Tour de Fleece vlog 3: My Wool and Fiber Diaries
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- Опубликовано: 17 сен 2024
- Hello friends! It's July, so that means only one thing: it is Tour de Fleece! We shall be spinning wool for the next 23 days straight, or at least on the days that the cyclists in the Tour de France are cycling. In this video I vlog stages 9,10 and 11 of the Tour de Fleece where I spin the Zwartbles fleece we have skirted, washed and combed last week. For all this spinning we shall rely on Jillian, my compact spinningwheel, a Louët S71.
I have asked you guys some questions to have interesting topics to talk about these 23 days. In today's video we shall mainly talk about natural all things fiber related: wool, flax, alpaca, angora, chiengora. All the fiber. So strap on tight, this is a wild ride!
Oh and @KathleenIllustrated don't take this personally. Dutch is hard ;)
Tour de Fleece prep video: • Let's prep our wool fo...
Tour de Fleece part 1: • Tour de Fleece vlog 1:...
Tour de Fleece part 2: • Tour de Fleece vlog 2:...
The infamous Q&A: • Clearing out my bobbin...
If you want to join in on the chaos, you can join the patreon via: / mijnwolden
You can also find me on Ravelry and Instagram as @MijnWolden
If you enjoy spinning, yarn, knitting, fiber arts or any other traditional craft then this channel is right up your alley. Maybe you could hit that subscribe button?
#spinning #spinningwheel #tourdefleece #tourdefleece2023 #fiberart #crafting #cottagecore
What's your favourite fiber? Do you have a special emotional connection to a specific fiber?
My favorite fiber to spin is wool, I really liked the way the BFL spun up. But in terms of softness, I liked the marino/silk blend my sister brought from New Zealand. And the alpaca I spun a while back was also amazing! It had a really long staple length, and I spun it from the fold. It turned out really squishy and warm.
So in short I can't choose 😂
Targhee is one I really enjoy - but I haven’t spun all the wool yet to know what my favorite is!
Also, thank you for the pronunciation lesson! I was trying to say it on a live the other day - and butchered it to smithereens.
Ah yes, I know the feeling 😂
Was it akin to Kathleen's pronounciation or totally different? (Or: what day was it on, I missed it 😅)
@@MijnWolden I don’t remember which day, and I think I kept saying “main” “mine” something like that lol
Wool is a great garden addition for moisture retention! All the scrappy poopy bits? Chop it up and work it into your vegetable beds. Also great for keeping a compost pile from drying out in drought and retaining heat through winter.
On our farm wool is never wasted.
I have my leftovers spread around my berry bushes indeed 😁
I would be so exited to be gifted a fleece or two, but yes having room for fiber and even yarn is a huge challenge for me already, so I can see why this would be a little stressful. I love the name of your channel by the way, I immediately thought of "My Walden". Also knowing you are a nightwish fan and they have a song called "My Walden" with lyrics about weaving and yarn makes me so delighted with nerdy happiness.
They indeed have that song 😁
Being a new spinner, I have only spun sheep's wool. Two were farm wools, Corriedale and Romney, that were processed by the shepherds. One was hand dyed BFL combed top. I've also spun a Romney x Rambouillet combed top and some Shetland combed top that were processed in a local small mill. And I'm also spindle spinning some mystery wool. That's a pretty good variety in 6 months. So far my favorites are the Romney, the Romney x Rambouillet, and the Corriedale. I haven't done any of my own processing of raw fleece. That adventure may have to wait until next year. Thanks for a wonderful fiber diary video. You definitely made my day better. harpingJanet
They all sound very lovely!
My brain just got at least 5% bigger thank you!!! 😂
Big brain to go with your big pants 😎
It would have been nice to have friends from the spinning and knitting world when I used to live in Belgium (or at least some friends, haha). I did not know anyone and it was quite depressing. My husband and I lived in Lille for 2 years, beautiful scenery that holds dear spot in my heart. Even after 3 years, we still miss Turnhout and the Sundays spent on the square watching various artists perform.
Oh but then you lived so close to Khansenhof in Zoersel, a Mohair goat farm where they host workshops and get togethers...
Hi from the North East of Germany and big compliments for your videos. (Thought I was the only chaos spinner up to now ;)). To answer your question: I always loved to spin the fur of our Caucasian Shepherd dog. (with a supported spindle because its short fibre and very fluffy) Now my big soulmate, my old girl, passed because of cancer. But despite all grief at the moment: Her heritage to me are two 50 l - boxes full of fur. I think I`ll be able to spin it this winter without starting to cry....and I will celebrate each single centimeter of yarn!!!!!!
That's a beautiful Memento of your furry friend!
@@MijnWolden Oh yes, it is indeed!
❤
I know the "pain" of having so much fleeces and not knowing if you will ever get to them in your lifetime. I have 5 sheep's fleeces and 2.5 alpaca coats here and I've already turned down 2 others. It really is a shame that they aren't valued a lot. But then again, more for us 😜
Too much for us, you mean? 😅
My favorite so far is probably border leicester :) if you wanted too, could you talk about spinning wheel care and upkeep? Just suggestion, love your videos!
Thank you ☺️
So far, I haven't seen any fleece that is free in my area. Usually, fleece means $$ here. I just discovered your channel, and I'm already hooked ❤❤.
Then at least you live in a place where wool is valued, most of the wool in Belgium and the Netherlands (and by extension western Europe) gets thrown away or is incinerated 😬
I was also gifted an alpaca fleece and that started my spinning adventure... I thought I'd just spin the one fleece and that would be it. But when I sat for the first time behind a wheel, an ashford kiwi, it was so calming and mesmerizing. Eventhough I made art yarn, I loved it and got a new hobby for sure and this has only been enabled more because my mom told a friend and she had an old wheel from her old aunt she inherited in the attic and said I could have it 😅
My name is Mieke, very hard for English speakers...
As I'm allergic to something in wool I learned spinning with alpaca, so I really like that. I got a Spinbox for your the fleece to try out stuff and see if I can't spin certain fibers, but so far it all worked. I loved spinning Rambouillet, that has a nice long(er than alpaca) fiber.
I did spin some of my guinea pigs hair in some of my Alpaca, I love having some of her hair in that spin and was quite appalled when my first spin teacher broke of some. I can't even remember why she did that...
Guinea Pig hair! That's the first time I heard someone spin that. How does that feel like?
I got married last week. And I'm going to tell you why I perfectly understand how you feel. I love plants. Instead of asking , people knowing me and my husband and my passion for plants, thought were the only persons giving us a plant as a congrats gift. Yesterday the house bell rang and when I knew it was the florist I told him that I didn't want a single plant more, that I wouldn't mind if he would have taken it back to the shop. After a week of marriage I've got ten orchids, a palm, a flower with no name. Near those..... plants that I already had. Almost seven (in one of your videos I saw you have one I have too , a Pachira Acquatica, mine is as tall as me)I love them but too much work is too much work. And you have to take care of them. So at a certain point passion must be substituted by a sad "no" 🙈
Yes, a pachira Aquatica indeed! Storage just becomes a problem After a while 😅
But congratulations on getting married! 🥳🥳🥳 As a gift I wil NOT send you a plant 😉
@@MijnWolden yes, storage is good but at a certain point we need a stop otherwise work becomes too much and has to be let apart. thank you for the congratulations 😊♥.!!!! It's so kind from you, I really appreciate. Then.....I'm seriously thinking about renting a sheep from my neighborhood so that I can solve the problem of too many plants 😂😂😂😂😂.
The Tour de France was a real nailbiter! Thankfully spinning is so relaxing!
That Puy de Dome, eh!
I've never met a sheep, or a sheep's fleece, that I didn't like. I've spun Lincoln, English Leicester, Border Leicester, Polwarth, Perendale, Corriedale, Dorper, and oh, so much Merino. Dorper is an interesting wool, the sheep shed their wool so it has to be collected from the paddocks and off the fences, or peeled directly from the sheep if I'm lucky to catch a time when the sheep are being handled. Shearing season is just beginning, so hopefully I will be able to get my hands on some new breeds.
That's already quite a list! Dorper sounds so cool. Ouessants also are able to shed their wool themselves, but mostly get sheared anyway
@@MijnWolden I started spinning 30 years ago, so there have been a few fleeces over the years. I'm always after something that isn't Merino. Not because I don't like it, I love soft silky Merino wool, but for variety. There is a big sheep and wool festival on this weekend, but I have bills to pay before fleece buying.
If your sheep farmer still has some fleeces left, I Will be glad to pick up some as Well as I am a beginner spinner 🙂🥰🐑
You can contact him via facebook: Boer van Herkenrode 😉
Hi there. Thank you for sharing how to pronounce your channel name. I'm only an English speaker but did learn some German in high school. I was guessing before on how it may be said from my distant recollection, but I clearly got it wrong. I also appreciate knowing how to properly say the breed Zwartbles. I have been enjoying your Tour de Fleece videos while spinning along and seeing what all you are working on. Choosing a favorite fiber is hard. I think Rambouillet wool is my favorite, but rose fiber also very nice. I would love to hear how you like flax if you ever try it. I like it and appreciate it's history even though it can be a bit tricky to work with. Happy spinning to you. ❤🐻
German, English and Dutch are sister languages, but they're clearly not twins 😁
Was literally just thinking I wanted another one of your videos to spin to
Me too!! 😂
Then you're in luck on Wednesdays at 6.30 PM CET 😂
@@MijnWolden there is no way this fellow chaos goblin is that organised 😅
FABLE: Fiber Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy!
Okay, but how did you know my favourite video game is FABLE?
😂
The B roll footage is in point! Love the bumble bees. 🐝
🐝🐝🐝
That plant behind you looks like a type of flax, would be a cool experiment.
I'l not sure which one you mean 🤔
@@MijnWolden when you were in your courtyard, the plant in ythe black pot beside you against the wall.
I think that's some kind of agave 🤔
It's a New Zealand cabbage tree. It can be used for both fibre and food when it grows up.
Interesting, I'll look into it!
Heel herkenbaar. Er staan soms gewoon zakken wol voor mijn deur. Ik moet eigenlijk echt nee zeggen…maar vind het zo zonde. En ik heb nog heel wat gewassen vachten op zolder liggen😢. Kom er gewoon niet aan toe. En dan nog de haren van mijn honden. Dat is toch wel heel bijzonder om te spinnen hè❤. Nu oude alpaca bats opgezocht. Mijn zusje wil graag een topje ervan. Heerlijk om zo bezig te zijn😂. Geniet ervan !
Zonde om keuze te over te hebben 😅 ik wil na TdF ook graag wat alpaca spinnen 😁
I'm so new to spinning that I don't even know what it is I'm spinning. I use a drop spindle currently. I have an E-spinner that I can't get to work so I've gone back to my beautiful drop spindles. I have an ultimate goal of growing my own cotton and spinning it. Someday :)
Ambitious and I like it!
I will buy fiber from you. Tell this farmer to sell the wool online to me! My closet needs to be filled with wool. I have empty storage bins. WOOOooLL!!!!
I don't know where you're located, if it's Belgium, you could look up 'boer van Herkenrode '. I don't think he'll sell online or ship internationally though, he's a busy man.
If it's not Belgium: I'd suggest to look around for local farmers and just ask them. I believe a lot of them would be glad to gift you some wool.
Like you I have more wool than I will spin in a life time and my favourite fibre was a smoke blue alpaca spun to a beautiful soft yarn used for a shawl for a friend.I have found three other spinners I can pass some fleece on to but the network is still not big enough to go to far and only able to pass on a small amount,no one in your spinning group needs more? Lovely lot of spinning you were able to do.
Most spinners I know face the same problem 😅
As someone with more knowledge on plant than animal fibre spinning, I am eager for the experiments to come! Meanwhile thanks for providing me a distraction while I tore cuffs off a pair of sweatpants 😂 (Bought them off the interwebs for vacation plans and discovered the cuffs have been sewn so that the jearsey lost all stretch. Ridoculous!)
You're welcome 😉
I've really liked the little Corriedale I've spun. It's such a tactile fiber to hold and just feels good in the hands. I'm just thinking out loud but why not open an Etsy shop and sell the fleeces you have in excess online? If you make it as simple as possible (i.e. just sell the whole fleece as is without processing it in anyway) then it might become, if not lucrative then at least rewarding for you and the sheep farmers to see the fleeces being bought and used. Just an idea - I hate to see good wool not being valued for it's worth too!
A lot of people have said that, but I'm a bit worried about customs (especially the transatlantic ones), what with uncareful shipping (I have had packages sent to me that looked like they fell off a boat), what with introducing foreign matter to fragile biosystems? I might be overthinking this, but I guess I'll just post in some local groups for local pickup...
@@MijnWolden: Regarding rogue VM in fleeces and fragile biosystems, my last order from the Shetland Islands (Jamieson and Smith, the Wool Merchants), was diverted by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS), where I am glad to say it passed its inspection and was then forwarded to me. So some countries do take a lot of care in relation to checking. (I'm a bit surprised they decided to check it as all the wool I had ordered had been spun and most of it was dyed, which, typically, means it's safe.)
Would it be possible for you to limit your fleece sales to (say) north western Europe, where the biohazards are already shared? I know that excludes the large US market but I think it might let you destash without the dramas of international freight or possible biosecurity issues.
@@resourcedragonI have, as posted above, resorted to local pickup only. That was the way that gave me most comfort mentally to all my concerns, and also just practically the easiest. No fleece of mine has exited Belgium, not even Flanders. And I feel like that is the way to go, to love our own local breeds first.
Echt favoriete vezel, neen....euhm degene die ik zelf was? Maar ja dat is inderdaad ook zo op die manier zoals bij jouw vergaard.....anders gaat het de afvalhoop op 😅, ook ik moet dus vaak halt roepen over de teveel waar ze vaak mee aan komen te zetten, hoe mooi elke pels ook is....ik heb ook maar 2 handen....alhoewel die vorig jaar nog 30 schaapjes en 3 alpaca's konden wassen ben ik dit jaar toch strenger geweest....15 vachten schaap en 3 alpaca's.. ....en misschien volb3nd jaar nog strenger....🎉 enfin ik zie het wel.
Maar de hond van mijn reisgenoten uit Zwitserland vond ik wel heel erg leuk en speciaal.
Pfoe! 30 schaapjes! Wat een werk!
❤
I love all your channel but I’m unable to commit to Patreon so I subscribe, like, share and comment as much as I can, which is easy because I love your content.
Ik kan moeilijk kiezen wat mijn favoriet is. Helaas is mijn hond kort harig, maar ik heb wel ander mens hond gesponnen. Ik was verbaasd over de zachtheid daarvan. Eigenlijk zijn mijn favoriete vezels de vezels die ik gekregen heb, voor in mijn stalenboek. Her boterham zakje met kat, hond of gevonden in het bos wol. Ik vind het zo lief dat mensen aan mij denken.
En mocht je ooit van een boterhamzakje Vlaams of Belgisch schaap af willen, ik help je graag van je grote berg af. 😊 ( het Belgische schaap mis ik namelijk nog in mijn boekje)
Een diepvrieszakje wol kan ik je wel eens bezorgen! Stuur me een berichtje op mijnwolden@gmail.com 😉
Not me taking notes on how to pronounce Mijn Wolden. 🙉
And I think my favorite fiber is wool, but most specifically, wool top. I love a smooth, fluffy spin.
You're not the only one taking notes 😉
my favorite fiber cuurently is Icelandic. Im sooo fascinated by that double coat! I did also enjoy wensleydale top so Im hoping to secure a fleece for spinning after I get through the Icelandic. Or after I get through the raw alpaca my friend sent me from her parents farm. Unfortunately I am not usually capable of the socializing needed to receive free fleeces (and I live in a highly urban area) so I do pay for most of mine. On the one hand I dont mind supporting local farmers and incentivizing them to keep the fleeces out of the trash, and it helps keep my stash under control. But on the other....I dont have that much money and I dont usually get the cute videos and stories of the sheep. T_T
Icelandic really tickles my fancy too... But I'll just have to pretend the ouessant I have is icelandic, since there's no way I'm getting more fleeces now 😂
Ok, I am only 4 min into the video, but have you thought about creating a network/app/group to connect spinners with free fleece? Kind of like ChipDrop in the US connects gardeners with arborists who have woodchips?
I guess that most reactions would come from abroad (if you want a free fleece here you just have to say hi to a farmer) and customs and shipping kind of scare me off for that
@@MijnWolden that makes a lot of sense. Obviously being in America, I don't know what the demand for fleece may be like locally where you are. It's awesome that you can make sure of what farmers can't use and turn it into beautiful garments!
I like to spin Sheep fleece, I enjoy Coopworth raw and flicked, Corriedale milled into roving by a friend with a mini mill, Merino silk sliver is nice but I have trouble with Merino top and dislike spinning Alpaca.
I'm now spinning Merino top for the first time, and while it spins nice, I do Prefer my other fleeces more
I haven't gotten to spin many different things so it's kind of hard to pick a favourite yet. But my dream would be to have a bunny and also spin its fur T.T
I wonder if there'd be ways to put the people trying to gift you wool in contact with other spinners and felters... Although honestly it would be even better if they could actually Sell the wool. The state of things in europe is truly depressing.
(Also! I've finally been able to spin again! Been going at it for the last three days haha)
I shared Pieter's fleece in a bunch of facebookgroups I'm in, don't know what came of that. But yeah, our wool industry is a travesty... (And yay! Happy spinning!)
@@MijnWoldenoh I'm glad! (And thank you!)
My aunt spun her Akita Inu (is it correct ?) hair (the only time she spun something 😂) because combing him she thought it was a terrible waste to throw away all that wonderful hair. Well, the fiber must have memory, because the hat she gave me it's super warm but....looses hair sometimes 😂
This sounds oddly familiar! I also made a very shedding hat out of my family's akita inu. But for my gloves I mixed in some wool, and that holds together a lot better :)
@@MijnWolden oooh! I thought this was the matter, Yoshi's hair's alone could not stay bounded. If my aunt does it again I'll tell her to add some wool 😉
Being a newbie spinner with less than a year’s experience, I’ve only spun merino, a braid of mystery combed top, a small sample of bamboo, and alpaca. And a sample of merino blended with bamboo. I already know I definitely do NOT like bamboo. This might change, perhaps my spinning skills simply have to build. But for now? A big no. For the moment my favourite is alpaca. More specifically alpaca fibre from Killian, the main stud of a farm mere minutes from where I live.
I love that you know the name of your favorite fiber source 😁
I just found you today!🎉🎉🎉 Did you spin ‘in the grease’ or was it washed and combed? Thank you 😊 Just wondering how you would prep so many raw fleeces. I’m working my way through some dirty Wensleydale curls. I’ve washed them, dyed them and now gently combing them with a dog comb. It’s slowwwwwww 😅
I washed it with some rainwater and combed them, but I didn't strip it completely of the grease, I like a bit of lanolin still in the fleece 😊
What if you did giveaways to your subscribers to de-stache your studio? Then you could insure that the fiber was wanted? Just a thought.
I have had that thought as well, but then: what with customs? (50% of my subscribers live on the other side of the Atlantic) and: what with unwashed fleeces travelling a long time in a closed up cardboard box? What with sending unwanted fauna and flora to sensitive areas? Am I overthinking this?
I would love to have some of your local wool to spin...
No, I don't think you're overthinking things. Customs could get tricky, and I hadn't thought of that. I myself live in the U.S.A, and not to mention shipping cost. I figured I'd share anyway. Loving your videos, keep it up!
its also because people don't want to go through the work of processing fibre. They want the floofs to be already clean and shiny and ready to work with. We're so detached as to where our products come from these days as well as the work that goes into products we're happy to just pick off the shelves :(
Yes! 100%. I've just seen a post on facebook from someone complaining the fleece they just bought wasn't properly cleaned to their standards. Sheep live outside. They get dirt in their fleeces. Nature is dirty. Get your hands dirty.
@@MijnWolden I presume you know the term 'tag nut' might be a UK thing xD
Had to google it. If you want to know some Flemish slang for it: tarl or karboenkel (at least that's what my brother in law has told me)
@@MijnWolden This knowledge is powerful, thankyou 🤣
The term I know is dingleberry...
I also want to try stinging nettle, but I am a little hesitant, it feels like a big project and I don't know if I can take that on right now. 😕
Yeah it kind of scares me tol
@@MijnWolden yeah, I would like to try it, but not by myself. I think tomorrow I will ask my local spinning group if anyone wants to join me in the process. I'm really looking forward to spinning the whole afternoon with other spinners.
The process of preparing and spinning the nettles would be a very interesting video.
Do you have a spinning guild in your area? Or, do you know of a spinning class? Just thinking maybe you could de-stash some to other spinners near you. I am thinking of doing this with some of my fleeces.
Nothing really official like a Guild, there's An informal group of spinners, but they all are drowning in fleeces too. That's the reality of spinning in my country. There's very few of us 😅
Why don’t you do a giveaway of the extra wool?
I did, actually, but then a local one. So right now approx 50% of what you saw there is gone. (And then more has made its way into the stash), so I might need to do one again...
Did the little bird fly off alright?
Yes she did!
I don't spin, but maybe someday.... I have a large poodle who is spotted like a Jacob sheep, black and white. I collected hair when I cut him last time and would love to eventually make yarn. However- does poodle hair spin up like regular dog fur does? Anyone here ever try it? The staple length is about 4-5 inches.
Good question! Hopefully anyone here knows. I only have experience with akita inu ☺️
YIU SHOULD TAKE EVERY BAG OF WOOL AND TRY MAKING A MATTRESS!!!!!!!!!
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