For the last year or so (give or take some time), I have been playing around with wool. I started out unraveling wool yarns from sweaters. That was very relaxing and fun. I started dyeing them fun colors in my kitchen. I made some interesting hats and scarves from them. I have always loved color so the dyeing was my favorite part. I bought some undyed yarns to dye a fantastic range of colors. I used food coloring, koolaid, natural dyes, professional dyes. The possibilities were fantastic.
I love yarns too. I moved on to handspun yarns from others. I finally decided to give that a try. So I got myself a drop spindle and gave it a whirl. I had found a new love. I started buying rovings and batts. The next step of course was a set of hand cards and my very own washed wool to dye and card.
Did you know that wool as I had known it was not the wool that I would that I would find? Ever new wool I got was different. It had a different feel. It had a different look. It had a different smell. Also I had to redefine my idea of clean.
Wool can be clean and still look a mess. It can be full of VM all those fun bits of hay, burs, crap (literally). For some clean means it has had a cool soak. For some it was well skirted. For some it was taken as a whole and tossed into a wash.
So these days for the most part I am working with raw wool, skirted or not depended on where I get it. I will take this wool, and turn it into clean, lovely natural or dyed locks, batts, rovings, and handspun yarns.
Its all an adventure and I learn a little bit each time I do it. I will be posting pictures along the way and sharing tips and tricks I learn. Please feel free to share your as well.
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