Alongquin Guild Meeting - Dye Day

Once a year we have a dye day at our monthly meeting, we always have a great turn out of members to learn and have a chance to dye some fiber together.

Above pic. shows members getting the low-down on what to look for when buying a fleece and how to skirt a fleece.

This year we had purchased some Jacquard dyes to try out.

I found Mildred playing with my raw wool.

She appears to adore the aroma.

Below, various techniques used to dye wool:

Raw wool stuffed into nylon potato bags, left to soak in stock pots of dye solution.

 Skeins left to soak in crock pots with dye.

Roving arranged in an electric skillet left to simmer with dye solution, carefully placed to make striped roving, therefore, striped yarn once spun.

 ....I believe locks of wool being dyed.

End Results Below:

Try your hand at dyeing some wool......add a little to your skeins!!
Have a Great Day! 

Washing wool

My plan was to wash the fleeces from my eight white crossbred ewes beginning early Sunday morning, well I didn't get started until afternoon so I didn't get all of the wool washed but I finally have gotten started.
I will give a quick walk through how I now wash wool, thanks to Dave L. for showing me an easier way.
....my previous method was one five gallon bucket at a time, that is ok if all you want wash is a small batch. 

Begin by starting a small fire outside, campfire style.....I didn't think to take a pic. of my fire at the time.

I have purchased 6 stock pots from Marc's (local store), cheap.

Fill the stock pots with water and bring them to almost a boil (very hot).  Remove them from the heat and squirt your dish soap into each pot, until the water is slippery when you quickly touch the water with your fingers. 

Add wool.

Stuff wool into the pots till full, this is something that you just have to get a feel for.  With a Shetland fleece I would wash one fleece divided among three pots.

This is what I am washing white wool from uncoated sheep......I have HOURS in tipping these fleeces.  I am having socks made with this wool and where I am sending it their machines can only take a staple length of 4 1/2" length, this wool is just a little longer, so I've tipped ALL of it that I am sending.  I've held the britch out.  I'm hoping for at least ten to twelve pounds of washed wool.

It doesn't take but maybe 15 minutes soaking in hot water before you can pull it out.  I use a cheap kitchen spatula and I have a wonderful metal slotted spoon with fingers to grab the wool and pull it out.
(plastic spoons bend too much).

Lay the hot wool out onto a platform such as I use, a metal cattle panel covered with chicken wire or the plastic mesh, laying on top of cardboard tables......or whatever works.  You just want a place you can lay the wool out to cool to air temperature.

 Once the wool has cooled work with smaller batches, put some wool in a 5 gallon bucket.  Now you can use your garden hose and spray the wool with cold water and rinse it.  It usually takes 4-5 rinses to get the soap and silt out and it doesn't take a lot of water each time, just enough to cover most of the batch you are working with, I use a strainer to set the wool in as I pull it out of the bucket, squeeze out the water and repeat.  After I am satisfied with the rinsing, I like to stuff the wool in nylon bags and put them in my washing machine and spin out the excess water, this just helps to get the wool drying faster.

 Although, because I started later in the day than I like to I ran out of good drying weather so I had to move indoors and have the wool drying in my garage on my skirting tables with a fan blowing on it.

The most I have washed in one day by myself is 10 fleeces and that is enough for me, it keeps you hopping.

Chloe

Meet Chloe, a light grey moget ewe.  For a while I thought that maybe she didn't get bred this year, but she began to show and she just keeps hanging on.  She is as big as a barrel, I'm hoping for twins, all the other yearlings delivered twins and I expect the same from her, although she was born from a set of triplets. 
Here again the back up ram would be the sire as we removed all the ewes from the ramd breeding pens Jan. 5, 2013.


This is really later than I like to have lambs and I am thinking of breeding much earlier next time.  I may begin in Aug/Sept., so we lamb in Jan. & Feb, 2014.  

What do I spy in the grass.....

As we were coming in our driveway early this evening we could see something moving in the grass.  We have new residents!! No MaMa in site, just five little skunks playing in the driveway.

 These guys are so small, they can't be over a couple weeks old, the clover in the yard is as tall as they are.
The little blur at the bottom is part of a pine tree I was standing behind as I snapped this photo.  Even as I walked up on them, they were totally oblivious to me even being there.
....I hope they don't stay too long, we don't need their aroma.

Wrapping up The 2013 Great Lakes Fiber Show

As I review the pictures I've taken, I wish I had taken more photos.  But this is the second year I've helped assist with the fleece judging and some how I always run out of time and don't get out to take more photos.
Although, I don't mind getting to see all those lovely fleeces that are entered into the competition and get to talk to many of the exhibitors about their sheep.

I had entered several fleeces in the competition.  Taking Third place in the Medium and Coarse classes.

Above is Claire's fleece a grey shetland, whose fleece is one of my favorites. -Medium-

Below is Lacy's fleece a black shetland with age greying white fibes coming into the fleece-Coarse-

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The ALGONQUIN SPINNERS & WEAVERS GUILD set up near the fleece judging to assist with sales of fleeces and help during the judging.

Fiber enthusiast purchasing fleeces and making that big decision about which one......or two to buy.

Simona M. demonstration to a visitor the drop spindle technique.  Simone is quite the hand spindle spinner, who I had to insist that she enter a skein into the skein competition and of course she took 1st place in the fine plied yarn class.

Dave L. talking with the fleece

Judge about some fleeces.

Another great kick off of the fiber festivals to come yet this year, I had a great time and always look forward to this festival and all the wonderful 'fiber folks' that I meet each year.

......may your pastures be lush and your fleeces fabulous!

Brown Betty's lamb

Brown Betty delivered this moorit ewe lamb on May 19th.  She is a very nice dark brown still and I hope she stays this way.  Just love having the variations of brown.

Just love this picture.  The white ewe lamb on the left is a crossbred.  She was also born on May 19th.  We haven't named any of the crossbreds, but this one we call 'spot'.  If you look closely on her neck she has a single circular black spot and those big ears just make me smile, hope she grows into them.

thinking of cooler days

We have had some pretty warm weather for May, so right now this picture of Red out in the February snow looks pretty cool........although it wasn't at the time.

Today my camera is causing me fits, maybe it needs charged or just a new battery, need to find out quickly as We had two new arrivals today.

Brown Betty, a shetland delivered a single ewe lamb today, moorit.
and this afternoon, one of my crossbred ewes delivered a single ewe lamb too.

I have one Shetland yet to deliver and she may be a few days yet.


We also have the Great Lakes Fiber Show coming up May 25th & 26th.
http://www.greatlakesfibershow.com/LR/

The Guild that I enjoy membership with "Algonquin Spinning and Weaving Guild"
will be taking part in helping with several areas at this event.  Our members help to man the information booth, this year we will also have a booth for our guild members to sell their wares and we will be playing a big part in man-ing the Fleece show event.
This show is growing every year and is the only local fiber event in our area.......so don't miss it if you have the opportunity.  It is FREE to get in, you can't get better than that.  Check out the WebSite, all kinds of events will be going on and of course you may find something you want to take home....from some yarn for roving to maybe even a sheep...or two.
....will post pics. as soon as possible on the new lambs.

Later.