First Fleece wash of the year

 I ordered this fleece a couple of weeks ago but its been sitting in the kitchen untouched due to a minor domestic disaster involving water and a ceiling!

Today, the forecast isn't too bad and in fact next week is looking even better so I thought that I had better get my finger out and wash it. Also, having had to remove the raw fleece stash from its hiding place ( the disused outside loo) it has become apparent to both of us how much I actually have.

This is a Shetland fleece, just over a kilo in weight. It looks pretty clean and open so hopefully it will be an easy spin. 

sorry if the photos aren't brilliant but I had to use my phone as the battery had run out on my camera.

It washed up pretty clean and very soft.

In the meantime I found another box, this one dated July  2025 containing a black cheviot shearling so guess what I'm doing tomorrow.

Final Tour de Fleece 2025 figures.

I knew that I wouldn't spin as much as usual this year as we were away for nearly half of it. I've not included any half bobbins that are hanging around, just full skeins.

I had prepped around 1300gm of fibre, some is still in the bag but we have another trip or two planned so at least I have something to take with me.

All waiting to be washed, total 1.097Kg or 2.418 pounds, breeds.. Cheviot, Ryeland, Romney, Jacob, Shetland, North Country Mule.

The Cheviot and Jacob are from the Isle of Skye and will return there. The rest will probably join my knitting stash in the van.

I now need to continue washing and prepping fleece both fine and coarse for both of the e-spinners.

Tour de Fleece day eight , some spinning but not a lot

 Another warm day but we went out for a drive and ended up at Papplewick Pumping station, a favourite place to while away a couple of hours.

The cloud making machine was working

The brass was gleaming

and there were a lot of steampunks about :-)

 and this is definitely not a Lambretta however at £40 it will be a bargain for someone.

As for the spinning its still Ryeland on the wheel but this is the total so far.

Tour de Fleece day four, spinning but not a good day for other things,

 So yesterday, day four, started really well. I finished the last bobbin of Cheviot.

Plyed them together and they are now in the wash bag as I intend washing yarn at some point at the weekend.

I had intended this to be all my spinning for the day as I had a dental appointment later in the day. However I ended up having a very difficult tooth extraction and the only way to distract my mind from the pain was to do something with both my hands and brain so I ended up spinning again, 120gm Ryeland.

This morning, the pain is not so bad but I'm sat with a coffee and painkillers debating what to spin next, watch this space.

Farewell TDf for 2021 back to the randomness that is normal.

 TDF is well and truly over for this year, the skeins have been washed and now waiting to be weighed, re-skeined and labelled.

My spinning wheel is packed away for a few days and I've pretty much run out of prepped fleece.

I've turned my hand back to my stitching and finally finished this small sampler and it is now waiting to be made into a small pillow to go with my collection.

My blog posts will probably go back to being weekly depending on how much I have to say/do that is interesting.

It s been a hot weekend and with the heat forecast to last a few more days I doubt that I will be doing a great deal although a day out is planned at some point just so we can have fish and chips at the seaside.

have a great week, speak soon x

Day 21 &22 crash and burn

 That's me done, simply going to put the wheel away for a few days and do something else.

Last two skeins of Shetland and Jacob

Total 2.022 Kilo

Assorted weights from fingering to chunky, will measure etc once washed, may lose a bit of weight in washing.

Need to wash whilst the weather is hot

Full list of breeds for anyone interested.

TDF Spinning 2021 

28.6  Jacob 109

 29.6 Texel 102

 29.6 Welsh black mount x lleyn 74

 30.6 Shetlandxromney 66

 1.7.  Jacob 116 ( yes two skeins, same weight ! )

 1.7  Jacob 116

 3.7 Brown Shetland 112

 5.7  Jacob 128 

5.7 Hebridean 112 

7.7 unknown 131 

7.7 cheviot 125

 8.7 bfl/swaledale 107 

12.7 Ryeland 100 

12.7 Cheviot 110 

13.7 IOS cheviot 107

 14.7 Romney 76 

14.7 unknown 57

 15.7 Texel 112 

17.7 Brown Shetland 114

 17.7  Jacob 48

the Jacob skeins are from two different Jacob fleeces.

TDF Day 18

 Today it was back to tackling the black cheviot from the Isle of Skye, yep the fleece from the sheep that must have stood on the coal tip! Teeny, tiny bits of what looks like coal even though I'm sure it isn't but its a right pain even after combing as much out as possible. I'm spinning and relying on my fingers feeling the bits as I come to them. 107gm of yarn and a floor that needs sweeping.

And in the wash bag it goes, I now have 1.6 kilo of yarn ready for a serious washday.

The rest of my day was spent alternately doing house stuff and prying into pillowslips of fleece to see what is still lurking, For tomorrow I have 50gm of unknown white stuff to work with. I have a feeling that this may be Kerry hill but I didn't find a label in the raw fleece when I got round to washing some.

TDF day 17, busy, busy, busy.

 

Two more for the wash bag, I finished spinning and plying the Ryeland from the weekend  (100gm) and then spun and plyed the white cheviot (110gm)

On the home front, I've unpacked most of the stuff from the van, just need to find homes for it. The van is due its annual service ( engine etc service), MOT ( vehicle safety check, has to be undertaken each year) , habitation check ( service and inspection of the living quarters part of the van) at the beginning of next month and they like it to be pretty much empty so there will be another car load being bought back to the house during the week.

It's my chance to wash cushion covers etc and get rid of anything that hasn't been used in the last year or two.

With the sorting and the shopping and having to keep an appointment this morning and , of course, the spinning I've been a wee bit busy :-)

TDF day 12, very quick summary of todays spinning

 

Top is the unknown fleece spun yesterday coming in at 131 gm, bottom skein is cheviot weighing in at 125 gm spun and plyed today.

I've no idea what I will be spinning tomorrow, its in a bag, no label but I remember when I bought it so I'll check my list. Just checked, bfl (blue face leicester ) x swaledale ( more swaledale than bfl I think)

Quick Tour de Fleece prep update

 My room is in a complete mess, fleece everywhere !

so far  black cheviot 210gm          black jacob  270gm        shetland 190gm

           brown jacob   250 gm        white cheviot  290gm      dark brown jacob  110gm

all prepped ready to spin. I have some more shetland to work through, more fleece to wash and more on the way thanks to generous people.

I am frantically knitting fingerless gloves for a friend, will show once finished :-)

speak soon.

Catching up with more friends

Day 3

Monday found us camped up at Edinbane on a camping and caravan site by the side of Loch Greshornish, we have used this site before mainly because its next door to Island at the Edge  owned by the lovely Yasmin and Trevor.

The croft offers everything woolly ,croft tours, knitted items, yarn from their own sheep (black cheviot and Hebridean), hand spun yarn and other sheepy related products.

A croft tour was in progress and , as Trevor also had a job to do, I found myself looking after the shop whilst Ian went for a ride round on his bike. As visitors are still a rare commodity ( restrictions on international travelers etc ) I spent some of the time spinning on Yasmins wheel.

I may have acquired a couple of fleeces, Ian found space beside the spare wheel for them !

More to come ( if you are interested ) x

Crafty interlude

 We have been back for four days ( more Scotland photos in next post) and so far it feels like winter !! I've even got my thick leggings on.

I've made good progress on the hat, just started the decreases and realized that it nearly matches my new skirt.

I've spun 120gm of random fleece ( From isle of Skye 2019, breed unknown even by the crofter ! )

I had a couple of fleeces delivered to the campsite this year, I hope to photo at the weekend as I've not had chance to look at them yet.

The Island charity shops did us proud again, Ian acquired quite a pile of cds as well.

Monday was spent organizing my cross stitch stash and listing all the fabric that I've been fortunate to pick up recently. I also listed all the kits I have waiting to be done..... I suspect that some will still be around in 10 years time especially as some are already 25 years old.

I spun some cheviot whilst away, windy but glorious view from the wheel.

and even got to add a few stitches to the big red stitch

My next project is to comb the bag of Jacob sat next to my desk ready for the start of this years Tour de Fleece, it looks like I will be camping for 2 out of the 3 weeks covered by this years dates so I'm hoping that the weather seriously improves.

That's about it craftwise for now, speak soon xx

So, having destroyed the slow cooker

 I took to using the steamer for the last few skeins along with using the remaining cooker. This time I decided to paint the dye onto the yarn, wrap it up in cling film and pop it into the three tier steamer.

                                                          these are all Cheviot skeins.

 Different effect but it works just fine. I have a few more skeins to dye during the week and I'm now back up to two cookers thanks to hubby doing the weekly shop.

                the darker skein is mixed breeds and dyed in the remaining slow cooker :-)

My wash line yesterday...

Today I'm being ruthless with my washed fleece stash, if its been hanging around more than a couple of years I will be either prepping it ready for our next road trip, Prepping it for spinning next month or discarding it. I have also gathered together all my empty pillow cases that I use for fleece storage and chucked them in the washer.

This is my prepped fleece stash so far, I prepped this over the last few days whilst re-watching Downton Abbey.

Large bag of cheviot and the darker fibre is from the Isle of Skye, breed unknown but I suspect that its either Jacob or a Jacob cross.

A Little bit of stitching this week, just a small sampler pillow on the go.

And that's about it for now, speak soon xx