Normally when I buy a whole fleece, it comes looking something like this beautiful Shetland fleece on the left. It unrolls, and I can lay it out on the skirting table. It's easy to see the different areas of the fleece, break it into similar types of fiber, skirt what needs skirting, & check for… Continue reading Processing Fleece by the Pound
Author: Patti O'Brien Beaumont
Alkaline Scouring: Washing with Fels-Naptha soap
alkaline scouring with fels-naptha soap
Does Crimp Indicate Fineness?
Sadly, no. Crimp is not related to fiber diameter. What we know about fiber has changed over time as our fiber science has improved. People used to think crimp was directly tied to fiber diameter (microns). However, going back to the 1920s and 30s, people knew that the crimp wasn't necessarily a predictor for… Continue reading Does Crimp Indicate Fineness?
Doing the math on plying from a center pull ball
Center pull ball plying makes one ply consistently different from the other ply. The effect is small, but it is more noticeable on low twist yarns. Center pull plying consistently makes one ply ever slightly looser and one ply slightly tighter.
Spindles in the Wild
Thanks for joining me! I take my spinning out into the world whenever I can. People become incredibly enthusiastic seeing fiber arts in progress, and I'm always moved by the stories of grandfathers who knit and aunts who weave. Fiber arts connect us across the generations. I wanted to create a space online to help… Continue reading Spindles in the Wild
Spindles In the Wild 