Carding Wool

[Pegg Thomas]

Sometimes I just need to pull wool out of my bins and play with my carders. Today was such a day. This was my first batch. I hand-carded the striped rolags to control the color changes a bit more while spinning. Then I used my drum carder to card the natural gray. The idea is to ply the two together. I don't know what I'm going to make with it yet, but I love playing with colors! The natural gray is from my Border Leicester ewe, Maggie. The dyed wools are from Purl, Teddy, and Penny. The total is about 8 oz.

[Pegg Thomas]

A friend is having chemo that leaves her hands very sensitive to cold. I offered to make her a pair - probably two pairs - of fingerless mitts. She likes grays, blues, and purples, so I decided to mix them together. I carded each color separately and then layered them on in the final batts. I can't wait to start spinning this bunch! The dyed wool is from my white Border Leicester ewe, Crystal, and the natural gray from Maggie, another Border Leicester ewe. The total is about 6 oz.

[Carlota]

Thanks - I am impressed with how smooth your batts look and I know that can be a lot of work.

[Pegg Thomas]

I bought a Strauch carder about 18 years ago (I understand he sold the company earlier this year), and it was the best investment ever. I went to Maryland Sheep and Wool festival and tried out every make and model of carder they had there - literally ALL of them - and the Strauch carder did the best job. Love it!

[rkennell]

Love your process of dyeing and carding! The fiber batts look gorgeous!

[Pegg Thomas]

I had fun spinning the gray/blue/lilac batts. It finished out about 6 ounces and about 520 yards 2-ply. I think it'll make some very nice fingerless mitts, knitted on size 1 or 2 needles.

[Carlota]

I am very much enjoying your process. The yarn has heathered so nicely.

[rkennell]

I love how this came out! It made a lovely yarn and it's neat to see the different colors showing up when you look up close.

[Pegg Thomas]

Thank you rkennell, the mitts knitted up a pretty heather, and I have enough yarn leftover to make myself a pair of socks.

[Pegg Thomas]

I finished the fingerless mitts for my friend. Here's how they turned out. I'm really happy with them. They are too small for my large hands, but should fit her really well. I started with the Staghorn Fingerless Glove pattern: http://www.ballstothewallsknits.com/...ss-gloves.html and then adapted it to my handspun yarn. The yarn looked better on size 1 rather than size 2 needles, so I changed that and added more stitches, plus I added 2 stitches between the "horns" of the cable and I liked that better. I also knitted a shorter cuff than the pattern because that's what my friend requested.

[rkennell]

These look lovely and toasty warm! I'm sure your friend will love them!

[KnitsWithHorses]

Very pretty! I made that pattern once quite a while ago. I love making glittens and mitts. My favorite patten for mitts is called Nalu. Not sure where all it's available as I downloaded it several years ago.

[Pegg Thomas]

KnitsWithHorses, I'll have to look that one up.

[Pegg Thomas]

Plenty of yarn left over to knit a pair of socks.

[Pegg Thomas]

I got the striped rolags spun last night. Now to spin the natural gray and ply them together. They'll be for socks. This particular gray fleece is on the coarser side. Perfect - hard wearing - for socks, but too rough for a shawl.

[FreedomLover]

You spin such beautiful yarns.

[Pegg Thomas]

Ah ... thanks. I've had a lot of practice. I learned at age 16 in 19*mumble*.

[Pegg Thomas]

A better photo of the striped single. Maybe I'll start spinning the gray tonight.

[FreedomLover]

This is beauiful.

[Pegg Thomas]

Got the striped and gray singles plied last night. Skeined them today. It came out to 5.6 oz and almost 500 yards 2-ply. Not sure what it will be yet. Maybe a shawl. I'm calling it Rainbow Clouds.

[rkennell]

Lovely! I really like the colors. What kind of fiber is it? Do you have any plans for this yarn?

[Pegg Thomas]

rkennell, it's all longwool breeds, mostly Border Leicester with some Teeswater in the mix. I don't have a project in mind ... yet. I'm not sure it wants to be shawl, so only time will tell!

[rkennell]

I'm sure you'll enjoy working with it!

[Pegg Thomas]

Spent the weekend washing and dyeing wool. Three fleeces. The small lamb's fleece is naturally black, so no dyeing needed. The colors, top to bottom, are Gun Metal, Pumpkin Orange, Lilac, Spruce, a green I blended myself, Burgundy, and Gold Ochre. If you were going to blend some of these colors together for a multi-colored yarn, which would you choose?

[FreedomLover]

Your colors are gorgeous! I'd probably blend the blues, greens and purples, but I'm boring that way.

[Carlota]

That is quite a tower of accomplishment - maybe the pumpkin orange, gold ochre and green - I like analogous. And I love seeing the mix of a color with the dark wool - I see you made some gorgeous combos below.

[Pegg Thomas]

I carded a batch of my newly dyed wool this afternoon. I used the Gun Metal, Green, and Gold Ochre in roughly equal amounts. Wound up with 7.5 ounces carded and ready to spin. This may be a shawl. Time will tell.

[Carlota]

I just love the degree of mixing you are doing - can still see the component colors yet everything will flow nicely when you spin it.

[Pegg Thomas]

Another afternoon of carding! I carded a half-pound of striped rolags. Undecided if I'll spin and ply it on itself, or spin one of the solid colors and ply together. The other batts are a blend of the burgundy and natural black that came out a lovely blackberry. Those will be socks ... for me.

[rkennell]

I love the striped rolags! It keeps the colors separate enough to provide contrast when spun up. The blackberry batt is so pretty as well. I'm starting to think I will start buying solid colored braids since I can control the patterning better in my yarns. Sometimes the beautiful braids with all those gorgeous colors get lost in a blend that just doesn't have the pop that they had before it was spun. I know you can really separate them and make them pretty as well and I have done that, but I think starting out with solid colored braids and combining them gives you almost purer color options. But I am still a sucker for those gorgeous braids, I have to admit!

[Pegg Thomas]

I've never bought a braid - can you believe it! - but I see what you're saying. I have spun half of these rolags and the blackberry too. I'll have to update with photos once I get them plied and off the bobbins.

[Pegg Thomas]

Here are the yarns spun from the carding in the two posts above. The first is the green/yellow/blue batts, and the other is the handcarded rolags plied with a single of just the natural black wool. Of the first, I have 562 yards at 7.5 oz. Of the second I have 616 yards at 7.6 oz. Both will probably be shawls, but that's not written in stone.

[FreedomLover]

Wow!! I can't wait to see them grow up.

[lovestostitch]

Very pretty!