Fiber-Fest

It's been two months since the sheep were shorn.
They've been loving life since that day...


especially with the cooler temperatures we have had of late!


I have been so excited to share this with you...
I received an email this weekend from the fiber mill... that my fiber was finished!
Now, I have to tell you...
not only did they process my three fleeces,
but also 2 alpaca fleeces that a friend gave to me when her alpacas were sheared.


Yesterday I went to the fiber mill to pick up the end product.

What a great operation they have.... everything done by machine in no time at all!


I had originally thought that I would have my fleeces washed and carded and prepared 
for me to spin.
But then I saw one of the products that the mill could make with my wool and I 
immediately fell in love.
Core-spun...


where the wool is actually put through the carding machine 


and then spun around a wool thread core (wool yarn)...
making a super thick, super plush product that is perfect for weaving into rugs.

When I saw that product, I decided to have her make half of my fiber into core-spun,
leaving the rest for me to spin.
And then yesterday when I went to pick up my fiber and saw the beautiful core-spun that
had been made, I made the decision to leave the rest of the fleece behind to be spun into 
core-spun.
This year's shearing will all be made into rugs.
Isn't it beautiful?


Part of the reason that I made this decision is the fact that babydoll sheep yarn is not the softest.
It is generally not a good yarn for garments.
So... to spend all of that time spinning it into yarn seemed pointless...
especially when something else so yummy could be created from it.

A pencil will give you an idea just how thick this yarn is!
Perhaps next year I will spin some of it... but for this year...rug making it is!
Who knows....perhaps when you see the rugs that I make with this this year...
you might want me to make you a rug next year!!
Maybe I will end up with the Faith, Hope, and Grace Rug Co!!


As for the alpaca....
the blanket fleece (sheared from the backs of the alpaca) I had spun into a DK weight yarn
and it is gorgeous!


The second cutting (legs, neck, head, etc) were made into a beautifully soft core-spun.
This lovely alpaca yarn is the softest I have felt...with wonderful drape.
It is going to make some lovely Christmas gifts!!

I am so happy with how all of this fiber turned out...
and so excited to go back to pick up the rest of Grace, Faith and Hope's core-spun fiber!

Comments

Dawn said…
I have so many fleeces to process, unfortunatly round here if I was to send it off to be processed its so expensive you would be better off buying in yarn last years prices worked out to be £50 for 250g of alpaca fleece so I will plod on and do it myself, your yarn looks delicious :-)
GeorgiaHoneyBee said…
How exciting!!! The yarn looks beautiful! I would love to have sheep one day. I have a hill on the front part of our property - maybe 2.5 acres - and every time I turn into the drive, I can picture a small group of sheep grazing. What kind of sheep have the softest fleece? Hope you have an awesome day.
Rebekah
jaz@octoberfarm said…
the faith hope and grace rug co. sounds perfect! the yarn is to die for. fiber envy big time! i can't wait to see the rugs!
Having the wool spun by machine is SO smart! Looking forward to seeing what you make with it all.
Lynne said…
Beautiful . . .
I am excited to see your rug/rugs . . .
And Christmas gifts too . . .
This N That said…
Wow..It's lovely..Quite an operation. Very interesting..Can't wait to see the end result!! Are you going to spin any??
deodar said…
I have woven rugs out of the core spun. The wool ones are lovely but oh, the alpaca ones are pure heaven for your feet if you have one next to the bed! They do tend to shed some and if you intersperse your core spun with regular yarn you'll get an interesting texture.
What a great post Beverly! Let me at that wool.. I cannot wait to see a rug you have made.. You know you are like a wind up toy that never unwinds.. I wish I had half your energy... I do my best, but have slowed down over the years.. My mind wants to accomplish so many things, but my body will not get with the program.. haaa
I love your baby doll sheep.
Enjoy your weekend.
blessings,
Penny
An American in Tokyo said…
Not sure why, but I thought "Fiber Fest" meant that someone was going to be eating a lot of fiber!?! LOL!!