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…
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 into specific wools for your handspinning projects, you are normally shopping by breed, of which there are tons of choices! Which breed specific wool will suit you and your spinning the best and how do you find it? We’ll go over the basics of wool differences and look into the common…
Each time you start a new project, you have to consider which wool will suit you the best. The wool that was best for you as a beginner is probably not going to be the wool you use for the rest of your handspinning. How do you pick the wool that is most likely to…
You’ve seen the raw wool fleeces available for online and at fiber festivals and sales and have probably wondered if you should jump in and buy a raw fleece or just admire them and stick to the prepared fibers you love. Is a raw wool fleece the right choice for you and what is involved…
Thinking about learning to spin wool? It’s a rewarding hobby that has endless creative potential, I really enjoy spinning! As neat as spinning wool is, it’s not free, how much does it cost to spin wool? It will cost $3.5-5 for two ounces of wool to spin a two ounce skein of yarn. This does…
Some handspinners really get a kick out of carding wool for spinning, others, like me, would prefer not to card at all! But can we do it, is carding a must or are there times when carding wool is optional? You can spin uncarded wool if the wool fibers will easily separate out by hand…
All wool can be used for some sort of spinning project and, actually, most wool has something it’s known for being spectacular in! The trick to having a wonderful fleece to work with is to match what you want to do with the fleece with the built in characteristics of the fleece that will be…
We’re all looking for a great source of wool for our handspinning passion. Whether we are looking for roving to raw fleeces, where are the best places to find high quality wool? Direct from the sheep farmer The most obvious place to get wool is from the sheep farmer. While not all sheep farmers have…