Spinning the new fleece

There has been lots of fleece washing happening.   Everyday I try to get at least 7 or preferably 14 little packets of locks washed.   It doesn't always happen because while it is only a few minutes here and there, the soaking between washes and rinses takes up a lot of time.

In between I have been flick carding piles of washed locks and either spinning them directly or putting them through the drum carder to make batts.   I tried making a batt without flick carding, but it wasn't as nice as running the opened locks through the carder.  The flick carded locks, only take 2 passes through the drum carder to make really nice, fluffy batts.

After I take the batts off the carder, I roll them up and pinch a bit of fibre from the middle of the side of the roll and pull it into a long strip of sliver or roving.  I roll it into a little nest and it is ready to spin.   I've been using a point of contact long draw to make a fluffy yarn which is fairly quick to spin.

3 ply woollen spun using roving pulled from batts

 This yarn would make really nice mittens and hats.  It is a 3 ply woollen spun and is soft, light and lofty.   I don't really like spinning 3 ply yarns, simply because that 3rd ply seems to be to be when I should be plying, but it is worth the effort as it does make a nice yarn.

4 ply chained yarn

A 4 ply chained yarn has an interesting texture and is nice and round.   It knits up nicely.  For some reason, despite being a 4 ply, it doesn't seem to be quite as daunting as a 3 ply to me.  Perhaps that is because I can have a plying break after 2 bobbins of singles.

Chain plied or Navajo plied yarn

Chain ply or Navajo plied yarn.   This has to be my least favourite yarn.   It is a single, plied into a 3 ply, using a finger crochet type looping technique.   There is a tiny bump where each loop ends and the next begins.   I find it irksome.  I spun it first, to get it out of the way.   I didn't want to keep sampling and knowing it would be last on my list.  I thought it might spoil my enjoyment of spinning this lovely fleece.


Off to flick card more locks -