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telegraph.hill
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 211
Location: Leeds, England
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 Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 9:57 am Post subject: |
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Interesting to hear that you keep sheep, Dolly. I once did a course on spinning and weaving, and we used to start directly with the sheep's fleece. I used to love preparing the wool for spinning, and doing the actual spinning itself.
As for washing powders, etc, Ecover do some environmentally sound ones. |
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Dolly
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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I keep Icelandic sheep, the intention to use their fleece for felting and to milk them.
Trouble is that they weren't sheared by their previous owner as lambs last year and this year the fleeces were a nightmare!!!
It only took me three hours to do each one - Please don't laugh I was almost in tears!
I've only got 3 though. I would like some lambs but will have to buy a place with more ground first.
Hence I am now dealing with estate agents  |
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telegraph.hill
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 211
Location: Leeds, England
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| Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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Wow! Did the sheep actually come from Iceland, or are they ones that you bought in Scotland?
It doesn't surprise me that it took three hours to shear each one. It must have been very hard work. In fact it sounds like you work hard generally!
So you have sheep, a goat ... what else? |
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Dolly
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 5:41 am Post subject: |
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No, they came from Scotland, about 3 miles down the road to be exact 
I really struck lucky there because I thought I was going to have to bring some up from Wales.
It doesn't usually take that long to shear them. My hebridean took about 20 minutes and she's a pig to do. It only takes an expert about 5 minutes.
Mind you the Icelandics suffer dreadfully in the heat. Not that the heat up here is anything like down south, but I still feel sorry for them.
At the last count, I had. 3 goats, 3 Icelandics, 1 heb, 3 geese, 12 hens, 22 ducks, 3 cats and 1 dog.
But I could have missed somebody out  |
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Thumperfive
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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wow... call you Dr. Doolittle!
do you make sweaters from the wool, or just sell it? |
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telegraph.hill
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 211
Location: Leeds, England
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, what a lot of animals! What's a heb?
I love cats. |
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Dolly
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry, TH, its a Hebridean sheep. Superb lawn mowers.
I don't make anything from the wool as yet, Thumper.
Well, apart from thermal insoles for my wellies!
My, ahem, 'talents' in the felting department are not yet, quite mastered, shall I say 
I still have a hat in bits that I started when I had flu at Christmas. I may get round to finishing it next Christmas when I will probably get flu again.
It's the only time of year I get sick  |
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telegraph.hill
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 211
Location: Leeds, England
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| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| So are you going in for felting in a big way, or just as a hobby? |
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Dolly
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:15 am Post subject: |
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It's just another aspect of the 'lifestyle,' I suppose.
Icelandic felt is supposed to be extremely resistent to cold temperatures.
I thought it may come in handy!
Trouble is, with anything like felting or spinning, you have to have time to do the carding in the first place.
It takes ages. I hate doing carding |
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Thumperfive
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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that's really interesting - it's great to hear someone keeping the "old" skills alive... without the industry going amuck!
good luck and keep on carding!
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telegraph.hill
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 211
Location: Leeds, England
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| Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, I remember doing the carding in preparation for spinning.
We started with a fleece. You take handfuls of fleece and kind of pull it out, so bits drop out of it, and to loosen it up. Then you take this and card it into something called rolags (I have never come across this word in the dictionary though), which are sort of long and tubular. Then you spin using one rolag after another.
I really enjoyed doing this! |
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Dolly
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:58 am Post subject: |
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I'll send you a sackful, TH!
Actually, Thumper, it's very popular in the US. If you google felting, you can see some of the stuff they make and it's so beautiful.
A lot of people dye their own fleeces as well.
I can get into enough bother without trying that as well |
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telegraph.hill
Joined: 09 Jul 2006
Posts: 211
Location: Leeds, England
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| Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:34 am Post subject: |
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As part of the course I did dyeing as well!
I remember using twigs, plants, bits of wood, etc, for the dye, and then we used a mordant to set the colour.
I await delivery of your sack of wool to be carded then! |
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Dolly
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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OOh, would you be good enough to send it back 'after' you've carded it 
You can actually get a carding machine, but I can't afford one.
If you are going to dye stuff then I guess that's the way to do it.
I'd love to be organised enough to have a go. |
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Thumperfive
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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see, to me - that'd be much healthier than buying crap from Walmart and then making something!
as long as *I* don't have to do the work, however!
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