torsdag 26 maj 2011

Småländsk korsningsull - Crossbreed wool from Småland. My Fiber Studies 25

Mixing Swedish and English today! This fiber study is not part of SpinDoctor's rare breeds challenge, as neither of the wools come from an established sheep breed.

Jag fick två ullprover av Anna. Det är ljuvlig ull från korsningsfår i Småland, troligen svenska finullsfår och någon köttras. Ullen är lång, glansig, perfekt lockig och mycket stark. Det säger "twing" om den när man gör ett ryckprov vid örat. Den påminner om de mjukare och finare longwool sorterna, faktiskt väldigt lik finsk lantrasull av ryatyp. Båda fällarna har täckhår och bottenull, mera i den svarta än i den vita. Fibrerna är fina till grova.

I got two wool samples from Anna. It's lovely crossbreed wool from Småland in Sweden, probably Swedish Finullsfår and a meat breed. The wool is long, lustrous, has perfect crimp and it's very strong. It says "twing" when you pull it beside your ear. It reminds me of some of the softer an finer longwools, in fact it's very close to the upholstery type of Finnwool from the Finnish landrace. Both fleeces have outer coat and under coat, more in the black than in the white. The fibers are fine to coarse.

Jag beredde ullen på flera sätt och spann flera olika garnprover.

I made several wool preparations and spun different yarn samples.

1.
Ullen öppnad på handkardor (flick kardade). Jag lade 2-3 lockar på kanten av en karda och drog dem genom tinnarna. Sedan vände jag lockarna och gjorde likadant. De öppnade lockarna förvaras med topparna åt samma håll.

I opened the wool on handcarders (flick carded). I put 2-3 staples on the edge of a carder and pulled them through the tines. Then I turned them and opened the other end the same way. The opened staples are stored with the tip ends in the same direction.

Jag spann två fina trådar med kort framåtdrag på spinnrock, Louet Victoria med ratio 1:8.5. Om jag hade använt slända skulle jag ha tagit en medeltung (ca 28 gram) topptyngd slända. Jag spann från toppänden. Jag tvinnad med ganska hård snodd och fick ett kamgarn som skulle vara mycket bra i spetsstickning.

I spun two fine threads with a short forward draw on a spinning wheel, Louet Victoira with ratio 1:8.5. If I had spindled, I would have chosen a top whorl medium weight (about 1 oz) spindle. I spun from the tip end. I plied with a pretty tight twist and got a worsted yarn that would be very good in lace knitting.

Man skulle få ett liknande garn om man använde hundkam för att öppna ullen och spann på samma sätt.

You would get a similar yarn if you used a dog comb to open the wool and spun in the same way.


2.
Jag gjorde ett likadant kamgarn av den svarta ullen.

I made a similar worsted yarn from the black wool.
Jag ber om ursäkt för högdagrarna i det vita garnet. Jag fotograferade på flera olika ställen, men det vita garnet reflekterar ljuset på ett sätt som verkar omöjligt. I den svarta härvan finns lite garn med en vit och en svart tråd. Det här bekräftar det som många spinnare vet: kamgarn reflekterar ljus på ett annat sätt än kardgarn. Jämför med kardgarnet nedan, fotot är taget vid samma tillfälle på samma plats. - I apologize for the highlights in the white yarn. I took photos in different places, but the yarn still reflects light in a way that seems impossible. This confirms what many spinners know: worsted yarn reflects light in another way than woolen. Compare to the woolen in the photo below, taken at the same spot and at the same time. In the black yarn is a meter or two with one white and one black thread.

3.
Jag kardade några vita lockar till kardrullar med mina gamla, slitna finska kardor. Jag spann ett tvåtrådigt kardgarn på spinnrocken.

I took my old, well used Finnish hand carders and made a few white rolags. The wool opened easily. I spun a 2-ply woolen yarn on the wheel.


4.
Jag gjorde ett likadant kardgarn av den svarta ullen. Jag spann med dubbelt drag, eftersom det var fibrer av olika längd i kardrullorna. Mitt dubbla draget börjar med att jag släpper upp lite snodd i fibrerna samtidigt som jag hastigt drar ut dem till en tjock ojämn sträng. Sedan jobbar jag på en liten bit i taget av den tjocka strängen, jämnar till och drar ut den så tunn jag vill ha den samtidigt som jag ger tråden mera snodd. Sedan släpper jag upp den på rullen.

I made a similar woolen yarn from the black wool. I used a double draw because there were fibers of differnt lengths in the rolags. My double draw starts with letting twist into the fiber supply and at the same time drafting a thick and uneven sliver. Then I go back and even and thin the thread while I let in more twist and finally let the bobbin wind it on.

Rexenne spinner dubbelt drag på ett liknande sätt. Jo, hon pratar mycket men hon är en mycket skicklig spinnare också, titta gärna på henne. - Rexenne spins double draw in a similar way. Yes, she talks a lot, but she's a very good spinner also, so please take a look: Double draw.

5.
Det här var intressant. Jag ville jämföra två kammar, Louet enradiga minikammar och Valkyrie Extra Fine ullkammar. Jag visste från tidigare att Louets små oansenliga kammar har potential för verkligt rolig ullberedning. Och jag älskar mina Valkyrie! Titta vad som hände:

Now this was interesting. I wanted to compare two combs, Louet one row mini combs and Valkyrie Extra Fine wool combs. I knew already that Louet's small, unimpressive looking combs have potential for really fun wool preparation. And I love my Valkyrie combs! Look what happened:
Till vänster ser du den ull jag dizzade sist från Valkyrie, i mitten den jag dizzade först, under dem är de korta fibrerna som blev kvar på kammen, och till höger all ull jag lade på minikammarna och sedan drog ut med händerna (nästan inget skräp alls). - To the left you can see the wool I dizzed off from closest to the Valkyrie comb, in the middle the wool I dizzed first, and under them is the waste, and to the right is all the wool I put on the mini combs and then pulled off with my hands (almost no waste at all).

Det här bekräftade det jag redan visste: om man vill öppna ull från en dubbel fäll som är besvärlig att karda, kan man använda minikammarna. De separerar inte de olika fibertyperna särskilt effektivt, och om man inte dizzar utan drar ut fibrerna från kammen med händerna får man ett flor som kan rullas ihop och spinnas som kardgarn.

Vill man separera fibrerna i en dubbel fäll använder man kammar av samma typ som mina Valkyrie. Och det här var det riktigt intressanta med just den här ullen: jag fick två olika tops från en kamning. Först dizzade jag de långa täckhåren, sedan den kortare bottenullen. Du kan se skillnaden på färgerna på fotot: täckhåren har bruna toppar, bottenullen är grå.

This confirmed what I already knew: if you want to open wool from a double fleece that is a bit difficult to card and still keep the two different fibers in the prep, you kan use the mini combs. They don't separate the wool very effectively, so if you don't dizz the fibers but instead pull them off from the comb with your hands you get a "batt" that can be rolled into a rolag and spun woolen.

If you want to separate the fibers in a double fleece you can use combs like my Valkyrie. And this is the really interesting thing with this wool: I got two different preps from one combing. First I pulled the long outer coat, and then the short under coat. You see the difference in the colors on the photo: the outer coat has brown tips, the undercoat is grey.


Jag spann topsen till två olika kamgarn med kort framåtdrag. I spun the the tops into two different worsted yarns with a short forward draw.
Överst - Above: täckhåren, garnet är svart-brunt i verkligheten - The outer coat, the yarn is black-brown in reality. Nedan - Under: bottenull med lite täckhår, garnet är gråbrunt och mjukare än det andra - The under coat with some guard hair, the yarn is gray-brown and softer than the other
Det här garnet tycker jag själv är ett av de bästa: det är kammat med Louets enradiga minikammar och spunnet med kort framåtdrag. Det är både underull och täckhår i det - This yarn I think is one of the best: it's combed with Louet one row mini combs with short forward draw. There is both under and over coat in it.

6.
Jag kammade lite av den vita ullen på Valkyries Extra Fine kammar, och spann ett kamgarn med kort framåtdrag. Det påminde väldigt mycket om att spinna en del longwools, t.ex. Cotswold. Jag spann ett garn som skulle passa för inredningsväv antingen som en- eller tvåtrådigt. Jag tvinnade mitt garn 2-trådigt. Titta på min nya söta niddy i äppelträ! Man kan ta isär den. Den är från Gammeldags, länk i nästa stycke. Niddyn på första fotot ovan är från Kromski, också väldigt användbar.

I combed some of the white wool with Valkyrie Extra Fine combs, and spun a worsted yarn with a short forward draw. It was very much similar to spinning some of the longwools like Cotswold. I spun a yarn that would be suitable for upholstery either as singles or as a 2-ply. I made a 2-ply sample. See my new cute sample niddy from apple wood? You can take it apart. It's from Gammeldags. The niddy in the first photo above is from Kromski, also very nice.
7. Till sist kammade jag några vita och svarta lockar med mina nya 2-radiga minikammar från Gammeldags. Jag kammade tre pass. Kammarna är utmärkt för den här typen av ull. Jag gillar det lilla träskyddet för kammarna också! Man kan blanda de olika färgerna mer eller mindre beroende på vilka färgeffekter man vill ha i garnet. Den här topen skulle bli lätt melerad.

The last prep I made with my new 2-row mini combs from Gammeldags. I combed a few white and black staples in three passes. The combs are perfect for this kind of wool. I'm very happy with the small cover that protects the combs too! You can mix the colors more or less depending on what effects you want in the yarn. This top would become a sligthly variegated yarn.

Slutsatser - Conclusions

Det här är väldigt användbar ull. Det var jätteroligt att jobba med den, och bara de här få proven visade att ullen kan användas till många olika saker: sockor, vantar, mössor, tröjor, filtar, och, vilket är väldigt intressant: rya eller textilkonst. Den vita ullen skulle antagligen ta upp färg väldigt bra, och de långa glansiga lockarna låter sig spinnas till underbart kamgarn.

Också i de här små proven finns det grövre och finare typer av ull. Om man är skicklig på att sortera ull, eller har hela fällen framför sig så man ser de olika delarna, kan man plocka ut den finare ullen till sjalar och de grövre till andra plagg, och inte minst, de längsta och glansigaste lockarna till vävning.

This is a wool with many possibilities. It was great fun to work with it, and even these few tests showed that the wool can be used for many different things: socks, mittens, hats, sweaters, blankets, and, which is really interesting: rya (a Finnish and Swedish upholstery technique) or textile art. The white wool would probably take dyes very well, and the long, lustrous locks are easy to spin into a gorgeous worsted yarn.

Even in these small wool samples there are coarser and finer types of wool. If you are good at grading wool, or have the whole fleece in front of you so you can see the different parts of it, you can sort the finer wool for shawls and the coarser for other garments, and, not least, the longest and most lustrous locks for weaving.

Hade jag roligt? Gissa! Tack Anna :) - Did I have fun? Guess! Thanks Anna :)

tisdag 24 maj 2011

Bear poop among the dandelions?

This is our "lawn". The black things are not bear poop. It's Black Welsh Mountain yarn, 528 grams, 1080 meters handspun for a sweater. But I need moore, so I'm very happy Woolfest !!!!! is only four weeks and two days from now! Woolfest
I made a purse for my phone because I keep mislaying it among all the things a normal woman's handbag is supposed to store for sudden needs. The purse has a closet for all the things a normal phone needs nowadays.

onsdag 18 maj 2011

Cheviot. My Fiber Studies 23


I take part in the SpinDoctor Rare Breed Wool Challenge on Ravelry. My blog posts are tagged SpinDoctor. The challenge ends June 30, 2011. You find SpinDoctor's podcasts in my Link List to the right. 


The Sheep

Cheviots have a fascinating history. It's far too complicated for a short blog post, so I suggest you read more in literature and on internet. There are two links to very informative blog posts from Deborah Robson in the "Read More" section below. I suggest you start with them, and continue with Deb's book The Fleece & Fiber Source Book.

Shortly, it's an old breed, and there are several different Cheviots, Border, North Country, South Country, American. They origin in the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish border, and they have been around since the late 1300s. Cheviots were imported to US in 1838, and to Australia 1938. As often happens when a breed is introduced in new surroundings, it changes. That has happened both to the American and the Australian Cheviots. They are not the same as the British ones.

Cheviot sheep are not threatened, but Cheviot wool is, as the breed is mainly bred for meat in our days.

The Wool

The white wool is of down type, with high crimp, light, dense and strong. The British Wool Marketing Board classifies Cheviot as "Hill" type wool. The staple length is 7-13 cm, the micron count 28-33 or harsher. Cheviot has traditionally been used for tweeds, but also for knitting yarns. Cheviot is often used to blend with other wools to create a lofty yarn.

My Experience

I had a small wool sample of unknown origin, but very nice Cheviot from the Super Sampler package I bought from The Spinning Loft.

Preparation: I washed the raw fleece sample, then combed it on Valkyrie Extra Fine combs
Spinning wheel: Louet Victoria
Ratio: 1:8.5
Twists per inch TPI in singles: 8
TPI in finished 3-ply yarn: 16
Wraps per inch WPI in singles: 38
WPI in finished 3-ply yarn: 14
Twist angle in singles: 45
Twist angle in finished 3-ply yarn: 45 

Crimpy, short wool like Cheviot is usually carded, but I wanted to use my new combs, so I combed. The result was wonderful: lofty, even tops. As I wanted a lofty and elastic yarn, I chose the woolen draft and 3-ply.

This time I just wished to sit back, relax and spin, not thinking too much about what I was doing. I spun only one yarn. I chose a rather low whorl for the spinning so I wouldn't get very much twist in the thin singles. I just let the wheel do the job, held very lightly on to to the wool and enjoyed.

Then I plied with a little more twist, but with the same ratio. I always ply by measuring the singles between my hands before I let the yarn wind on to the bobbin. In that way I don't have to think while plying. Once I have decided the twist, I just pull with my left hand until I have reached as far as I decided I should while keeping the singles in order with my right hand, then I wind on, pull, wind on...

I look out of the window and see whatever there is to see. Right now there are tractors. Are they mating?? They seem to multiply... Whatever they're doing they raise a dust cloud over the valley, no use hanging laundry out this time of the year, or cleaning windows.

What an easy fiber to spin! I had a great time. I got a yarn I could use for lots of different garments, but this is only a sample so it won't be used in anything else than a swatch.
Swatch pattern from Barbara C. Walker's Charted Knitting Designs 3
 
Read More

Internet
Cheviot Sheep Society
American Cheviot Sheep Society
Wikipedia with links to three different Cheviots
Deborah Robson on Cheviots
Deborah Robson on Cheviots

Literature
Deborah Robson & Carol Ekarius, The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook. Storey Publishing, 2011
M. L. Ryder, Sheep & Man. Duckworth, 2007
Nola & Jane Fournier, In Sheep's Clothing. Interweave Press, 1995
Clara Parkes, The Knitter's Book of Wool. Potter Craft, 2009
British Sheep & Wool. British Wool Marketing Board, 2010

måndag 16 maj 2011

Graffiti

Vi var ute och handlade i Karleby och råkade gå förbi Rehnlunds museum, som hade stickad graffiti överallt utomhus.

We went shopping in Kokkola, a town a bit further north and happend to see some graffiti at the museum.




torsdag 12 maj 2011

A Day for Green Boucle

Today I have just been having fun. I spun a green boucle. It's Finnwool, dyed locks I bought at a fair last autumn. I combed them, spun a thick and thin singles and plied with blue sewing yarn.

tisdag 10 maj 2011

Bare foot spinning

So it's May, and it's sunny, and I have been out spinning bare foot. Life can be so wonderful :) No hurry, no worries, just fun.
This is a favorite: a light, longshafted spindle from Spindlewood, applewood. It's perfect outdoors even if it's blowing, like it's almost always doing here.
When the spindle isn't working, it lives in the whisky box thanks to Sarah.
Can you see the stone garden in the background? There are buds! And in the flower beds there are flowers.

torsdag 5 maj 2011

Tjidivippon - och var är maten då?

Vilken trevlig gäst! Men den kunde använda dörren. Ventilationskanalen är inte ett bra sätt att ta sig in i ett hus. Titta uppe till höger i bilden, där kom den lilla Tjidivippon in. På riktig svenska kallas den sädesärla. Den satt i kanalen ett par dygn för ingen förstod varifrån det försynta skrapandet kom. Nu är den ute och bygger sitt bo någon annanstans. Hoppas vi.

Dorset Horn. My Fiber Studes 22


I take part in the SpinDoctor Rare Breed Wool Challenge on Ravelry. My blog posts are tagged SpinDoctor. The challenge ends June 30, 2011. You find SpinDoctor's podcasts in my Link List to the right.
 
The Sheep

Dorset Horn is one of the oldest British sheep. Both sexes have horns, and both the sheep and the horns are big. The sheep can breed almost at any time of the year, with two lambings a year or three in 18 months. The New Zealand rare breeds site says it's "very active", whatever that means. The history of the sheep is quite interesting. Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset are closely related. You'll find more information on the New Zealand site, link in the "Read More" section below. Rare Breeds Survival Trust (UK) classifies the breed as Minority, and American Livestock Breeds Concervancy as Threatened.

If you want to see what the sheep look like, please go to the links below.

The Wool

Wool from Dorset Horn is mostly used for mattresses and futons. The wool is very white, fine, soft and crimpy with a staple length of 8-10 cm and a  micron range of 33-34. It can be used in many garments, and handspinners find it most interesting.
Dorset Horn, washed wool

My Experience

Fiber from The Spinning Loft (Super Sampler package). Staple length 4-6 cm, very much crimp, very soft

Preparation: scoured and then hand combed on Valkyrie Extra Fine combs
Spinning wheel: Louet Victoria

I combed the crimpy, short and soft wool because carding was quite impossible. I got awesome tops, bouncy, soft and very clean. My new Valkyrie Extra Fine combs are very, very good tools! Here: Valkyrie.
Tops as they come from the combs: Lincoln longwool to the left, Dorset Horn to the right. Both combed on Valkyrie Extra Fine combs. Two completely different fibers

1st sample. Semi-woolen 2-ply yarn

TPI (twists per inch) in singles ratio 1:8.5: 10
TPI in plyback from ratio 1:8.5: 6
TPI in finished 2-ply yarn from "rolags": 15
WPI (wraps per inch) in singles: 32
WPI in finished 2-ply yarn: 18
Twist angle in singles: 45
Twist angle in finished 2-ply yarn from "rolags": 45

I was a bit nervous about not being able to spin a soft and bouncy yarn. I decided on a woolen draw from the fold. That was not bouncy enough, so I rolled small bits of the top into "rolags", and that worked very well. I also tried ratio 1:6, but that was not good as there was almost no twist at all in the singles so when plied they flattened out. Next time I know not to draw out the top as thin as I did this time if I want to spin from "rolags" made of tops. A thicker top would make bigger "rolags".

The 2-ply spun from mini rolags with woolen draw really bloomed when washed in hot - cold - hot water. WPI in singles was 32, plied and finished 18. TPI in singles was 10, in ply back 6, and 15 in plied finished yarn. This fiber can take a lot of manipulation.

2nd sample. Navajo 3-ply

The same singles as 1st sample
TPI in finished navajo 3-ply yarn: 10
WPI in finished navajo 3-ply yarn: 15
Twist angle in finished navajo 3-ply yarn: 45

This became a bouncy, soft yarn, as one could expect. The bends in the navajo chain adds loftiness too.

3rd sample. Semi-woolen 3-ply yarn

TPI (twists per inch) in singles ratio 1:8.5: 12
TPI in finished 3-ply: 19
WPI (wraps per inch) in singles: 32
WPI in finished 3-ply: 15
Twist angle in singles: 45
Twist angle in finished 3-ply: 45

I made a 3-ply yarn by spinning the tops with a woolen draw without rolling or folding them, using ratio 1:8.5 and a slow drafting speed for better control. I got an even, soft, stretchy yarn.

4th sample. Worsted super fine yarn

TPI in singles spun worsted ratio 1:20: I couldn't count the the twists because I couldn't see them...
TPI in finished worsted 2-ply yarn: 29 (I think)
WPI in singles spun worsted ratio 1:20: I didn't measure
WPI in finished worsted 2-ply: 40

Just for fun I spun a really thin yarn. I changed to high speed flyer and bobbins and ratio 1:20 (I think, I'm not sure about the ratios, middle whorl anyway). If I'd do this again I'd go through the fleece very carefully to get all double cuts out. But it was still easy to spin a super fine yarn. The fibers are so crimpy and so strong that they catch the twist imediately without any fuzz. I used a short backward worsted draw.

5th sample. Slubs and coils

I didn't measure this yarn
 
This was just for fun also. I spun a few meters of slubs and coils and knitted a swatch. Yarns like this could be used in a hat or a vest. The swatch har considerable strength and holds together well. A baby blanket would be nice too.

Conclusions

I'm still not very good at spinning soft, crimpy fibers, but I'm getting better. I have a tendency to spin too compact yarns with a lot of twist and not much bounciness. The Dorset Horn is one of the softest and crimpiest wools I have ever spun. I had to slow down my treadling and drafting speed quite a lot to be able to master the fibers. It was a good experience. My yarns have bounce and softness.

I have never before spun a fiber with so much memory and with such capasity to do exactly as I wanted. I am amazed and full of wonder! I think I got the neck part of the fleece from the look of some of the locks. That could explain why the the fibers are so soft and so strong. I could pull even the finest singles back from the flyer without it breaking.

Read More

Internet
Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset, UK
Dorset Horn, New Zealand
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
American Livestock Breeds Concervancy
Dorsets, USA

Literature
British Sheep & Wool. British Wool Marketing Board, 2010
Deborah Robson & Carol Ekarius, The Fleece & Fiber Source Book, 2011
M. L. Ryder, Sheep & Man. Duckworth, 2007
Nola & Jane Fournier, In Sheep's Clothing. Interweave Press, 1995

onsdag 4 maj 2011

Lazy kate!

Jag fick en ny lazy kate av min underbara man! Titta, kate för båtskyttelbobbiner (Louet Victorias lazy kate i bakgrunden):

My wonderful hubby  gave me a new lazy kate! Look, kate for boat shuttle bobbins (Louet Victoria's lazy kate in the background):

Man kan använda den med spinnrocksrullar också.

You can use it for spinning wheel bobbins also.