... My Rick Reeves 24 inch Saxony, single treadle. Made circa 1992 at the time when Rick and Marge were handcrafting each wheel, its beauty is more than just skin deep. It's an efficient spinner with large bobbins that can hold quite a lot of yarn.
The wool ...
... a medium brown fleece with a fiber diameter that is on the fine side of medium and has nice crimp. The sheep is one of a spinner/knitter friend's flock. The raw fleece weighed 7.75 pounds when I gave it to Bonnie and Carl at ABC Ranch to process into a fine spinner's roving. It came back to me in the form of "bumps", 15 bumps, each weighing about 5.5 ounces, or just a smidge over 5 pounds total.
The challenge ...
... to spin, ply and dye the entire bag of bumps by the end of 2010.
I would like to knit myself a pullover, not too heavy, from the yarn. As nice as the natural brown color is, it isn't a color I would wear. I don't know yet what color I'll dye it, perhaps a dark blue or teal green.
I'm using the Scotch tension system on my wheel with a large whorl to spin a medium single strand, with not too much twist. My goal is a two ply DK to worsted weight yarn that retains some of the lofty quality of the fiber. My samples have 20 to 22 wraps per inch.
Meeting this challenge by the end of the year seems like a tall order when I consider how little wheel spinning I've done so far this year. But one bump is spun and I'm well into a second, so I'm on my way. I won't do any plying until I get several bobbins filled.
I know this job would be a snap for old Rumpelstiltskin. But it doesn't seem like his sort of gig, just plain old wool, no flax, no gold, no greedy kings, no glamor at all really. The best I could offer would be fresh garden veggies and a loaf or two of homemade bread.
So it looks like it's up to me to get this job done. I'll float the image of a cozy sweater in my mind as I spin my way through all this brown wool. It does spin very easily, a definite plus. I'll post progress reports from time to time. Now back to the wheel ...
It looks ambitious, but of course you can do it! It will be fun to follow your progress.
ReplyDeleteOooohhhh....your wheel is absolutely gorgeous! Though I love and adore my Lendrum (Thank You to you know who!) one of these days I really would like to also own a more traditional wheel. No reason...just because.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what you do with your yarn, and I know you'll be able to accomplish your goals!
And this also reminds me....I have fiber that needs to go visit ABC, too....