Can't believe I got this much free wool......

[tm_bunnyloft]

Maybe, but I'm just hoping to be able to support the hobby.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

This is a very expensive hobby but I doubt I will ever spend the money I did with horses but you never know. I am trying to get my husband to buy me a cheap $300 wheel to start with and hope to be able to make enough to buy a nicer one as time goes on. But right now I am having a hard time getting him to bring home the stuff to make a pvc niddy noddy.

The wool lady is going to talk to her 4H friends and see if she can get me more wool for free or at least cheap in the future. I cant believe how lucky I got on this.

I have decided to breed my angoras to build up my wooler herd. They are both REW so does that mean I will get all REW babies or a myster pack? I wonder? Never did understand REWs.

__________ Mon Jan 14, 2013 12:02 am __________

Curious, How many pounds of wool does the average Shetland sheep produce in a shearing? She said she clipped some lambs and kept their wool too. I have a feeling this is going to be like opening presents at Christmas.

look up breeds of sheep. that will tell you info on that breeds wool, average staple length (length of sheared fibers), average pounds raw fleece (raw as in not washed, with all the lanolin and VM {vegetable matter}),....


from what i understand REWs of all breeds can suprize you. my neighbor bred 2 full pedigree white new zealands. all white in both pedigrees..... litter of 8 fat healthy BLACK AS PITCH babies! you just gotta wait to find out what the REW is hiding.<br /><br />__________ Mon Jan 14, 2013 12:51 am __________<br /><br />

cheap $300 wheel

:shock: That's cheap? Wow, that really must be an expensive hobby. I'm sure you should be able to make some money off it though to counter the cost.

yes handspun yarns sell for quite a good price. the thing is finding people to buy it. of course etsy is always nice or makin your own website.

oh and angora (fiber from angora rabbits) sells for alot. especially if it is nice fiber.

here are some wheels i am lookin at to save up for...

wheels $185, $220, $250... not one of the common names though.
https://sites.google.com/site/sheepbanks/home

wheel for $399
http://www.woolery.com/store/pc/Bluebon ... p11442.htm

wheel for $199.95 plus $35 shipping
http://www.etsy.com/listing/118089109/b ... h_type=all

wheel $344.75
http://www.babesfibergarden.com/index.p ... 1&vmcchk=1



good site to look at. link is to spinning wheel section but has alot of good stuff.
http://www.woolery.com/store/pc/Spinning-Wheels-c4.htm

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

Ilove the Woolery. I have a couple of wheels picked out. But nothing is 100%.
I looked up Shetland sheep. Their micron is 20 to 30 and length was 3 to 6 but I have not found a pounds of raw fleece per head as of yet. I should just ask Joy when I pick up the wool from her next Saturday.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

i just looked up shetland... i found 2-3lbs per fleece and 2-4lbs per fleece. i think it would depend on the individual herd though. and might get a tad bit longer staple length and fleece weight if the owner getsa late shearing.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

I just read that the number one quality is the lamb wool. I sure hope she bagged that seperate from the rest. I am thinking im going to put the wool in mesh laundry bags when I get it home and hang the bags in the basement. I love having a big clean basement. That isa where all the cleaning, washing, and dying will happen. It is likely where the angoras will live as well. Temp controlled area. 65 degrees year round. Perfect.

 

[Oceanrose]

If you want to wind off your drop spindle, and then ply your yarn eventually, wind it off onto an empty TP tube. You can store it that way, and also ply it if you choose. When you get a Niddy Noddy made, then you can wind off onto that from your TP 'bobbin'

And yes, this is an expensive hobby, more so as you learn what you like. I started with a 400.00 wheel, and now have 5. My cheapest was 300.00, my most expensive 1300.00. But they do hold their value, and in some cases raise in value. My Jensen wheel is now worth about 1700, and I anticipate since the maker is close to retiring when he does, it will go up. I sold my first wheel for double what I had paid specifically for that reason, though I sure regret that now. I loved that little wheel!

Plus of course the rabbits aren't exactly cheap. And fiber shows, fiber fests, fiber buying, knitting needles, yarn shops, yarn stashes, yarn clubs, fiber clubs, and the whole addictive yarn hobby. But it's a lot of fun.

Congrats on the wool, it'll be fun to see the colors!

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

So there ended up being over 85 pounds of wool so far. It is black and a natural light wool.
I will blend the two for different effects. It should turn out really nice.

There is a knitting club and a weaving club locally here. but no contact info found yet on them.

I am now looking at buying a spinning wheel and have it narrowed down to a kromski wheel.

The TP tube idea is genius. I will be using that for sure over the next week or two. And with all the people in this house there is never a shortage of tp tubes.

 

[skysthelimit]

You are so fortunate to have a local club close by. Hopefully you can make contact with them. I spied a paper towel roll on the floor, and figured that would make a good bobbin for my kick spindle.


Right now all of my white wool is frozen in a tub in the back yard so I have to content myself with the brown wool. If I had expected the spindle to come this fast, I would have washed wool and brought it in before the store. Unfortunately, my basement is damp and moldy. It's safer to keep the wool outside than it is inside.

I need to weigh the angora wool and sheep wool to see how much wool is and oz. Then I will know how much merino to buy to blend with this angora.

 

[Oceanrose]

For those looking for a wheel, don't hesitate to look at used wheels. While some of the cheaper wheels are ok, I encourage people to look for a used Ashford, if you have a bit more money a used Majacraft of Schacht. The reason is, there is more help with a better known wheel, and they tend to have replacement parts available. I often see used Ashford Traditionals on Craigslist for under 300.00. Ravelry.com also has wheel forums, and kbbspin.org has some listed as well. Ebay can also sometimes be a good source. I purchased a Country Craftsman on Ebay several years ago for a song.

If you can, trying out a wheel is also important, even as a beginner, you'll get along better with some than others. And don't expect your first wheel to be your last.. I have 5 wheels currently, love them all for different reasons.

 

[skysthelimit]

Used wheels are harder to find though, and it's hit or miss, and often when I see a wheel on CL, which has only been three in a year, they are missing parts. Ebay seems to have a lot of wheels with missing parts as well or people who won't ship. I already have an incomplete wheel and I'm a little tired of trying to find parts. I'm at the point where I just want to buy one. I figure if I am going ot pay $300 for a used wheel, I might as well pay another $100 for a new one. I just wish I had a way to try out wheels. After 6 mos os searching, there is no local guild close enough to me to see.


TM--has anyone said anything to you about needing a Tetanus shot to work with raw wool?

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

No no one has but I have mine up to date either way. Still I will have to look into that because I do not see why it would be necessary. Interesting.<br /><br />__________ Sat Feb 02, 2013 8:04 pm __________<br /><br />I just did some looking into it and the theory is that working in any dirty conditions as well as gardening you should have a tetnus shot.
They figure you could get a puncture from a thistle or something.

Sounds to me like you have a choice to err on the side of caution or not worry about it. I have worked with dogs and horses my entire life and not always in the cleanest of conditions without contracting lockjaw. I think I will be ok.

Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[skysthelimit]

I was trying to decide whether I should or not. I think the last time I got one was 12 years ago. But by now, with all the gardening I've done, getting cut on rusty nails, rusty cages, dogs, sheep herding, and I've had this wool for some time, hand washing it when needed, I'm thinking I should be ok as well.

 

[tm_bunnyloft]

People spend so much time avoiding everything that it is causing week immune systems.