New Fleece!!!!! What is it???

I have been soooo bad about keeping up on my blog! I actually have been bad about keeping up on everything! But I had time to find some pretty fleece :) Priority's you know!

Look, hardly any VM and it's not coated!

Interesting huh?

Let me tell you all the good things about this so far. It is low in grease, hot tap water will wash it. It has good crimp, and lock length, about 4" average. It is a beautiful cream color when washed. It spins into a soft,springy yarn.

So below is what it looks like after it is washed

Isn't it a pretty color?

Here it is combed for spinning

Here is a sample skein

So I'm impressed. IMO I think it is as nice or nicer than Cormo or Polypay. I am in love!

It goes on my Etsy site this week :)

So if anyone would like some raw or washed, let me know. It will be 10$ a lb raw, and 12$ washed.

I know you are going to love it when you get it!!

What is it?

Texel

Spun up My Sample!

I spun up some of the sample I had carder the other day and wasn't happy with the way the white spun. I needed to much twist compared to the rest of the fibers. So I got some Cormo out and blended it and it looked good. So here is how it turned out.

Comb,Comb,Spin,Spin

I have gotten some pictures taken of my last couple of days work or I should say fun. First I have been complaining so about not having any of my knitting caught up. As I looked thru it and decided what I was going to finish and what I wasn't, it's not as bad I thought.

I have this vest for hubby, it is CVM and so soft! Variegated greys with dark grey trim. This is what it will look like when it's done.

As you can see, I only have 3/4 of the back done. I need to get going or he will never wear it this winter.

This is another vest, yes hubby likes vests, he wears them instead of coats most of the time.

This fleece was huge and so full of colors! It was so much fun to knit up and see how the colors mingled.

This one is all done except the pocket lining which I need to spin a little yarn for, it gets a zipper up the center, blocked and it is all done! It has 2 big cables up each side, it is so heavy and soft, makes you want to cuddle up in it.

Now for my shawl, I'm making it from Store Bought Yarn! Yes I know, it went against my grain too, but it is Cashmere and I loved the colors.

This is what it will look like when I am done.

It is called Waves in the Square Shawl by Silva Harding. The yarn is a pink,taupe and brown marl.

I am only about 1/4 of the way finished with this one. If I would just sit down and get to it, I could have it done in a week or so. So what's keeping me? That's a good question :)

Here is my experiment with a variegated yarn in a Fair isle. I guess you would actually call it Fake Fair isle. It was going to be a hat for my daughter, if it gets done. For some reason I have just lost interest in it :( The yarn is gorgeous, Grey Shetland and Angora back ground and a Mohair,Shetland and Angora design yarn. It was one of my first attempts in blending Angora. That tells you how old the yarn is!

This is some Green Salish,Silver Salish and a blend of Rose Llama,Columbia. I'm going to spin this up for a sock yarn.

The Salish gives it a fuzzy look like Mohair only softer. It is as strong as Mohair so I should make some nice socks. I am tearing the batt and spinning with the colors blocked.

Remember when I washed and dyed up the Rambo a few weeks ago? Well here is some I spun up last night. I had a break in the yarn while plying it so it will be used for weaving. I have about 270 yds. of lace weight in this skein, so I think I will spin up something to go with and make a scarf on the loom.

This was spun woolen long draw, it really is a springy yarn.

The color turned out a soft red, I wonder what color would look good with this in a scarf? Any ideas?

This is my skein that I am so please with! You know when you are spinning something and you have it in your head how nice it will be, only to get it off the wheel and it isn't as nice as you thought? I was so hoping this would turn out nice. After looking at the taupe color so long, I was wondering if it would be boring. It is CVM blended with Angora also spun long draw. I plied this on my Mach 1 and ended up with a total of 700 yds in one skein. It is a very light weight lace and oh so soft! I have it washed, but it's not quite dry, after it is good and dry, it will go in my dryer on air and fluff up! Then I will take another picture and post it.

I am as pleased as I hoped I would be!

Now the big decision, do I keep it and make a shawl? Do I put it up on my Etsy site for sale? Only time will tell :)

Here is my experiment for this evening. I blended this today, it is Rose Alpaca, White Romney and Brown Merino. Oh yes soft!! So I'm going to spin some up and see how it turns out. I don't want to blend something and put it up on my Etsy site and then have it spin up into a glob of colors. I am hoping for a nice variegated yarn. Will see!

Wow this was a long post! I guess I have been busier than I thought!

New Group!!

I decided to start a Yahoo Group! It is called handpreparedfibers. I was hoping a few people would have the same interest I do and like to talk about it. It just seemed like so many people had questions or were intimidated to work with raw fleece. Alot of people were having trouble with Angora, oh so pretty! What do you do with cotton bolls? If you want to grow flax, then what?? Well, much to my suprise, there are over 160 members so far! Everyone has been so nice, staying on topic, only advertising on Monday and Thursday like I requested and only promoting those thing that have to do with raw fibers or processing them. I already let it be known, this moderator is not doing much moderating :) I belong to one group, I can't even get a message posted, no matter how much I beg or remove my sig line. That is discouraging. All I have done so far is check in a couple times a day, check links and pics. So far the are all so considerate. And what a wealth of knowledge! I can see where a few are still alittle conservative in their posting, not wanting to post links or make suggestions, but they are loosening up as the notice they aren't getting scolded :)

So what have I been doing? Well I have a beautiful lamb fleece from the batt lady, white Salish. It wasn't coated so it is alittle dirty, but it is washing up wonderfully and it is oh so soft. It's mine I tell you all mine! Here's a picture before and after.

Then I combed up some Polypay to ply with a muticolored single I have, it also combed up so soft and pretty

Then I had a bobbin of mixed wool, I called it kitchen sink. It was a muti sack of colors, alittle day of this and that. So I spun it up in sections and spun up a little thicker strand of silver Salish and plied them together. I am really please how it turned out. Then I had a small amount of Lavender left so I made a cordinating skein to go with it. I just love the Salish wool.

Then I combed up some Llama, he was a big boy and so soft! Very long staple, I really expected it to spin up a little course as I only pulled out few guard hairs, but look how it spun up! So soft. It's going on my Etsy site for someone that wants to spin up some wonderful soft singles. I don't think it will lend it's self to thin yarn.

So today I need to get all my scraps together and put on my Etsy site. I have so many combings left over. I wasn't really sure some of it would felt, and as you know I don't felt so I don't really know what I am doing. So I brought in some of the LLama I combed, and the Merino I had left over and started trying to felt. Well much to my surprise the Llama felted almost instantly! The Merino felted but not as fast. I had heard that Llama didn't felt well, but this sure does! I have gotten good feed back from my scrapes and they seem to sell quickly. Several of the lady's that purchased them have actually spun some novelty yarns. I don't put in anything that has veggie matter so it is all clean. and at 1$ an oz I guess it's cheaper than buying fiber to felt at the hobby stores.

So if you read my blog from time to time stop by the new group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/handpreparedfibers/

a very nice and interesting group of people.

I've Kept Up This Week!!

This is my second post this week! Actually it's because I have worn my self out and I figure if I am doing something on the computer, I'm doing something constructive. So I finish spinning my lavender Shetland,Angora, it's been so long I don't remember what else!

Here is the 3 ply Alpaca,Salish and Merino I plied for the SIL a scarf, it actually felt alittle scratchy so I thru it in the dryer,dry of course, and fluffed it up some. Made it bloom alittle and soften it right up:)

Yesterday I had blended some Oatmeal Merino I had gotten from Jean Near a couple of years ago with some light brown Alpaca. I didn't think I had anymore washed so I dug thru my stuffs and came across the CVM I had gotten form The White Barn Farm and couldn't help washing just a little so I could see how it looked. Come to find out, I had already washed the Merino so it was ready to go. Here is a picture of the CVM. This is amazing fleece, not cheap, but worth every penny as there is hardly any waste and it is so easy to wash for a fine wool. This year I got a cream and a varigated brown. Last year I got a varigated grey and a cream. Next year I will have to mortgage my house to pay for what I have reserved!

This is the Merino and light brown Alpaca. Isn't it yummy? It is sooo soft, I'm just not quite sure what to use it for yet. I guess I will wait till I spin it and then it will talk to me, hopefully it will whisper MY name.

I also blended some silver Salish and grey Alpaca. Very soft, will have a little more hand than the Merino blend, so I am thinking something with texture. I just love the Salish, it is so soft and

fine, yet a long fiber with strength. I haven't made and socks from it but I expect it will wear well.

Anyone tried Suri?? Here is some I combed. It is as soft as silk. Amazing, I already decided if I get a Alpaca, it will be a Suri. I am going to use this for a woven blanket, I can only imagine the drape and softness it will have.

So while I have been so busy, here is what the rest of my family is doing all day :)))

So I got 2 more things ready for my Etsy store, I separated some of the grey Alpaca locks. I have 8 oz. Absolutely no veggie matter and no dust. I have run all the Alpaca thru my dryer and it is very clean and very soft. It has little black tips, no gaurd hair.

Then I mixed some Salish and black Alpaca on the blending hackle. It really turned out soft and pretty. I need to spin some up for a sample skein.

So now I have kept up on my blog. What everyone going to do over the 3 day week end? We are still dismantling our shed. Hopefully by Sunday we will start putting it together again! We are going to have great weather,in the 70's and low 80's. Low humidity. Boy is that nice this time of year. Another month and yuck, won't want to go outside. It's like walking into a sauna only you have to wear clothes!!

Have a nice week end everyone, and leave a comment while you are here!!!