Handspun Showcase

Romney spun from Connecticut Romney Fleece on Sidekick

I washed about 8 ounces of the Romney fleece I bought at the CSWF 2012 and tried a few things to prep it for spinning. Because there was good lock structure and the sunburned tips were not tender, I decided not to drum card it. A little sample on hand cards did not look great either so I tried teasing the locks open using my teasing board from the drum carder and spinning from the butt end of the locks. It turned out brilliant and easier to prep than using the flicker, where you need the glove and the mat and a good surface. I clamped the board to my desk and teased and spun on my Matchless. Then, when I got home from MSWF, I finished teasing the 8 oz and have spinning it on my Sidekick. Today, I washed another 8 oz. At first I was thinking I had washed a lb but there is no way it would have fit in the basin.

Ball of homespun from Ann’s “Meat Sheep”

Ann gave me a batt she carded from the free fleece she got at a spinning event she went to in April. The spinner said the fleece was old and she didn’t know what breed but she thought it was from a sheep raised for it’s meat, hence “Meat Sheep” wool. Probably, Suffolk; it looks like that in the fleece books. It was a joy to spin, bouncy and full of life, easy to long draw. I quickly spun a bobbin on my new wheel that evening.

Aviatrix from Romney lock

My commiserator from Ravelry who also got the flakey fleece from AppleRose, sent me some Romney that she had washed up and I teased it and spun it. It was easy to spin and I Andean plied it into a double ply with about 8-9 WPI. I decided to make a little bonnet with it. It was about 125 yds I think, and didn’t seem like enough so I decided to use the meat sheep yarn to finish it if necessary. I have gotten almost all but the second ear flap done from that ball and probably would have got the whole thing but I made the first strap too long; I was reading the DK instructions instead of the worsted one for that part of the directions. I also noted that I knit the flap with one #9 and one #7 needle; somehow they got mixed up in the basket. I can’t wait to finish and block the hat, let it bloom a little.