Showing posts with label Ashford Traditional spinning wheel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ashford Traditional spinning wheel. Show all posts

Sunday, 5 August 2012

Washing and Dyeing Jacob Fleece.

This is a Jacob fleece spread out for sorting. The top is the head end and the back legs are at the bottom of the picture. You will just have to trust me on this if you can't see it . It does take some practise to see the parts of a fleece. The dog is optional.
                                                                                                                                                            


                        

I have divided the fleece up into manageable sections. Trying to get course, soft and medium piles.

I have put a whole fleece in the bath but I don't recommend it. You will not have the use of your bath for days because of all the rinsing, and wet wool is very heavy, small bins are much easier to manage.

The fleece is hung on a fence to drip most of the water out in between rinses and put through a small stand alone spin dryer after the last rinse. Don't use your washing machine you will break it!
I had two dye baths left over from other projects. Cochineal, pink and Fustic, yellow. I hate to waste anything so I thought I would see what the Jacob would dye like and I love the result. From past experience I know that they will spin up to a lovely tweed effect in the different colours. Jacob also dyes well in indigo.

Sunday, 27 November 2011

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.)