Welcome to the Fleecewood Newsletter. This page will highlight topical ideas, experiences and events; pass on handy hints and a few woolly laughs.
"What do I do down on the farm to help my sheep grow quality wool for handcraft uses"?
The answer is that I combine my breeding programme with appropriate farm management
practices. For an introduction to the Fleecewood farm and flock see About Fleecewood.
I was born and grew up in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. My interest in woolcraft began over forty years ago, when my mother taught me to knit. The first project was an egg cosy (a little jacket that goes over a boiled egg to keep it warm until you are ready to eat it).Within a few years I had worked my way through baby bootees to jumpers (sweaters).
I first tried spinning at high school, and was soon experimenting with spinning novelty yarns. I can still clearly remember sitting on the floor, yarn ends secured by a bed leg, plaiting a slubby white single with two fine black threads. Time consuming, but worth the effort.
It was 15 years later, while I was in Socorro, New Mexico, before I was introduced to weaving and using a spinning wheel.
When I returned to New Zealand in 1988, I had the chance to learn about farming sheep and goats for fibre.
A lucky break with breeding black sheep led to a conscious decision to breed the Fleecewood Leicester. This sheep produces a naturally coloured fleece, characterised by length, lustre and openness, and is appreciated by spinners wanting a silky smooth handle.
I frequently field questions about how to wash a fleece. Here is what I do.
I use my top loading washing machine, because of the ease of using the spin cycle to remove excess water at each stage of the process. However, you can use a tub or bath. If you do not have access to a spin cycle gently press excess water out, but do not wring the wool.
Always remove wool from the machine while filling with water.
Never agitate or tumble wool, unless you are wanting to make felt.
Water temperature. It is important to use hot water to dissolve the grease. Such hot water is not necessary during rinsing stages, but my rule of thumb is never put the wool into water colder than the wool is, because this will encourage the felting process.
Place fleece loosely in open meshed bags (I use onion sacks). I use at least two bags so that I can balance the washing machine on the spin cycle.
Soak in cold water (typically overnight) so wool is well wetted and dirt is loosened. This water is excellent for watering plants if you want to bail it out. Drain, spin and remove wool bags.
Fill machine with hot water and add detergent or well dissolved soap flakes. I have used fancy wool detergents and find them useful for fleeces with a high wax component in the grease (such as Merino) and dirty fleeces. However, they are not necessary for most of my fleeces, and I typically use much cheaper dish washing liquid - about a cupful. Place the wool bags in the soapy water and gently prod to ensure unimpeded penetration of the water to the center of the bags. (This is why the wool should be loose in the bags). Soak about 15 minutes. Do not let the water cool too much, because dissolved grease and dirt can start depositing back onto the wool. Drain, spin and remove bags.
Without removing the wool from the bags, check it especially a few of the tips. If the fleece is particularly dirty or greasy step 3 may need to be repeated.
Fill the machine with hot water, add the wool bags, gently prod to ensure good water penetration to the center of the bags and soak for a few minutes. Drain, spin and remove wool bags.
Repeat step 5 at least twice, and more if necessary, until rinse water is clear. Thorough rinsing is important to get a nice clean fleece. But also be on the look out for incipient felting. It would be better to work with a less clean fleece than ruin it altogether.
Gently remove fleece from bags and spread out to dry. Drying is most effective if air can circulate through from underneath. I typically spread the wet wool on lengths of curtain net laid out on my slatted sundeck. If it looks like rain I just roll up the wool in the net and bring inside. Later, it is easy to take outside again, and unroll to continue drying.
Ever looked at your handspun and wondered what size needles to use?
Here is a quick and easy way to get the right size needles for knitting stocking stitch. Of course special effects may call for something different.
Take a pair of needles that you think might be about right. Wrap the yarn around one needle twice, so the wraps lie snugly, but not tightly against each other. Take the other needle place over the yarn wraps.
If x = d you guessed right. Go ahead and knit your tension square.
If x is greater than d, try larger size needles.
If x is less than d, try smaller size needles.
And I always recommend that you take the trouble to knit a tension square.
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