Spinning wheels and wool

Packed up the spinning wheel this morning before work and headed over to a Farm Sister's house to learn all about spinning wheels and wool. My friend, Sunny is a wealth of knowledge. She raises Alpacas, spins wool and knits like nobody I know.  She was generous and shared what she knows with me today. 

I am learning all about my own wheel today. I know nothing about spinning and was so excited to learn.

This is my wheel.

Learning tensions. This is Sunny's wheel. 

Spoons

Threading

Oiling

I am to practice just using the pedals on my wheel this week to get a good feel of speeds, stopping and starting. 

Then we got to the wool. Someone gave me some raw (and kind of rough wool)

It was combined firsts and seconds.  I learned from helping with shearing last year that you really want to separate the two, this wasn't.  This is a variegated wool, the same kind my little ram is.  

So Sunny, helped me separate a good batch to learn how to wash it.

We took small batches and put them in lingerie bags. Then put in very hot = 120*F= water with Dawn dish detergent. 

I learned not to agitate it but gentle push it into the water.

We drained them and repeated with new water until it drained clear. 

And rinsed it clear.

Then we took it outside and spun it around to get out any excess water.  Then we took it out of the bags and on to racks to dry. 

Spreading it out on the racks.

Then topped with another rack so it doesn't blow away. 

Next up I learned more about tool like the paddles used. 

We teased the wool. (this was wool Sunny had cleaned prior)

Then learned to use a carding drum. Feeding the wool in the drum, carding the fiber, getting it ready to spin instead of carding it by hand.

It gets the wool ready to spin.

The we put it on cardboard tubes.

ohh....ahhh... so pretty.

Then to spice stuff up Sunny showed me how she variegates her wool. 

Here is a blue one she spun earlier. 

Then how to tie up the spun wool. 

From an umbrella yarn spinner onto a yarn ball spinner.

I am very thankful for all the help and information my friend has given me in just two hours!

All in all a very busy and very fun morning before heading to my job in the foothills. 

peace