BYC Spinning Fiber

[peepacheep]

itsy, so glad you are safe. Black bears and black Angus cows, impossible to see after dark even with the head lights straight on them. Sorry about your car but what a deal on the wheels, equipment and fiber!!!!!

 

[michickenwrangler]

Wow, Itsy!

Anyone know of any good plans for a spinning wheel online? DBF is pretty handy and looking through my Ashford catalog, says he could build a spinning wheel pretty easily.

 

[Chiramc]

Make sure the wool is clean and dry - it will keep indefinitely. You can even store it in plastic they say (I've had no trouble, but it's only been a bit over a year), but lavender makes it smell nice and keeps the bugs at bay. Wool is some of the oldest fiber found ... so it does hang around a while if the conditions are right.

 

[fluffingtonfarm]

I have yet to be able to find a wheel to try unfortunately. The kiwi was suggested to me and the reviews on it seem good.

Not sure where in IL you're at but I'm in Missouri (about 1/2 an hour from dupo) and I have 3 or 4 babes at any given time that your'e welcome to test spin on if I'm not too far away from you
and I'll be at the Chaplin Creek festival in August too.
-jordan

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Hi to everyone. I'm Meg, and I've been spinning for about 26 years. (And a dear friend tells me that makes me one dizzy chick!) I still have my first wheel, which is an Ashford Traddy, as well as a Louet Victoria, a Hammer wheel, and a little no-name wheel that I'll get rid of one day or other. I also knit, crochet and weave. I no longer raise sheep or angora rabbits, but I do grow out locker lambs still, so all my wool these days is lambs wool.

Nice to meet you!

 

[BonneTerreChick]

Welcome Hollowoakfarm! I havent been spinning nearly as long as you, but I hope to! My first wheel was/is an Ashford Kiwi. I still have it but my Matchless has sort of taken over the last few years. The Kiwi is a great wheel though and I have taught more than a few folks to spin on it.
Here in Oregon we just had the Black Sheep Gathering last weekend. It is one of the two larger events we have in the state. Its always so exciting to go and see what's hot and finger all the fibers, yarns and fleeces. There are also animals, which you can buy a fleece right off of sometimes. Lots of fun and dangerous to the pocket book! I came home with some lovely fiber, not that I need more fiber, lol, just that it spoke to me and I had to have it.
Anyway, welcome, and would love to see what you or any of the others have been up to of late.

 

[peepacheep]

BonneTerreChick by any chance did you take any classes at Black Sheep??? I saw a BYC bumper sticker in the school parking lot and was wondering who it might be. Took the silk dyeing and the CVM spinning classes. Lots of info and fun! Yes Black Sheep Gathering is dangerous on the pocket book!!! Got my year's worth of hand painted sock yarn and lots of beautiful fiber for spinning. The 3 month old Shetland lambs were so cute! Hoping to start cleaning some Jacob fleeces next week if the weather dries out.

 

[BonneTerreChick]

Peepacheep~ I didnt take any classes at BSG, I was only there for Saturday afternoon. Time went by too fast! I looked up and asked DH where the door was to get back to the sales area from the barns, lol, and it was so late they had already closed them. I got some lovely multi tonal blue roving and already have it spun up. I am working on some beautiful jade now. Both of those are a mix of fibers, mostly kid mohair, wool(I think merino) and alpace. They are both soooo soft and lusterous! I also drop some fleeces off to be processed and should have them back in about 8 months! One was a colored Cormo and the other was a nice gray Romney. Cant wait for them to be done, though I still have plenty of other things to work on.....actually MORE than plenty. Why, oh why, isnt there more time in my day?

 

[peepacheep]

Time went way too quickly there. I was there for part of each of the 3 days. Yesterday at the knitting group folks were showing some of the treasures they found there. I can not believe I did not see half of what everyone found! The roving sounds beautiful. Where are you having your fleeces processed? I want to try doing these little Jacob fleeces in small batches sorted by color but am curious about other options. Especially options that will not leave the house smelling like a flock of wet sheep have moved in. In the past my goal at BSG was to buy my year's worth of yarn from the people that dyed and or spun it but I think I may have passed the tipping point of what I can reasonably knit in a year. And now there is fiber for spinning..... I keep telling myself all this wool add to the house's insulation.

 

[BonneTerreChick]

LOL, if you arent careful you will find yoursefl like me. The insulation idea has certain merit. But if you keep going it will be like me....I insulate the bedrooms, living area, ah, heck, I might as well face it, the whole house(except perhaps the bathroom, and that is only because I am not washing and air drying fleeces at the moment). I am also insulating the garage, the shop and one of the outbuildings. LOL, the barn is insulated with sheep and goats. Heck, the ground in spots is also insulated with fiber-cast offs from the animals themselves and the less desirable parts/skirting of multiple fleeces(makes great composting and mulch). And to think I didnt even see all this coming, honestly, it just sort of happened. I must admit it fills all those tactile and color mixing needs, now that I have so much insulation around....<grin>

oh, and I dropped the fleeces off with Fantasy Fiber this time....plan on trying a few different mini-mills around the state as I go through some of this insulation!