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prepare wool for spinning - PEP BB textiles.straw.woolprep

BB textiles - straw badge
posted 4 years ago
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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the straw badge in textiles.

In this project, you will prepare at least 8 ounces of wool for spinning.

You can use carding, flick carding, combing, drum carding, or another method that provides suitable fibre for spinning a good yarn

How to wash wool



Here are some ideas on Flick Carding



Badge bit requirements:
- Prepare at least 8 ounces of sheep wool for spinning
       - weight is post-processing weight
- Skirt the fleece (remove fecal matter and sort)
- Wash the fleece/fiber
- Flick, card, or comb the fiber

To complete this Badge Bit, you must:
  -  show fiber
  -  show the process of preparing fiber
  -  explain why you chose that method
  -  show finished fiber ready for spinning
COMMENTS:
 
r ranson
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posted 4 years ago
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I did this some time ago and I'm borrowing the photos from my old blog: https://itissunnyatebertshome.blogspot.com/2013/12/handcarding-wool-for-spinning-some.html

Raw fibre: an Icelandic sheep named Cloud



You can see both the raw fibre and the finished pile in this photo.



fibre on hand cards



an attempt to show in process



fluffy and organized



In the photo is about 300g, but I did end up doing the entire fleece by hand.

Why choose hand carding?  Icelandic fleece have an undercoat and a longer, hairy coat.  I wanted to maintain the texture of blending the both together and I find that hand carding is fastest and most efficent for this kind of fleece.  Also, hand cards are affordable and portable.  

how permies works
homegrown linen | crazy chicken lady grows yarn!

Staff note (Mike Haasl) :

I certify this BB complete!

 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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posted 4 years ago
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During a bicycle trip in summer I saw this spotted sheep's fleece, which the farmer happily gave me for free! I wanted to use the wool for filling pillows a.a. But this can give me a BB and points, so I prepared 250 grams of the wool for spinning.
I used the (dog's) comb to prepare the wool because it was there. I don't have 'cards'.
After combing there are two qualities of wool: one better quality for spinning, the other for filling pillows. From the 400 grams of unprepared wool I started with I ended with 250 grams of wool for spinning.


One pannier full of (dirty) wool!


Washed the fleece.


And let it dry (took a few days).


About 400 grams of unprepared wool.


Unprepared wool at the right, comb in the middle, combed wool at the left.


Close up of combed wool and comb.


I'll put the combed wool in this net for weighing.


Yes, it's 250 grams of combed wool!


"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

Staff note (Rob Lineberger) :

That is 250g of combed wool!  Creative use of a dog brush.  I certify this BB as complete.

 
Opalyn Rose
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posted 4 years ago
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Here is my submission for the Prepare Wool for Spinning BB - Textile Aspect - straw.

I chose to use wool from Penny, a sheep that I raised for about 6 years.  She is a crossbreed: Suffolk, Polypay, and Rambouillet.  I sheared her and washed then processed her fleece.

I decided to process her wool using my electric drum carder.  Drum carders produce batts from which you can make a wide range of yarns.  I want to make a fairly fluffy yarn and the drum carder does a good job of preparing the fiber.  
I have also used hand cards, combs, and a picker.  You can read more here about the processing to prepare your fiber for yarn.

To document my completion of this BB, I have posted:
 -  a photo of Penny
 -  a photo of Penny's fiber (after washing)
 -  several photos of the process of drum carding the fiber
 -  a photo of the prepared fiber ready for spinning
1.JPG
Penny and a lamb
Penny and a lamb
2.JPG
Penny's Wool
Penny's Wool
5.JPG
Drum Carding - the first pass
Drum Carding - the first pass
6.JPG
Drum Carding - the second pass
Drum Carding - the second pass
8.JPG
Removing the batt part 1
Removing the batt part 1
9.JPG
removing the batt part 2
removing the batt part 2
10.JPG
removing the batt part 3 - roll the fiber off the carding cloth
removing the batt part 3 - roll the fiber off the carding cloth
12.JPG
a bag of processed wool - ready to spin
a bag of processed wool - ready to spin
3.JPG
over 350 grams of prepared fiber
over 350 grams of prepared fiber

Check out the plans to build your own charka-style spinning wheel from bicycle parts
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Staff note (Rob Lineberger) :

Impressive setup! I certify this BB as complete.

 
Nicole Alderman
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posted 3 years ago
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Approved submission
A nearby homesteading woman gave her 18 year old llama a haircut, and asked if anyone wanted the wool. How could I resist!

It's a LOT of wool (it filled up a giant trash bag)

raw llama wool
such lovely colors!


I put half of it into the sink at a time. The first batch, I didn't skirt, and I very much regretted it. The wool simply would not come clean! The second half of the wool washed much nicer and faster. For both batches, I used coconut oil soap that was made by a local homesteader. I hauled hot water by the blender-jug-full out to the sink. I sure got my exercise! But, it worked a lot better than trying to boil the water and add it.

llama wool in outside sink to wash
My kids were really interested in the whole process, helping rinse the wool. The bucket underneath was used to pour the draining water onto our raspberries


I draped it over our drying rack to dry. But, since it's not a fleece (as llamas aren't supposed to be sheared that close to their body), it liked to come apart and float away.

llama wool drying outside
it took two+ days for the wool to dry all the way through!


I hand carded the wool, using wool carders gifted to me by Judith Browning (thank you!). The llama wool is interesting to card, because it brushes out so easily, and doesn't really stick to itself, making it kind of hard to roll.

hand carding llama wool


I've now carded about 1/3rd of the wool. And it's filled my bag to overflowing, so I figured it was time to weigh it!

bag of hand-carded llama wool
The bag is packed tightly with wool, and then there's more rolags that wouldn't cram in.


Here's a close up of the scale, showing over 1 pound of washed and carded wool

scale

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Staff note (gir bot) :

r ranson approved this submission.
Note: This looks great!  And I realize that I forgot to specify sheep wool when making the BB page, so I'm going to grandfather this in and update the first post.

 
r ranson
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posted 3 years ago
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I updated the requirements to be specifically wool from a sheep.  

Any approved applications above this are grandfathered in.  

how permies works
homegrown linen | crazy chicken lady grows yarn!

 
Harmony Dybala
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posted 3 years ago
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I prepared (over) 8 ounces of wool from my Gulf Coast Sheep for spinning!

I hired a shearer, skirted the wool, scoured it with Kookaburra "biodegradable"/"plant-based" wool scour, let the wool dry, removed undesirable bits I had missed in the first skirting/scouring, and used my Ashford drum carder to card the wool into batts for spinning or felting. I was able to save some of the shorter and courser bits of fleece I removed for stuffing and/or felting core wool.

While I have used hand cards to prepare rolags of wool in the past, I used a drum carder to prepare batts this time because it is quicker and easier for me. I have also tried using hand combs in the past, but found the Gulf Coast Native wool isn’t slippery enough to move through the combs easily, at least with my naive technique.

I used food coloring to dye this batch of wool, but I also have an undyed fleece I had prepared earlier. (Unfortunately, I don't have as many prep photos of that fleece so I used the dyed bunch for this badge bit.)

IMG_E2007.JPG
Elf the ewe-lamb before shearing
Elf the ewe-lamb before shearing
IMG_2789.JPG
the sheared flock
the sheared flock
IMG_2718.JPG
a lightly skirted fleece
a lightly skirted fleece
IMG_2719.JPG
scouring
scouring
IMG_2747.JPG
drying
drying
IMG_3108.JPG
dry wool
dry wool
IMG_3121.JPG
dyeing
dyeing
IMG_3173.JPG
carding
carding
IMG_3185.JPG
carded batt
carded batt
IMG_3178.JPG
scale tared to zero with empty bag
scale tared to zero with empty bag
IMG_3180.JPG
over 8 oz of wool
over 8 oz of wool
IMG_3181.JPG
digital scale
IMG_3184.JPG
paper bags filled with drum carded wool
IMG_2898.JPG
rolled batt of drum carded wool
IMG_3186.JPG
bag of drum carded wool

"[6] Let the people, O God, confess to Thee: let all the people give praise to Thee: [7] The earth hath yielded her fruit. May God, our God bless us, [8] May God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear Him." (Psalms 66/67)

Staff note (gir bot) :

Inge Leonora-den Ouden approved this submission.
Note: You even dyed the wool, more than required for the BB

 
M Broussard
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posted 2 years ago
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I got a lovely black-and-white fleece for finishing my PhD. The total weight was over 3kgs, and this is a bit less than a quarter of it. I struggled to get my scales to register this small weight, but hopefully it is obviously more than 8 oz / 220g!

I typically like to spin in the grease, but this fleece was quite dirty, so needed a serious cleaning prior to turning into rolags. I scoured it to get more of the dirt/grime out. As this was a medium-fineness fleece, it could take some boiling and agitation without felting. Were I working with fine merino, I'd have ended up with a horrible mess!
mb-bb-textiles-straw-prepare-wool-1.JPG
Washing and scalding the fleece
Washing and scalding the fleece
mb-bb-textiles-straw-prepare-wool-2.JPG
Cooled down overnight; rung out water with spindel; dry fleece
Cooled down overnight; rung out water with spindel; dry fleece
mb-bb-textiles-straw-prepare-wool-3.JPG
Opening the locks and making rolags
Opening the locks and making rolags
mb-bb-textiles-straw-prepare-wool-4.JPG
Finished rolags
Finished rolags

He whai take kore noa anō te kupu mēnā mā nga mahi a te tangata ia e kōrero / His words are nothing if his works say otherwise

Staff note (gir bot) :

L. Johnson flagged this submission as not complete.
BBV price: 1
Note: As per the requirements: You did not "explain why you chose that method" of preparing the wool. Please add this information so that you can get your BB.

Staff note (gir bot) :

L. Johnson approved this submission.
Note: I hereby certify this badge bit complete.

 
Rebekah Harmon
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posted 1 year ago
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Hello skip team! My friend, who has sheep, showed me how to spin wool roving she had, and gave me a drop spindle to play with. Once I made a teensy bit of yarn, I'm HOOKED! X-0 SO.... she gave me some raw wool as well. I'm so grateful, because I know it's quite expensive! I've also learned SO MUCH! In these pictures, I show a number of things I tried with the clumps of very short, brown fiber she gave me, the longer, white wool she gave me, and various tools.

I started with almost a pound of each. After skirting out vegetable matter and "seconds" (pilled, fluff-ball fibers) I tried carding it with these doggie brushes. It was ok for the short-stitch length in the brown wool, but made a mess of the white wool. So most of this wool, I flicked using one brush. Then I would roll a few pieces together to make a rolag.  The brown clouds I made at first were very difficult to spin, so I decided to try adding in some of the medium-length white fibers I had left (after brushing all the beautiful, fun, long ones!) The mixed fibers make a cool combo color and spins well into chunky yarn, which I prefer to crotchet with, anyways.

I apologize for the many pictures of weighing the wool. I wanted to try different methods, and spin it as I went, so I could find the best method that works for me, so I would make a small batch, less than two ounces, usually, at a time.
20221202_095442.jpg
original bags, 4 oz. each
original bags, 4 oz. each
20221202_132312.jpg
the white just came in a basket
the white just came in a basket
20221202_095831.jpg
I washed it in my bathtub, in a tote, like Julie from dirtpatchheaven
I washed it in my bathtub, in a tote, like Julie from dirtpatchheaven
20221207_121947.jpg
one ounce
one ounce
20221216_103825.jpg
flicking one lock at a time
flicking one lock at a time
20221226_215914.jpg
carding
carding
20221226_215954.jpg
tiny rolag
tiny rolag
20221216_163027.jpg
two and a half ounces in a small brown bag
two and a half ounces in a small brown bag
20221216_163044.jpg
four and a half ounces in a big, grocery paper sack
four and a half ounces in a big, grocery paper sack
20221231_135129.jpg
empty bowl
empty bowl
20221231_135147.jpg
one ounce
one ounce

Being weird is easy. Making it mainstream is hard. Be brave! https://www.youtube.com/@healthygreenbrave

Staff note (gir bot) :

Inge Leonora-den Ouden approved this submission.

 
K McFarlane
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posted 1 year ago
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The fleece I'm preparing came from my friends' sheep which sadly has died so I am planning to make some gifts from the wool for them!

I began by lightly skirting and then scouring the fleece (I use boiling water and some eco-friendly detergent (label shown in my dishes BB) for this) a few times and then a vinegar soak. I then dried the wool before carding it with two dog combs because I can't afford proper carding tools :D I don't usually card fibre so this took me so much longer than I expected!

Edit: additional picture where you can see the fibre on the scale, I couldn't get it to stay on the scale loose and don't have anything see through to put it in so hopefully seeing the bag open is enough? :)
IMG_20230928_110617172-1-.jpg
Sheared fleece in bag
Sheared fleece in bag
IMG_20230928_111247998-1-.jpg
Lightly skirted fleece ~300g
Lightly skirted fleece ~300g
IMG_20230928_114818208-1-.jpg
Scouring fleece (needed a bigger bucket!)
Scouring fleece (needed a bigger bucket!)
IMG_20230928_132927679_HDR-1-.jpg
State of the water after first scouring!
State of the water after first scouring!
IMG_20230930_074240423-1-.jpg
Cleaned wool drying
Cleaned wool drying
IMG_20230930_105901335-1-.jpg
Fibre on dog comb
Fibre on dog comb
IMG_20231002_103714074-1-.jpg
The mess left behind after carding!
The mess left behind after carding!
IMG_20231002_105700126-1-.jpg
About 270g of prepared wool!
About 270g of prepared wool!
IMG_20230930_110246506-1-.jpg
One fluff of the carded fibre
One fluff of the carded fibre
IMG_20231004_055617923.jpg
Bag with fibre showing on the scale!
Bag with fibre showing on the scale!

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. - Proverbs 31:17

Staff note (gir bot) :

Rebekah Harmon flagged this submission as an edge case.
BBV price: 0
Note: Hello, K! Can you please show your carded fiber openly when it's on the scale? Instead of in a bag. It's hard to tell if what's being weighed is your fiber

Staff note (gir bot) :

Leigh Tate approved this submission.

 
Leigh Tate
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posted 2 months ago
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The wool I processed for this BB is from a fleece that was given to me years ago. Unfortunately, the label fell off, so I don't know the breed. It was just stuffed into a large trash bag, so it was a bit of a jumble when I dumped it out.



I couldn't tell what part of the fleece was what, so to skirt, I removed the dirtiest and coarsest bits, along with second cuts, and sorted it by crimp and length,.



I scoured as much as my large pot could hold.



And spread it out on a towel to dry.



After it dried, I weighed out 8 ounces to prepare for spinning.



I chose hand carding because the staple length and crimp suggest this fleece would make a nice woolen spun yarn.







8 ounces of rolags was enough to fill two baskets.



8 ounces of rolags on scale



Blog: 5 Acres & A Dream
Books: Kikobian Books | Permies Digital Market

Staff note (gir bot) :

Rebekah Harmon flagged this submission as an edge case.
BBV price: 0
Note: Hey Leigh! Would you please retake the picture of the 8oz on the scale? It's very hard to tell.

Staff note (gir bot) :

Harmony Dybala approved this submission.

 
carissa quisenberry
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Shout out of Gratitude to Samantha Lewis for being her wools and instruments to the Permaculture Technology Jamboree 2024. I barely had any time to speak to her let alone learn from her, but she was kind enough to leave the tools and materials here at Wheaton Labs for a bit... Giving me that chance to tinker around and try to figure this out on my own.
I don't really know what I am doing so wish me luck!

Badge bit requirements:
- Prepare at least 8 ounces of sheep wool for spinning
      - weight is post-processing weight
- Skirt the fleece (remove fecal matter and sort)
- Wash the fleece/fiber
- Flick, card, or comb the fiber

To complete this Badge Bit, you must:
 -  show fiber
 -  show the process of preparing fiber
 -  explain why you chose that method
 -  show finished fiber ready for spinning
IMG_20240710_180207676.jpg
1 lb 5 oz of Samantha Lewis's donated wool, Thank You!
1 lb 5 oz of Samantha Lewis's donated wool, Thank You!
IMG_20240710_215256450.jpg
Wet wool after washing... Smells a bit less sheepy
Wet wool after washing... Smells a bit less sheepy
IMG_20240717_204909784_MP.jpg
After drying, yes out this neat machine
After drying, yes out this neat machine
IMG_20240717_204546906_MP.jpg
1...
1...
IMG_20240717_204551146_MP.jpg
2...
2...
IMG_20240717_204605526_MP.jpg
3...
3...
IMG_20240717_204900661_MP.jpg
And then let us stuff even more in...
And then let us stuff even more in...
IMG_20240717_205857191.jpg
Then take these paddles and brush!
Then take these paddles and brush!

Live simply, have high ideals

Staff note (gir bot) :

Harmony Dybala flagged this submission as not complete.
BBV price: 1
Note: You need a photograph showing the wool ready to spin and clearly 8 oz post-processing

 
Cheryl Loomans
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This was a new process for me and I learned alot. My woll has tight kinks and is about 4" long so I selected hand carding. I played around with flick carding but went back to using both cards. Total weight 8.85 oz.
20240305_194329.jpg
washing the fiber with my handmade soap
washing the fiber with my handmade soap
20240305_202115.jpg
drying
drying
20240807_145650.jpg
learning to card
learning to card
20240808_154649.jpg
zeroed scale
zeroed scale
20240808_154729.jpg
rolled wool
rolled wool
20240808_154757.jpg
zeroed scale
zeroed scale
20240808_155139.jpg
rolls of wool
rolls of wool

"The winter will ask what we did all summer" - Henry David Thoreau

Staff note (gir bot) :

Nicole Alderman approved this submission.
Note: I hereby certify that this badge bit is complete! Good job getting the wool so clean and fluffy!

 
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