cobalt & indigo

For an introduction to this project, check out my first post in this series: Sampling a Naturally Colored Icelandic Lamb Fleece: Part 1.

Now, when we last checked in, I had spun up the thel (the soft undercoat), plied it and had wound it into a tiny skein. I had yet to spin up the two other groups of fleece, the tog (long outercoat) and the combined tog and thel.

I began with the tog. Because the ends had already been combed through when I removed the thel, I simply flicked the tips open lightly before spinning using an old wig brush that I got at a yard sale. Because the tog was a bit longer, I decided to try spinning it from the fold. It’s one of my favorite ways of drafting longer fibers, especially when spinning on a spindle. Unfortunately, it didn’t work very well with this fiber! I ended up drafting from a loose cloud instead.

I had some issues determining the right amount of twist for this yarn. I knew that if I put in too much twist it would become wiry and harsh, but I also wanted to make a stable singles that would ply into a balanced two-ply. This fiber, like the thel I spun in post 1, drafted very easily.

The weight of the 1.4 ounce Kundert spindle pulled the fiber apart as it was being twisted, so I ended up using the spindle in a supported spindle style. I set it spinning, and then as it spun on my lap in a little hollow of blanket, I drafted the fiber. It slowed the speed of rotation a bit but it also eliminated most of the weight of the spindle.

As I reached the end of the little cloud of fiber, it began to cling to itself a bit more. I’m thinking that even though I was holding it loosely, I may have started to felt it. Icelandic wool is a favorite of feltmakers! I’ll have to remember this when I start a project and make sure that I only hold a small amount of fiber in my hand while drafting.

The singles I ended up with measured 44 wraps per inch.

I handy plyed them to the point where they acted balanced. The resulting two-ply measures 24 wraps per inch.

I wound the tog yarn on my small niddy-noddy, and moved on to the last sample, the combined tog and thel.

I flicked the tips of the locks open, and thought about what I was trying to do. I had read here that if you drafted from the tip end, the tog would naturally pull the thel into the draft, but it just didn’t make sense to me to leave it to chance, especially for a sample. So I decided to predraft the locks out individually, and then combine them in an organized way that distributed the tog and thel evenly.

I took each lock and fanned out the butt end to eliminate the slight ‘clumping’ of the thel that had occurred during the washing process. I then pulled it in a diagonal motion, trying to stretch out the thel as far as possible.

Hopefully the process might be a little clearer after seeing this photo. The bottom lock is the ‘before’ and the top is the ‘after.’

I did the same thing with each of the remaining locks, and arraged them so that one would be butt end to the left, the next one would be the opposite. The idea was to distribute the tog and thel evenly throughout.

I took all of the pre-drafted locks and combined them into a single roving, which I again pre-drafted into a long strand which I wound into a small bird’s nest.

I again turned to my trusty spindle, and began spinning. I tried to capture the thel within the tog - it was a more woolen style of spinning, and I found it harder to spin a fine yarn. I tried to put only the minimal amount of twist in to hold the yarn together.

The singles measured 32 wraps per inch, and the handy-plied two-ply measures 16 wraps per inch.

All three groups of fiber, the thel, the tog, and the combined tog and thel have been spun! In my next post, I’ll show pictures of the finished yarns and give my thoughts on which is most suited to my project.

Tags: fleece, icelandic, sampling, Spinning

Keeping records of my spinning has not been something that has come naturally to me. I enjoy creating when inspiration strikes, and while in ‘the zone’ I don’t like to sample or swatch or pause to take pictures of the process.

I still allow myself some creative time completely free of any requirements, but I have learned to appreciate how much I can gain from documenting my work and how much I can enjoy the process of consciously taking notes while working.

I hope to share that process with you as I document my sampling of an absolutely gorgeous naturally colored lamb fleece from Sheepsong Farm.

I received this stunning Icelandic lamb fleece in the mail yesterday, and carefully washed it and set it out to dry out in the studio. I couldn’t resist bringing in a handful of locks to dry by the stove in our little house.

This morning, they were nice and dry, and I decided to have some fun making some samples.

I decided to divide the handful of locks into two piles; one that I would separate into the softer undercoat (thel) and the longer outer fibers (tog), and one that I would spin the two fibers combined.

I began by separating the thel from the tog.

I took each individual lock, holding it just above the point where the soft downy thel ended - in a naturally colored fleece like this, it’s easy to see that point - and drew it gently through the teeth of a handcard.

The soft thel ended up in the tines of the card, and the tog came free in my hand.

I removed the thel from the handcard, and then repeated the process on the remaining locks in that pile. I sorted the tog and thel into separate piles, and then paused to take this picture:

I couldn’t resist spinning the super soft and silky thel first. I got out my trusty Clemes & Clemes fine wool handcards and carded up a nice lofty rolag. I use generally the same method that Spinning Spider Jenny explains on her blog, here, but I rolled up my fiber into a rolag instead of a cigar. I used one of my favorite spindles, a 1.4 ounce Kundert, to spin up the sample rolag.

The fiber drafted effortlessly, to the point of drifting apart. The few longer coarser dark fibers in the mix seemed to make it easier to spin, and I suspect they probably add some stability to the yarn. I drafted in a mixed method, using both hands and drafting against the twist.

After drafting out a good long length, I did one more flick of the spindle to add additional twist. In a spinning class with Patsy Zawistowski at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival we were taught that downy soft fibers require a little bit more twist. Since the soft thel resembles cashmere, I figured I might as well treat it like cashmere. The singles measured 44 wraps per inch.

I used the handy plying method (which I also learned as the ‘Miss America’ method from Patsy Z) to basically fold the single back on itself to create a nice two-ply yarn. I spun it in the opposite direction of original twist to just past the point where it was acting balanced. The final wraps per inch were 21.

One reason I love sampling is the fun tools; this cherry wood sample-size niddy-noddy is just perfect for skeining up samples. I used it to turn the small spindle cop into a skein.

Ding!
Round 1 completed.

So far, all I am going to say is that I can highly recommend fleeces from Sue. They’re beautifully skirted, soft and healthy, nearly free of any VM, and she even crosses over the border from Canada to ship them so that I don’t have to pay extra shipping.

She may even have some fleeces left, if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll pass on her contact information.

Thanks for sharing in the process with me in this post. Check back soon to see how the second and third rounds went, and to see the final results.

Tags: icelandic, sample, Spinning, wpi