How much would this make?

[xampx]

Hullo.

I was thinking of taking up spinning, maybe next year and i just wanted to know what kind of quantities you can make from maybe one fleece from an average sized sheep. Here is an example on ebay of the kind of thing (and price) i would hope to buy. I know it would be a casual hobby but id like to make some money from it if possible, and i know the resale on hand spun wool can be quite high, again looking at ebay. So my question really, as above, if i was to make pretty standard skein of standard looking wool ( i dont want to get too complicated just yet) how much would one sheep fleece make? Maybe i could buy one and keep it as a pet

Also, how long is a skein? Or is there no standard size? I tend to buy wool in 50g or 100g balls :s

 

Thanks in advance

 

AM

[christinacoghill]

Wow a crocheter that wants to take up spinning... come on over to my house! I could show you a few things in my stash! Ok in all serious spinning is lots of fun but raw wool is a big pain in the behind! I can't remember what the ratio is of how much weight you loose when you take a raw fleece and clean it before spinning. I think its almost 50% and of course it depends on the breed, as some breeds have more lanolin, hold more dirt, and are not as soft and fine as others. But spinning is an addicting hobby. I am on a bunch of spinning lists on Yahoo if you want I could send you some links. Some people actually like preparing the raw wool, I did it once and once was enough. I have a double treadle (2 pedals) spinning wheel, an electric one makes nice bulky yarn and the bobbin holds a ton of yarn. and numerous drop spindles. I think with handspun yarns there is no set weight or length. Its up to the spinner to determine it. I do know that when I sell my handspun the people never ask for a weight just yardage or length of the yarns.

[xampx]

Cool, the links to spinning lists would be great. THanks

 

I probably wouldnt buy a whole fleece to start with, id get the ready prepared fiber to start with, as i've worked with that before, it just costs more, so i was thinking if i get into this in a serious way (which i probably will), i will at least have a go at a whole fleece at some point.

 

Thanks

again

AM

[christinacoghill]

here's a list of the yahoo spinning groups I belong to. I think you will enjoy belonging to them.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spin-List/?yguid=90556835

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spin-Sales/?yguid=90556835

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spindlers/?yguid=90556835

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spindlicity/?yguid=90556835

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spinfree/?yguid=90556835

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spinning/?yguid=90556835

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Spinning_on_the_Edge/?yguid=90556835

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpinToKnitSocks/?yguid=90556835

[xampx]

thanks so much

[MullersLaneFarm]

I prepare fleeces and it is time consuming, especially if you get a bad fleece. I don't recommend buying a fleece from ebay, you just never know what you'll be getting. I do buy some whole, raw fleece online but it is from folks with spinner's flocks that cover their sheep. They are more than willing to send a sample lock so I can examine it before I buy it.

 

I've worked garbage fleece that should have been destined for the compost pile. Sheep that are not covered are usually fully of burrs, vegetive matter (VM) & dirt.

 

If you decide to buy a fleece online without being able to get a sample lock, be sure you ask how heavily the seller skirts the fleece. Skirting is when the waste wool (around the britchen, full of urine & dingle berries, leg wool, belly wool) is removed. Why pay for wool that is undesirable? Ask if the sheep were covered. Ask how much VM is in the fleece. Ask how heave the lanolin is in the fleece. Ask the average staple length. Ask if the sheep was shorn by a shearer that specializes in handspinning flock. Ask about 2nd cuts.

 

Also, having the right equipment to process the fleece is desirable. I wash my fleece (after shaking out & hand picking through to get the burrs & most of the VM out) in my washing machine. Dry it by the wood stove in the winter and on the porch in the summer on plastic bread racks. I have a homemade picker (http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/picker.html), but haven't used it as much as I thought I would. the real time savings comes with the drum carder. When I hand carder, I would card up about a dozen rolags, spin them, then card some more. With the drum carder, I can card big batts. If I spend an afternoon doing it, I can get through a couple pounds of fleece.

 

Pre-preparation is the name of the game when processing raw fleece. The cleaner you get your wool before you start carding, the better your handspun will be.