A Few Setbacks.

I have had a very bad back recently which has made any kind of work difficult, even sitting to knit or spin. This has meant missing out on my weekly knitting group and the monthly meeting of The Bucks Weavers Spinners And Dyers. A real shame this last one, the talk was on 17th century spinning and I was really looking forward to it. Still hopefully I'm on the mend now and can get back to work.
The next knock back came when a dear friend decided to move back to the US and take the Ashford Traditional wheel that I have my jumbo flyer on with her. Well it is her wheel and I have had it for ages so I can't really complain. The flyer does not fit my other wheels so I can't spin any very thick yarn at the moment. A rethink is needed and I have fallen for a Majicraft Wheel so watch this space.

(I don't think that is the right spelling of Majicraft.)

New Etsy Post.

 I have just posted a Angora Shoulder Cape on Etsy. It is hand knitted with my best hand spun angora from one of my favortie rabbits called Flute. He has a lovely coat which grows thick and long. It takes about 30mins to clip him because there is so much fibre to come off. It's a good job that I only do it once every 10 weeks because he gets a bit figerty in that time.

The cape is soft and warm with a lovely drape. A cosy cover up for indoors or out any time.

More colourful scarfs.

I tryed dyeing silk scarfs with cochineal and annatto with some very nice results.
The annatto was a gritty powder which gave a lovely yellow after using an alum mordant. I tryed dyeing some wool in the same dye bath which was a mistake because I should have strained the grit from the liquid. The wool was totally full of grit that would not wash out and had to be thrown away. The silk was fine and came out a lovely yellow.
The pale pink came from a cochineal vat using no mordant. After putting a small amount of citric acid in the vat I got a much deeper pink on the next scarf.

 

The patterns were made using shibori techniques, folding, wrapping and stitch gathering.

Colourful skeins.

One of the skeins I have for sale on Etsy at the moment is a Jacob mix dyed red and blue. Just to remind you Jacobs are a breed of sheep that are very popular with small holders because they are medium sized ,easy to keep, hardy and friendly. The fleece is good for hand spinners because it is easy to spin and coming in a mix of brown and white, it is easy to knit up to very effective patterns. The down side is that it is some times a bit course especially if the fleece is from and older ewe.

 I spun one single in pure Jacob randomly straight from the fleece. Meaning no carding. The other single was a white Oxford down dyed with Madder and Indigo. Spun alternately red and blue. When plied together it was surprising  how much of the Jacob was lost but the overall result was just what I wanted.

New Venture

Because I am a bit of a butterfly never keeping my mind on one thing for long. I have taken a bit of a side ways step with my business and started to produce hand dyed silk scarfs. It is still natural dyes on natural fibers. This is the core of my work and I will stick to it as much as possible. But if I can create something wonderful using other materials I will. Nothing is written in stone, and I won't be hide bound by rules. The end result is the important thing for me.

The scarfs are brought in and I dye them in the Shibori style with indigo. The indigo vat can be tricky to start with but once you have mastered it the results are fabulous. It would take to long to describe here but if you are interested these books have been a great help to me.

Wild Colour by Jenny Dean, if you are interested in natural dyeing Jenny Dean is must. Any one of her books are full of the best advice and information you could want.

A Handbook of Indigo Dyeing by Vivien Prideaux.

Shibori by Mandy Southan.

There are many more but these three have been the ones I use the most at the moment

I will be a bit more precise about the methods I use in future posts.

Best Laid Plans.

The plan was that I would go on holiday to Northumberland and take some lovely pictures of the fells and the hardy Hexham Black Face sheep that are kept in the area. Well a bad back starting day two of the holiday meant that I spent most of the time laying on a sofa, literally my bed of pain.
HBF sheep live out on the fell all year round they lamb outside needing very little help. Extra food is only given in the worst of weathers. The fleece of these tough little animals is very course, straight locks that the rain slides off, dense and hairy for warmth.
You might think that the hand spiner would have little use for this kind of fleece but it was an interesting exersise spinning it. I found it very easy to spin an even yarn. Making it a good fleece for a beginer to start with. As long as you don't want to wear the result and have another use like rug or bag making in mind your item should be very tough and last a long time. The sheding of the hairy bits will be a problem if you are not careful when sorting the fleece at the start. Leave out the worst of the gard hair.
Sorry no photos I'll try again next time.

Jacob Fleece

I have just taken on a commission and I don't usually do that. In the past I have found myself spending a lot of time working on a project that I do not like which may or may not be going well. There is usually a dead line, and that does not suit me either as my work has to fit in with the rest of my life and I can't always spend my time as I would like.  Luckily the client has always liked the finished article.

This time is a bit different as the client has supplied the wool from her own sheep, a flock of Jacobs in our village. I helped on shearing day and know the sheep personally. I love that. The wool is lovely to work with and I have made a similar jumper before so I know that I will enjoy doing it.

Jacobs are a medium size sheep, brown and white with two or sometimes four horns. Easy to look after and very friendly. Two colours in the fleece make for supper patterns in the finished yarn.

Cilpping a Rabbit

I only have two Angora rabbits at the moment a white one, Daisy, and a light grey one called Conner. It was Daisy's turn to be clipped this week. She is very good when I do this as she is used to it and I have become quite quick. It usually takes me about 20 to 30 minutes. Some commercial producers are much faster that this, but I like to take time to be careful not to catch the rabbit with the scissors. That is very easy thing to do as they have such loose skin. Most rabbits need clipping every 10 to 12 weeks, if you leave it any longer they become matted which is bad for the rabbit and makes it  much more difficult to clip them. That makes the job take longer and upsets the rabbit which makes it struggle and more difficult to clip. A vicious circle.

Angora is a lovely fibre to spin, there is nothing softer. But it is not easy to do well and needs some practice. Some people are allergic to Angora so check before you try to spin any.

If you think you might like to keep an Angora rabbit. Please remember it is a huge commitment. They need fresh food and water every day just like any rabbit. But a coat that can grow up to 4" long need special care. Regular clipping,and a very clean hutch. Serious welfare problems can arise if you neglect these things. Having said that they make great pets and it is very satisfying to spin your own fibre.

Fleeces and Demos.

This has been a week of collecting fleeces and doing demos at a farm open day. Both things over lapped a bit.
I often get calls from various by contacts when they have fleece to sell. This year it started early because it was so warm farmers sheered early. Some of the fleeces are not such good quality because of this, a bit shorter mostly. Which can make them more difficult to spin. So far I have picked up Ryeland, Black ,Welsh Mountain, Shetland and a few unidentified bags of  white fleece. That can some times be a problem when deciding what to do with them but they look fairly good quality and they should dye well so I am pleased. That won't be the end I'm sure. I can't open my shed door with out all these bin bags of dirty fleece falling out. There is lots of washing to do this summer.
The farm open day was a bit disappointing as so few people turned up. It is such a lot of work to stage these events and I feel very sorry for the organisers when they don't go so well. I don't mean it was a total falier, the people who did come had a great time especially the children. My friends and I had a lovely day spinning. We did not sell any thing, but neither did any of the other stalls, well not much any way. I did buy some fancy dog biscuits for my lurcher Mia. She liked them which was just as well as they were expensive for dog food. The over lap came when I was given two bags of BWM fleece buy the farmer which was very nice of him but as I have so much already I gave it to my fellow spinners. It is sad to think it is not worth him trying to sell it, the wool board is not interested in coloured fleece.
We were opposite a stall advertising Medical Assistance Dogs. So interesting they way they can sniff out different things from fluid samples, cancer cells, diabetes, lots of different illnesses that can be hard to detect in a lab. They only work in laboratory's not on people, although I think I would prefer a dog to some people I have met in hospitals. A worthy charity to support if you are looking for one.

Mordanting

When I talk about natural dyeing most people ask if the colours are light fast and washable. The answer is yes if you use the right methods of dyeing and mordants. Mordants are the chemical fixers used to fix the dye to the fibre. Years ago I used to use Tin, Copper, Chrome and Iron until I realised how poisonous they are. Now days I use Alum, natural and harmless. This can restrict the colours that you get so I started making safe alternatives.

Soak copper piping in a solution of half vinegar and water for about  three weeks until it turns blue. This is a good mordant and you just need to top up the solution as you use it until it no longer turns blue then change the piping.

Treat rusty iron nails in the same way. Be careful as this can be a bit hard on the wool and make it brittle. Best used as a modifier.

Rhubarb leaves simmered for one hour then strained make a mordant and a yellow dye in there are own right. The root of the plant can be used in the same way. This is no hardship, I love Rhubarb.

Modifiers are used at the end of the dyeing process to alter the colours by making the solution either acid or alkaline. Citric Acid, Vinegar for acidic solutions and Washing Soda for alkaline are just a few that are available. It is best to use these sparingly as they can damage the fibre, but you don't need much to change the shades in the dye bath.

 I like to mordant a lot of wool  ready to dye at this time of the year because dye plants are coming thick and fast form now on and time is short. It is a way to make sure I am ready to use the ones I want before they disappear for another year. There are always some I miss, there are just not enough hours in the day to do all I want to do.

Fleece Washing.

Fleece washing is not the most exciting job to do, but it has to be done, and I will have to be doing a lot of it over the next few weeks. It is a dirty sometimes smelly job. I like the smell, if this makes me a bit weired whats new. I like the smell of sheep. It uses a lot of hot water and elbow grease but a good job done now can save you a lot of work later. And effect the end result of your spinning.
When you collect as many fleeces as I do it is not unusual to find that you have some unwashed fleeces from last year. This is what happened to me so I have started on last years first, before the new fleeces start coming in. Many people ask me where my fleeces come from. All I can say is that over the years I have become known as some one who will buy a good fleece. It is all word of mouth mainly through the Bucks Guild of WS&D's. It pays to spend time developing contacts. I was contacted out of the blue buy the person who sold me my horse 12 years ago. She has 25 Black Welsh Mountain sheep and wants to know if I want any fleeces. Sometimes contacts go back a long way.
When I wash a fleece I divide it up into 3 or 4 lots depending on the size. This is to make it  manageable. If there is a lot of variation in the fleece you can put different quality of wool in each lot.
The next stage is to soak the wool in tap hot water and washing up liquid , not to much or it will be difficult to rinse out. But you need enough to get the grease out. This will vary from fleece to fleece. If the wool is very dirty after an hours soak I change the water add more washing up liquid and soak for 24 hours. Don't be tempted to agitate the wool or you will felt it.
The next stage is rinsing. I use  cold water and I am lucky enough to have an old stand alone spin dryer which does not felt the wool and makes rinsing easier if you spin between each rinse. The fleece is then spread out on my chicken shed to dry. You can use onion bags or anything you have to hang it on a washing line, or any method that is easy for you. Not a tumble dryer or artificial heat. This will felt and shrink the wool.Don't risk your washing machine or you will really be in trouble and wreck it.
I do not worry if all the dirt is not washed out. Any dirt that won't come out with carding or spinning is discarded with the fleece. I always wash the skeins I spin to set the twist so no dirt should survive all that.

The unplaned project.

I have had the most horrible cold and have not felt like doing much of anything for nearly a week. This has given me some time to think about how I am going to finish the pinafore top I wrote about last time. I do have enough of the recycled mohair and Shetland mix to finish the bands and straps, it's the triangle panels of the skirt that are the problem.

At first I was using a madder dyed pink fleece, (Oxford Down) hand carded and spun with some space dyed pink, red silk. I rolled the silk into the rolag before spinning and was very pleased with the results. Then as I ran out of fleece I had to think again. Fortunately there was some similar coloured fleece in my stash but the method of spinning did not suit it so well. It was not labeled so I dont' know what it is. There's a lesson to remember LABEL EVERY THING. It's not hard and can save you a lot of trouble.

This fleece worked better if I spun it straight no carding. Then I spun a single of silk and plied them together. The colours link these two different yarns enough for me to work them into the pattern of the piece. At least I hope they will. Watch this space for the finished article and judge for yourself.

How much better it would have been if I had put a bit more thought into the planning of the piece in the first place and made sure I had enough of every thing to start with. Still it will be a unique garment that's for sure.

Plannig a project

The correct way to plan a project goes as follows.
Select a piece you want to make.
Select a suitable fleece.
Weigh up the amount needed.
Prepare as necessary.

Spin the fleece.
Make your piece.
Unfortunately it rarely happens that way with me. Usually I will find a fleece I like and can't wait to spin some up. Then I have spun wool that I have to find a project for. Running out of yarn is common,if I'm lucky I will have more of the same fleece. Some times I have to substitute, It may work it may not. Either way I am spinning as I knit. Not an ideal situation.
This time I undid a jumper that never really worked. I hate to waste yarn so I always reuse where I can. This is a mohair shetland mix that I spun ages ago, it will make the borders for a pinafore top. The inserts had to be spun from scratch. Yes you've guessed it I have run out of wool. The story gets more complicated so I will carry on with it next time.

Guild Day

Saturday was one of my favorite days of the month,  a meeting of The Bucks Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers. For anyone who doesn't know there is a national association ofWS&D's and most county's have a branch. The Bucks Guild meets in Amersham on the first Saturday of the month. We have talks, workshops and practical days when we all work together and learn from each other. It's great to spend time with like minded people sharing ideas. If you want to know more and would like to see the events programme, go to www.bucksinfo.net/spinnersweaversanddyers. Visitors are always welcome.

This month we had Bobbie Britnell talking about her work and inspirations. She was a very  entertaining speaker and showed us some of her lovely art inspired quilts.

Some of the things she said about following your instincts to find the true artist in you rang a bell with me. I never believed I could be a true artist and always thought I was hopeless with colour and would never be able to design anything. So I just made what I liked, and that was it. That is how I found my way.Gaining confidence when other people liked my work as well. Not that everyone likes what I do all the time. It can be crushing when you have put a lot of work into something and the first person you show it to doesn't like it. Now I know someone will sometime. Even if they don't I know that I have made something I am proud of. I have tried to make things I don't like just to be commercial and make a sale. That never works. If I have to do that be be a success it's a lost cause and I will be poor and happy.

The cushion cover in the picture is a case in point. Not many people like it so it will properly be with me for ever. That is no hardship because I love it.

worsted spinning blueface leicester

One of the projects I have on the go at the moment is a smock top knitted in worsted spun Blueface Leicester. I don't often buy tops as I prefer to spin from the fleece. But I was tempted by some beautiful BfL from Wingham Wool.
When I do buy tops I usually spin them as they are because if you pay extra for prepared wool it seems a waste to do any thing to them. I do know that you can blend them for colour, or with other fibers. Because they have been prepared so well you can get very good results. But I chose to spin straight from the top, worsted.
I used my double drive Haldane wheel which has a ratio of 11:1 on the whorl I was using. This meant I was putting in 11 twists per inch and I spun at 25 wraps per inch. Sometimes I find it difficult to spin evenly from tops so I developed my own method. Pull of a length of roving from the top. Brake off a small length, it will break naturally at the staple length of the fleece. Pull this piece out width ways keeping the fibers straight. It is now easy to spin an even worsted yarn.
The result was a strong cord like yarn, very little stretch or bounce but lots of luster.
If you want to spin a woolen yarn, bend the piece you have broken of over your index finger and spin from the middle of it. This will give you a semi woolen finish. Or card the top into a rolag for a totally woolen spun yarn.
The pattern I am using starts with four rows of garter stitch before continuing in stocking stitch. It was not supposed to role up but it did. I think this is because of the high degree of twist in the yarn. This is always  something to take into consideration when you are using hand spun in a commercial pattern. I did eight rows of garter stitch and all is well.

1st day introdution.

This is day one of this blog so here is a little bit about myself.

I live in a small village in lovely countryside, although we are only forty minutes from London(England). I have always been a country girl and gain lots of inspiration from the natural world. Hand spinning and dyeing are my great passions.I opened my Etsy shop a few months ago and would love to be able to earn a living from my work but have to work part time for the moment. It is over thirty years since I first learned to spin and have I found plenty of ways to pass on my skills. Teaching, taking workshops and giving talks to all sorts of groups. But there always seems to be new things to learn as I go along.

Other passions are my dogs, horses and rabbits. You will be hearing about these from time to time as they often are connected with my work, especially the rabbits. They are Angoras, and I love to spin angora it is hard to beat on softness. I hope you like the picture of my lovely Melody. How could you not!

Gardening is another hobby, I grow a lot of the plants that I dye with and will be explaining how to do this from time to time, as well as how to use them.

I'm afraid I am a multi project person. There are at least two or three things in my work box at any one time. There have been as many as five before now. I try to be a bit disciplined and get things finished. Remembering that I am trying to run a business is hard when I am enjoying myself so much. It never feels like work. All this means that I will have plenty of things to shear with you as I go along.

Please shear your projects with me, any comments, helpful hints, etc will be welcome. We can all learn from each other.

Bye for now, Gilly.