Sue, Your combing video made it so easy to work with the wool that I have already spun half of the amount that I had. I am now going to comb the second half and will find myself out of wool to comb and spin in a day's time. I am still working on getting the twist just right, but have only spun three pieces on a hand spindle, each is longer than 30 yards. When I get it right, I will try and make something, but right now, practice, practice, practice. Thank you, Jo
Thank you so much. There is a lot of disagreement out there about the advisability of combing Shetland wool and I am so pleased to find your very clear video and even more clear opinion about combing Shetland wool.
HI Emma, I would say if you are combing merino, and if it is well washed you will probably get some static problems, I use a very fine spray mister and spray the air above the fleece, if it is too wet it will stretch the wool and it will lose it's elasticity, some folks use water and oil mix, this is fine if you are planning to wash the yarn after spinning,
Thanks so much! This explains everything I've been reading about and not getting! I'm a beginning spinner, using a high whorl drop spindle. In looking for some fairly long staple roving to practice a worsted draw, I was given three bags of Merino fleece. Now I have a clue of how not to ruin it! Thank you, thank you!
Personally I would do it by hand, if you have lots of it, try some in a stocking in the washer, Separate the locks and lay in stocking all facing same way up, then knot the stocking tightly each end of the staples this way it keeps them from moving around too much. Worth a try, depends on your washer if it draws cold water then hot which is not so good, less agitation is good, but you need really hot water to clean wax out properly.
Hi Haley, I think it depends on how matted or not the hair is on how you would prep it, if it is fairly open I would tend to card it and take out guard hairs first, maybe blend with a little mohair or silk as it would strengthen without detracting, also the shrinkage rate would not be too different, if you blend with merino and then wash it you could find the merino shrinks more leaving you with a bit of boucle effect (which may be happy accident)
so glad you have found combing easier, I use mine such a lot with washed fleece, I use mainly merino crosses so they are ideal for it. I am carding blue/red/green/purple merino tops with silk so that the singles yarn knits into stripes for a shrug. Plan A is in my head and so far is working, just hope I don't have to resort to plans B,C,D etc!
If fleece is going to felt it will do so most at the butt or cut end, so the smaller the bunches the less likely it is. If you take a large chunk of fleece and wash it like that it is more likely to felt together and if washed loose in a washer and not contained in a net bag you are more likely to lose staple formation which makes combing harder. I have tried many ways to cut down on the time for washing, most end up with more wasteage.
So well done! Each movement made is clearly explained so that the why's of performing each motion make sense. Hooray! Now I know how I can adjust my combing to reduce neps.
I normally choose combing for wool which has well defined locks, where the locks are longer than the carders are wide and for these mini combs not too long and cotted(matted). They are ideal for merino and merino cross fleece but not really suitable for things like Leicester long wool or Wensleydale.The great thing about combing is it takes off any brittle tips, second cuts etc and so reduces pilling. Regards Sue
Hya, I spin from the butt because the scales on the fibre go from Butt to tip and I don't smooth down the yarn as I spin but I do as I ply. This means that the scales are roughed up as I ply so that it helps the singles to mesh to each other and gives a more coherent yarn instead of 2 singles that are just wrapped around each other. It is personal preference, I just find it works best for me.
Jcob can be of two distinct qualities, one quite coarse and one quite soft. The staple length tends to be longer and also if comparing the best Shetland to the best Jacob the crimp would be less too.
Thanks Amanda, I have spun from the butt end for years now and find this works best particularly as when I ply I smooth the fibres which helps to guide the twist and also roughs up the scales to mesh the singles better. Regards Sue
If you want to spin a true worsted yarn where all of the fibres are parallel and the best and longest fibres are separated from the short ones, then combing is the way to go. My basic rule of thumb is:- if the locks are longer than the carders are wide by more than an inch then combing would be easier.
@@chicksinrubber thank you me too but my combs seem different to everyone else's as my don't go straight up they go on an angle do you think they will work the same x
Wow. I am beyond new at all of this, so this would be my first time washing the wool -- it's not dirty, but it is buggy. I was going to use the washer method, and dry in sun.... Then keep the fine muster handy. Am I in over my head?
Basically the older the sheep the coarser the fleece of all breeds. I wouldn't buy any fleece without seeing it, but if you have had good reports about a breeder and the breeder knows about handspinners requirements then it might be worth a shot.If you are a member of Ravelry there are a lot of fleeces and breeders there who can help you.
So, don't do the washer stuff? Do it by hand, bending over the tub? And the bugs are dead. This is North Texas Merino from wethers, late cut, so it's long.
Very nice video! I have some standard poodle hair that I cut off my poodle spring intending on spinning some yarn out of it. It's about 4 inches long. Do you think that it would be best to comb or card it? Should I mix in some Merino or other wool? And should I pick out the course guard hairs?
would recommend anyway in most cases, unless you are spinning super super fine, then the tangles are not worth it, I would not oil and then wash after knitting.
Hi emma, When you say Buggy, do you mean live or dead wildlife as in moth etc, if so I recommend you bag the fleece seal and deep freeze for a few days, this will kill larvae and adults. If it is vegetation and the fleece is long enough to allow and it is confined to the tips, you could cut the tips off, Ausie fleece is often dry and brittle at the tips anyway and would come off in the combing. What is muster?
Why would you comb versus card? Combing looks like it opens the fleece very nicely -- is it better than carding? (Cards are SO expensive -- I'm limping along with dog curry combs...)
I personally use Louet Mini double rows for things like Shetland, There are many more brands on the market now and if your fleece is particularly long or tight you might be better with some a bit more robust. Maybe Majacraft, though all are expensive now.
Sue,
Your combing video made it so easy to work with the wool that I have already spun half of the amount that I had. I am now going to comb the second half and will find myself out of wool to comb and spin in a day's time. I am still working on getting the twist just right, but have only spun three pieces on a hand spindle, each is longer than 30 yards. When I get it right, I will try and make something, but right now, practice, practice, practice.
Thank you,
Jo
Hi Sue,
That's the best clip of combing on hand combs I've seen - thanks!
I'm glad you agree that it spins best from the butt end.
Amanda
Thank you so much. There is a lot of disagreement out there about the advisability of combing Shetland wool and I am so pleased to find your very clear video and even more clear opinion about combing Shetland wool.
It is a very good description, congratulations.
HI Emma, I would say if you are combing merino, and if it is well washed you will probably get some static problems, I use a very fine spray mister and spray the air above the fleece, if it is too wet it will stretch the wool and it will lose it's elasticity, some folks use water and oil mix, this is fine if you are planning to wash the yarn after spinning,
Thanks so much! This explains everything I've been reading about and not getting! I'm a beginning spinner, using a high whorl drop spindle. In looking for some fairly long staple roving to practice a worsted draw, I was given three bags of Merino fleece. Now I have a clue of how not to ruin it! Thank you, thank you!
Personally I would do it by hand, if you have lots of it, try some in a stocking in the washer, Separate the locks and lay in stocking all facing same way up, then knot the stocking tightly each end of the staples this way it keeps them from moving around too much. Worth a try, depends on your washer if it draws cold water then hot which is not so good, less agitation is good, but you need really hot water to clean wax out properly.
Hi Haley, I think it depends on how matted or not the hair is on how you would prep it, if it is fairly open I would tend to card it and take out guard hairs first, maybe blend with a little mohair or silk as it would strengthen without detracting, also the shrinkage rate would not be too different, if you blend with merino and then wash it you could find the merino shrinks more leaving you with a bit of boucle effect (which may be happy accident)
so glad you have found combing easier, I use mine such a lot with washed fleece, I use mainly merino crosses so they are ideal for it. I am carding blue/red/green/purple merino tops with silk so that the singles yarn knits into stripes for a shrug. Plan A is in my head and so far is working, just hope I don't have to resort to plans B,C,D etc!
If fleece is going to felt it will do so most at the butt or cut end, so the smaller the bunches the less likely it is. If you take a large chunk of fleece and wash it like that it is more likely to felt together and if washed loose in a washer and not contained in a net bag you are more likely to lose staple formation which makes combing harder. I have tried many ways to cut down on the time for washing, most end up with more wasteage.
Thanks! I borrowed some combs from a friend but had no idea how to use them. You have explained it nicely!
So well done! Each movement made is clearly explained so that the why's of performing each motion make sense. Hooray! Now I know how I can adjust my combing to reduce neps.
I normally choose combing for wool which has well defined locks, where the locks are longer than the carders are wide and for these mini combs not too long and cotted(matted). They are ideal for merino and merino cross fleece but not really suitable for things like Leicester long wool or Wensleydale.The great thing about combing is it takes off any brittle tips, second cuts etc and so reduces pilling.
Regards
Sue
Hya,
I spin from the butt because the scales on the fibre go from Butt to tip and I don't smooth down the yarn as I spin but I do as I ply. This means that the scales are roughed up as I ply so that it helps the singles to mesh to each other and gives a more coherent yarn instead of 2 singles that are just wrapped around each other. It is personal preference, I just find it works best for me.
Jcob can be of two distinct qualities, one quite coarse and one quite soft. The staple length tends to be longer and also if comparing the best Shetland to the best Jacob the crimp would be less too.
Thanks Amanda, I have spun from the butt end for years now and find this works best particularly as when I ply I smooth the fibres which helps to guide the twist and also roughs up the scales to mesh the singles better.
Regards
Sue
If you want to spin a true worsted yarn where all of the fibres are parallel and the best and longest fibres are separated from the short ones, then combing is the way to go. My basic rule of thumb is:- if the locks are longer than the carders are wide by more than an inch then combing would be easier.
Thanks Sue! I'll see what there is in town and do some experimenting.
Thank you for this video I'm now going to try out my Christmas pressie xx
That is a nice way to spend xmas day. Hope it works well.
@@chicksinrubber thank you me too but my combs seem different to everyone else's as my don't go straight up they go on an angle do you think they will work the same x
Post a pic of them so I can see.
@@chicksinrubber I will do one better and do a video and put it on my channel x
Ah, thank you, for both this and the suggestions on when to comb versus card. :)
Wow. I am beyond new at all of this, so this would be my first time washing the wool -- it's not dirty, but it is buggy. I was going to use the washer method, and dry in sun.... Then keep the fine muster handy. Am I in over my head?
Basically the older the sheep the coarser the fleece of all breeds. I wouldn't buy any fleece without seeing it, but if you have had good reports about a breeder and the breeder knows about handspinners requirements then it might be worth a shot.If you are a member of Ravelry there are a lot of fleeces and breeders there who can help you.
Hi Dave,
thanks for the comment.
Regards
Sue
So, don't do the washer stuff? Do it by hand, bending over the tub?
And the bugs are dead. This is North Texas Merino from wethers, late cut, so it's long.
Very nice video! I have some standard poodle hair that I cut off my poodle spring intending on spinning some yarn out of it. It's about 4 inches long. Do you think that it would be best to comb or card it? Should I mix in some Merino or other wool? And should I pick out the course guard hairs?
would recommend anyway in most cases, unless you are spinning super super fine, then the tangles are not worth it, I would not oil and then wash after knitting.
Is there a particular reason that you spin from the butt-end rather than from the tips or is it just personal preference?
Hi emma,
When you say Buggy, do you mean live or dead wildlife as in moth etc, if so I recommend you bag the fleece seal and deep freeze for a few days, this will kill larvae and adults. If it is vegetation and the fleece is long enough to allow and it is confined to the tips, you could cut the tips off, Ausie fleece is often dry and brittle at the tips anyway and would come off in the combing. What is muster?
Why would you comb versus card?
Combing looks like it opens the fleece very nicely -- is it better than carding? (Cards are SO expensive -- I'm limping along with dog curry combs...)
A typo for Mister
What combs do you recommend for double coated fleece? Love you channel so much Information
I personally use Louet Mini double rows for things like Shetland, There are many more brands on the market now and if your fleece is particularly long or tight you might be better with some a bit more robust. Maybe Majacraft, though all are expensive now.
How does Jacob fleece compare to Shetland?
super
:) The Jacobs are mine -- I'm raising them myself. Do wethers keep their softness longer? Thanks for that info! I will go hunt down Ravelry. :)