My New Wheel

My long awaited spinning wheel has arrived and is now assembled.    Long awaited because it has taken me months, nay years to decide on buying one and then which one.   I have ended up with the Mach 11 from SpinOlution .   It seems to tick most of my boxes and not be so very very expensive.  The bobbins are huge and click in and out really easily and it has a really large selection of ratios And can spin any thickness of yarn And And,  I could go on for ever.
Now to get the hang of it and move on to spinning my Wensleydale locks

My New Flock

Away for a few days and I made these while waiting for the fishermen to return.  Now to think of names for them.

Recent Work

Some of this week's work.
    Pure Wensleydale yarn made from the long staple wool and then hand dyed.  I made 400gms of this.
 Some Wensleydale locks that I have named 'Storm Clouds'.  These are hand dyed using food dye and  the dye set in the microwave using the new steamer I got yesterday.  I think that I will dye more in this colour way and then spin them up myself when my new spinning wheel arrives.  I think that it will make a lovely art yarn.   My new wheel is on its way from the US and I am really excited as it will spin any thickness of yarn
   Lastly my soaps these I felt using  a coarser fiber that is not really suitable to make into yarn as it is not soft enough

Wensleydale Batts

The first wool batts from this year's fleece.  These are from a half bred sheep that I sold last Autumn to a neighbour.   I now have the whole fleece and as with my other half bred sheep it is a large fleece.  I have washed  and then kettle dyed some of the fleece using Gaywool dye.  This has produced a lovely denim coloured wool which I have blended with Angelina to make a lovely fibre ready for spinning or felting.  There is still a little veggie matter in the fiber although it has been through the drum carder 3 times to blend the dyes lots thoroughly.  I have put it up on my Etsy web site.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/153841397/victoria-beckham-hand-dyed-wensleydale-x?ref=shop_home_active 

Shearing the Sheep

A busy morning in the yard with the sheep shearers.  All the adult sheep are shorn and they will  be more comfortable for the summer and I have all their lovely fleeces to play with.
It is important to get all the sheep shorn when the warm weather arrives as all sorts of nasty beasts can make their home in all that wool, apart from it being very hot and the sheep are in danger of becoming 'cast'.  That is when they get stuck on their backs and they die very quickly.
All a bit uncomfortable for them while it is happening but it only takes a minute or two.
I took a photo of the rams enjoying the evening sun a few hours after their ordeal,  perfect weather for them.
The first of the fleece is already washed,  dried  and in the dye pot as I write this.    Great to have the weather to dry the fleece

Summer May have Arrived

Carding some Jacob fleece in the garden.   The first day this year that the weather was nice enough, and no wind. to do some work outside!   The great thing about it is all that dirt is left outside rather that on the floor in the house creating more dust.   The end product all those lovely batts of carded wool ready for the spinning wheel,  Oh Joy