We all know that the wool used for yarn and felt, among other things, comes from sheep. But we also know that, for the most part, wool does not just fall off the sheep, it must be shorn. Common sense would tell you that the sheep are not very likely to just stand there while…
Before you can start spinning, you are going to need some handspinning supplies! What are your options and where do you get the tools and fiber that you’ll need for your yarn? Handspinning supplies can be purchased locally from farm stores, small shops or in person events, like festivals, or from larger online retailers which…
You might have the option of working with wool from a local flock, be looking for wool perfect for that next project or just looking to broaden your spinning experience. There are a ton of choices of wools to spin from different breeds of sheep, all of which you’ve heard great things about their wool….
Have you heard of angora wool and are wondering what on earth you’d do with it? Or, have you heard different (sometimes opposite!) things about the same fiber? What’s the real scoop? What is angora wool good for and why would you use it? Angora wool is from rabbits and is used to make luxury…
Mohair is an amazing material that has tons of wonderful properties, for both clothing and for hand crafts, like spinning and weaving. Most mohair also seems to have something else, a fairly high price tag! Why is that? What is going on with mohair that makes it so expensive? Mohair is expensive because it is…
If you have done any searching around at all for mohair, you’ll come across the question of goats being killed for mohair. Do goats really die when mohair is harvested or is this claim another sensationalized topic that isn’t quite what it seems? Goats are not killed for mohair Goats are not killed to produce…
When you are just getting started with handspinning, you’ll want to work with the easiest wool to use while you are learning. There are a lot of wonderful wools out there to choose from and many are listed as easy to spin, but what is the easiest wool of all to spin? The easiest wool…
If you get a fleece from the same breed of sheep you have purchased before, will you get what you are hoping for? Do fleeces of the same breed of sheep spin up the same or are they different and how do you know what to look for when you are shopping? Fleeces from the…
Buying a freshly shorn fleece this year? You’ll have a ton of choices, which is both good and not so good, since you now have to sort them all out and pick! So, how do you pick a fleece that you’ll love to work with and will suit your handspinning skills or project plans? 7…
When you are looking around for a cool fiber to use or buy, you’ll notice that some are significantly more expensive than others, especially angora rabbit wool. Why is that? What is going on with angora wool to make it cost more than most other fibers? Angora rabbit wool is expensive because the rabbits are…