time to try again. Keep at it. The wheel is definitely easier than the drop spindle, which I still haven't even relatively mastered (I can't even say I'm bad at that, I just can't do it at all!!). In the words of my kiddos, "you've got this."
ReplyDeleteHi Kate, have you tried washing the wool first and then using a carder? Sometimes having the wool clean and carded helps to draft it more evenly. You may want to try some commercial roving (different varieties to get the feel of staple length and slipperiness of the wool). Also, a little word from my "been there, done that" file...do you deal with wool moths? We do where I live and I find that any yarn that is dirty or greasy is the first thing the moths attack so making a really clean ball of yarn is important for its longevity. I routinely freeze my homemade yarn and any wool or yarn given to me just to make sure that it doesn't have moth eggs in it.
ReplyDeleteHi Kate - I hope you see this comment so late in the piece! I'm a spinner too, and I think we have a very similar reverence for handspun wool. I'm inspired by your post - I thought maybe you'd be inspired by mine..? https://hillshadowhouse.wordpress.com/2016/03/24/idea/ - Persevere (I know you will!). It's so worth it x
ReplyDeleteI was just about to ask you the very same question you asked me - when was the last time you learnt something new? Do you remember first learning to knit? (I remember my first attempts at the tender age of 10). Do you remember how long it took before your fingers and hands could coordinate the movement, balance the needles and not have all the stitches tumble off like a waterfall over the cliff? This was all in order to remind you not to be discouraged but I read that you will be persevering. (Yay!) You are a great role model to your children and it is heartening to see that even adults (who may seem to automatically know how to do so many things) still need to go through a learning process. Some things, especially physical ones like crafting or learning to play a musical instrument, just take time and repetition until the brain and body get it together to find their common rhythm and harmony. Nothing worthwhile in this life comes easily - hang in there!
ReplyDeleteMy sister got me some lovely wool and a hand spinner for my birthday looking forward to trying it out.
ReplyDeleteKate - I want to encourage you to keep persevering! Please do! It will eventually just click! I just learned to spin last summer, and I remember telling my mentor that I didn't think I'd ever get it. Now it's finally where I have a well-balanced yarn that I'm proud of and looking forward to knitting with. Back when I started, I had read that you should try to devote at least 15 minutes a day to the wheel. And that makes total sense. It's like any other skill, the more you do it, the better you become. So don't get too frustrated! Hang in there! I'm seriously a testimony to that! It will eventually come. I have documented my spinning journey a bit on my blog. You're welcome to check out those posts to see my progress! My first bobbins looked exactly like yours! Don't quit!
ReplyDeleteHi kate!
ReplyDeleteit's vic from bindandfold :) The tips that I got were to start with more rustic wool ,like corriedale or romney (Ican set you up with a corriedale place!) . my next tip comes from me. before you try to work on the even ness of your spin (so keeping it all thin or thick) just get used to how it feels to draft, and how it feels when you have enough spin in your yarn to release into the drafting triangle. it feels different in your finger tips, i swear!
also thick and thin yarn is beautiful. as is spinning in the grease. I have loads of polwarth here to spin in the grease (and corriedale, but it's alot dirtier than my polwarth because wendy coats her flock!)
don't give up! I'm going to sign up for the guild intro to spinning next month, you should come too :)
I have never met a spinner who did not begin their spinning journey believing they were one of a chosen few to whom spinning would never be something they would every master. It is of course, untrue. After the tantrum throwing and tears and the woes are me, it really does just take practice. I found that when I was low on time that even using a drop spindle helped enormously for when I got back to the wheel my hands had the spinning memory embedded. Just keep going!
ReplyDeletePersevere, you'll get there. Look at all the things we do in everyday life, that we had to learn and that we find now comes naturally. I remember how awful I was when I was learning to drive, or the first time you hold your first newborn baby and think 'oh my god, I've never done this before, will I cope?'. Now look back and think how you do all these naturally, without thinking about it. One day you'll look back and think 'why was I worrying about this, spinning is easy!'
ReplyDeleteXx
Claire@homesweethome2015.blogspot.com
I feel this way about blogging! My new thing I'm trying to learn is computer programming and there's not much that can make a smart girl feel dumb than that. It's a tough road x
ReplyDeleteTry scouring your fleece first - the lanolin in the fleece can make the fibres stick together, which makes it difficult to draft - resulting in lumpy yarn.
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of good descriptions of scouring fleeces on the net - just make sure you use really hot water, don't leave the fleece in too long (if the water cools, the lanolin will reattach to the fleece), and don't move the fleece around too much or it will felt.
I make little pockets out of Gutter Guard and nylon cord, fill each full of wool and peg it shut. I soak them in really hot water and Dynamo for half an hour(everyone has their favourite scour - I only use it to scour, not to wash the finished product), take it out and run more hot water to rinse for half an hour, then lay outside on a folding drying rack. Once it's stopped dripping, I take the fleece out and lay it on an old towel on the drying rack.
Happy to answer any questions - I've been successfully scouring fleeces for years!