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Princesszelda
New Pal
Canada
6 Posts |
 Posted - 03/16/2013 : 08:47:49 AM
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I spin so I can knit so I can spin...haven't met a fleece I didn't like! Lately I've been spinning Icelandic wool 2 ply then knitting onto circular needles. And I can spin it in the grease (what a timesaver). Looking for help spinning up this unusual, wonderful wool led me to you. Reading through your forums really pushed me along. Thank you so much!
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robinstephanie
Seriously Hooked
USA
873 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2013 : 11:07:14 AM
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Hi PrincessZelda--welcome from Northern California, from another spinning nut. Spinning Icelandic in the grease sounds like heavenly good fun. I'm currently processing my first fleece, and want to spin it into 3-ply for a pair of Elizabeth Zimmerman's nethergarments. It's SO satisfying! Hope to hear more from you on your Icelanding and all other fleeces and spinning/knitting projects.
Robinsteph
Different is good. ~Matthew Hoover |
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jtamsn
Permanent Resident
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2013 : 1:55:37 PM
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Welcome to the forums from Maine!
judy |
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eldergirl
Permanent Resident
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2013 : 10:44:58 PM
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Hi and welcome! I'm from Baltimore. When you spoke about Icelandic wool, I thought about Elizabeth Zimmerman and Meg Swanson (her daughter) just like Robinsteph, and I hope you have checked them out at Schoolhouse Press.
There are lots of patterns and ideas on knitting with Icelandic wool, and I have loved them since the 70's, when Elizabeth's first book was published!
And OK, what does "spinning in the grease" mean? This inquiring mind would like to know!
Thanks, and best wishes,
Anna
Life is beautiful. |
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eldergirl
Permanent Resident
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2013 : 10:48:39 PM
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Oh, PrincessZelda, I forgot to add that when I grew up hundreds of years ago in Washington State, we would drive to the Okanagen Valley to buy apples and peaches and apricots and yum yum yum!
Do you have the candy made from fruits that comes from around there, (south of you, in Canada), "Aplets and Cotlets" ?
Anna
Life is beautiful. |
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Princesszelda
New Pal
Canada
6 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2013 : 09:41:14 AM
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I'll definitely look up Elizabeth Zimmerman books! You've given me a quest.
On my needles is a free pattern Aftur from ISTEX. After checking my gauge I had to go down to 3.75 needles from 4.5. I bought a white Icelandic fleece with light grey long guard wool (tog) and grabbed a handful of locks and by holding the cut ends with one hand, just pulled out that long stuff with the other. Resulting wool is sooo soft but there are a few of the darker hairs through it so my yarn is white grey mix. I stopped when I had a Kg. The 7" long tog wool I've tied up in bundles for (I don't know what) later? I'm about 1/2 through that fleece. I have one other Icelandic milk chocolate colored lamb fleece which I am spinning tog and the very fine under wool (thel) together for one of the other colors în the yoke of the pattern and I've asked for a black and a latte brown fleece for the rest. The pattern calls for 6 colors so I'll be doing some blending on my carders I expect, and go all natural fleece colors or else some wool dyeing is in my future. I would use Oregon grape roots for a Yellow, but I'm at a loss for Scarlet Red.
When I bought the first Icelandic wool and it was spread out on the sorting table, I was in love. The wool had none of the yellow lanoline globs. I wouldn't have to scour it! The fleece was so clean and well skirted that there was very little VM or BM. It was bundled back up and into a giant paper bag and if I had brought my chequebook I would have bought everything she had (I had enough money with me for that fleece, a lamb fleece and another new fibre to me, grey alpaca cloud).
I had just been told to be careful as the wool wants to felt and there would be lambs available for sale in the fall. I admired the flock of very shaggy ewes and all the beautiful colours of their fleece. We discussed lamb recipes leaning on a fence as the flock lay down in the shade of some trees and digested their dinner. They chewed with their eyes closed but their ears up and I imagined that they were agreeing that Shashlik (shish kebab) was better than Irish Stew. One of the flock must have taken offence as she was standing and shaking her head. Perhaps she was a teetotaler and disagreed with lamb marinating in Pinot Noir. Again, good thing I didn't have my chequebook as there was mention of "Bottle babies". I considered how many lambs would fit in my car, I have 4 seatbelts...
Almost as soon as I got home I started Googling "Icelandic fleece". That's when I found you. I poured over every speck of info. I could gather and proceeded. So petrified that I would ruin the wool I simply picked up my carders, grabbed a handful of unwashed locks (tog removed) and proceeded from there. I did wash and hang a weight on the plyed yarn after it came off the niddy noddy but the water was only 105F with 5tsp Dawn dishwashing liquid in 5 gal water. 2 rinses of the same temp (on cooking thermometer) and the fleece was sparkling clean. I suppose this would be the point at which I would dye this wool, though I am very mindful of the felting warning.
I'm finding as I knit, that the adult fleece spun woolen is not prickly at all and I expect the same of the Icelandic lamb fleece spun tog and thel together, though it is still on the wheel and not yet even plied. I hope so as this color is for around the neck of my sweater.
The only problem I've had with this beautiful wool is that the cats behave as if they are on drugs and just can't get enough of this wool if they can get into it...cats imitating their owner my DH said.
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Princesszelda
New Pal
Canada
6 Posts |
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Hi from the Okanagan Valley, BC, CANADA
