Sew: let's get started!

Such a long time since I've posted!  Busy with many new things.  I've started a crafting group on Facebook and some of the participants have asked me to help them learn to sew.  It is a huge topic, so I'm planning to break it down into some smaller bite-sized pieces.

Let's start with choosing your sewing machine. Several questions to answer before you go shopping.

First: What kinds of things do you want to make?  If you want to do upholstery, it will require a very different machine than making quilts or garments. Perhaps you don't know for certain what to make, if that is the case, a basic entry-level sewing machine might be the best place to start.

Second: What is your budget?  A lot of very nice machines can be found at thrift stores*. That being said, an entry level machine can be purchased from a big box store for $100 to $200. I have also done a quick search on Amazon and there are machines available for as little as $20. My personal preference would be to get a machine a little above the base model, since my experience with the very low-end machines has been that they are of very poor quality and need frequent service or replacement.

Third: Find a class or video to learn about your machine and some basic sewing skills. My favorite source for classes is Craftsy.com and there are many beginner classes available.  It is a subscription site and the rate for the first year is very reasonable. You can browse many classes in whatever you are interested in learning. There are also many videos on YouTube that you might find helpful as you learn to sew. 

*A note on buying from thrift stores. Take someone with you that knows something about sewing machines. The older machines may be missing parts that are expensive or impossible to replace. Many machines land in thrift stores simply because the prior owner couldn't make it work. Please know that it may be necessary to take it to be serviced before it will work properly. I have seen many, many machines in thrift stores for $20 to $100. 

This is my Brother SQ9185

A few things I find very helpful on a machine. A self-threading device is great since sewing machine needles thread from a very difficult angle to see easily. The device usually has a tiny hook that passes through the eye of the needle and draws a small loop of thread through the eye. I use a tiny stiletto to catch the loop and pull the thread the rest of the way through the eye of the needle.  In the picture, the self-threader is the lever I'm pulling down with my finger. The large hook on the left is a thread guide and the tiny hook for the needle eye is a bit to the right.

A walking foot is great for keeping multiple layers of fabric moving through the machine at the same rate. Especially useful for quilting. These can be integrated into the machine or be an attachment that can be purchased later. In this picture it is an attachment that goes behind the presser foot and has tiny gripping feet that work with the feed dogs below the silver plate to grab the layers of fabric and presses them together so they move as one piece through the machine as it stitches.

Drop in bobbin set up is much easier than the older style of bobbin case used previously. This picture shows the drop in bobbin under the small gray transparent cover.

Free arm is very useful for constructing sleeves, putting up hems on pants and other small circular projects.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have questions or to leave a comment below if you find this useful.  I'm spending time learning how to edit video so that I can use that format in the future. Bear with me while I figure out the technology I need to learn for that method.

What a long, strange trip this has been!

Many years since I've done a post. I've missed this more than I thought I would and I'm going to post what I'm working on now, giving a little update since so much time has passed.

Finally finished these mittens. They've been on the needles for some time and I'm glad to have them ready for the winter.  They are made from Lion Brand Amazing yarn, colorway 218 Violets. I love the red-violet shading and the randomness appeals to my artist.  They should be good for shoveling snow, being a blend of wool and acrylic.  Loved my last pair knit from the same pattern, Classic Mittens 615.

My preference for mittens goes back years. Keeps my hands a lot warmer than gloves, and they are much easier to knit. Might try a pair of gloves someday, but for now, I have my hands winter ready.

Since you've heard from me, I've moved back to the country and I'm loving it!  City life really doesn't suit me, so I was delighted to find a place I could afford out in the country near Marshall, Wisconsin. It is an old farmhouse that sits on an acre of land.

Here is a picture of the massive maple tree that shades the house, this is from the back side so you can see how big that tree really is! I'd be willing to bet that it would take three people to put their arms around the trunk of this monster.  I also have some really big elm trees, so few of them left anywhere anymore. I feel so lucky to have these grand old trees on my place!

Since the house has been added onto so many times it has the feel of the Weasley house on Harry Potter. Many odd little rooms and the layout doesn't make much sense, but I like the quirkiness of an old place like this.  I'm fixing it up a little at a time. 

The first year I was here I replaced some windows and a door. The second year was the heating and air conditioning. Not terribly exciting stuff, but it really helped reduce the energy bills! Now that the mechanicals are taken care of, I'm getting into the fun parts!

Remodeling and redecorating an old place can be an adventure! I hired a designer to do some drawings for me. Then I took over and made my selections. I had a blast doing this! I did some research and interviewed some construction and remodeling outfits to work on the kitchen. Found a father and son operation, toured some of their projects and hired them to do the work on my kitchen. Finished the work over the past winter and it was quite a transformation!

Here is the before picture:

The photobombing dog is Zephyr. She was born on December 19, 2016. From a litter of 17 pups! She's grown into a lovely dog... I'll do a post on her later, but she does feel the need to be involved in everything that happens around here!

Anyway, the kitchen was probably set up like this in the sixties. It had the white formica with gold flecks and the metal front edge. Ick! The cabinets were cheaply made and not very attractive. The paneling.... well, I can't say I miss that at all!  And who puts carpeting in the kitchen?  It all had to go....

So the new design moved the door to the other end of the wall.  Rearranged the appliances and removed the fake beams from the ceiling. I wanted to keep the window over the sink and the two windows on the side walls for ventilation. Kept the sliding glass door too, such wonderful light from the east in the morning.  Changed the color scheme to a nice cool gray with navy on the floor and countertops and white on the walls and ceiling.

So here is the after shot:

Zephyr again.... photobombing pest of a dog!

I'm so pleased with the way it turned out!  Here are some of the specs:
Floor: Indigo Swirl strand bamboo
Appliances: Whirlpool
Countertops: Corian Zodiaq quartz in Crushed Indigo
Faucet: Ikea Aleskar (sadly, no longer available)

I love the track lighting and the ceiling fan. The under cabinet lights are just dreamy - no dark spots or getting in my own light when I'm working in there. But my favorite is probably the crystal chandelier over the sink. It might seem weird, but I just love it!  Eight dimmable LCD lamps and oodles of crystals, it is just beautiful to me!

The cabinetry is Amish, and very nice quality. Many of the lower units have slide out trays, and all of them have soft-close hinges. Such a treat, since I've never had any of that in my kitchen before!

It's a good day to dye...

Oooh it has been a while since I put anything up here on my blog!  So sorry about that!

With the biting cold of this Wisconsin winter, I've been doing some dye work this month.  It is such fun to work with dye on colored wools, so I shot some pictures of the latest batch of experiments.

I soaked 100 grams of wool from various fleeces in my stash and put them in the dye pot to try out the effect of overdyeing the darker natural colored wools.



The mini trampoline drying rack - because I'm fancy like that.

Here's the whole bunch on my drying rack... a mini trampoline that has lost a few too many springs and attachments due to age, but it makes a dandy drying rack when I put it up on sawhorses!

Clockwise from the top:
1. Corriedale, natural gray "Sierra" in Amethyst.
2. Cormo, white "Poppy" in Amethyst and then as a cleanup for Peacock Blue.
3. Corriedale, natural gray "Sierra" in Peacock Blue.
4. English Leicester Longwool steel gray "Theo" clean up batch in Peacock Blue.
5. English Leicester Longwool steel gray "Theo" in Peacock Blue.

Wool is a protein fiber, so I use acid dyes to color the wool fibers.  Typically, vinegar is used for the acidification of the dye bath, but since I plan to sell these colors, I used citric acid instead since it has no odor and uses a much smaller quantity.  I learned this when I started dying with the Nasty Romney fleece that started this journey.

Speaking of the Nasty Romney, I have had good news that I can finally share!  I had submitted a proposal of the story of that fleece to Spin-Off Magazine quite a while ago, and I was selected for the Spring 2014 issue featuring color.  I'm on page 70 of the magazine, with my article titled "Making Lemonade".  Here is a link to the magazine: Spin-Off Spring 2014


I'll be putting some batts from both this dye batch and the Nasty Romney (now somewhat affectionately named Anastasia for obvious reasons) into my Etsy shop for your perusal and purchase.

Currently also hard at work on another delightful series of batts called the "Magic" series.  All of these batts are full of sparkle and an interesting blend of fibers.

Here's a taste of the series for your pleasure.
 


Wings of Pegasus

Here is the link to the listing in the shop for this batt called Wings of Pegasus.

Sculpted

As an artist, I find inspiration everywhere.  Sometimes the power of an image demands a trip to see the original artwork.  Earlier this summer, I took that trip to see one of the most amazing sculptures in the world.  Nestled into the hills of South Dakota is this impressive sight.

 

Mount Rushmore has been on my personal "bucket list" for years, and I finally had the opportunity to visit this magnificent monument to see it in person.  As I gazed over the valley from the railing at the monument I burst into tears.  The sheer size of this sculpture is awe-inspiring, and the detail is beyond compare.  I found a book called The Carving of Mount Rushmore and I'm enjoying the story of the artist's journey and the negotiations behind the artwork - quite interesting indeed!

 

Other sculptures also inspire me, although these aren't nearly as massive - or as famous - as Mount Rushmore, they are magnificent in their own ways.  A friend of mine does very realistic sculptures of birds, down to the tiny lines cut into the feathers for realism.  I spent an afternoon with her and she allowed me to photograph some of her works in progress.

 

The Robin is life sized, and sitting on a tiny mug because his legs aren't completed yet, but I think you can see the fine detail in each tiny feather and brushstroke.  These small sculptures are done in wood and the feather details are done with a specialized wood burning tool.  Painstaking attention to detail is what makes this fellow lifelike enough to fool anyone into believing that he could take flight at any moment.  Although the landing would be difficult without legs....

I so enjoyed learning about how this kind of sculpting was done!  I don't think I'd have the patience to do it myself, but I can certainly see the care that goes into capturing the details in these tiny works of art.

 

This was a sculpture done with a sense of fun!  There were sculptures of many of the founding fathers on the benches lining the streets of Steamboat Springs in Colorado.  Here's a shot of my Mom with one of her heroes, the president Abraham Lincoln.  Such good sculpture work, and placed out in public where people can interact with the sculpture.  Nice to see such things in the current era of anything artistic being set behind ropes and guarded so as to be untouchable.  

There was one more sculpture in Steamboat Springs that really touched my inner artist and made my spirit sing for joy.  This one was in a small shopping mall, not too far from the place I was staying while in Steamboat Springs.  Made up of miscellaneous spare parts that most people would consider junk - and would throw away - this stunning work of art stands about 10 feet tall.  If I stood next to it, I'd just about fit under it's belly.

Another scupture - or maybe adornment is a better description - is found on the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.  Maybe it is kitsch - but I found it impressive in a quirky way.  The entire surface of the building is deorated with corn.  Here's an example that was set under glass to show how it is constructed.  First the finished image:

And then this example to show how it was accomplished.  I found this fascinating!  I knew corn was available in many colors, but this was not something I ever would have dreamed possible.  These panels were probably about three feet wide and two feet high.  Very interesting, and I thought it was a pretty neat way to decorate a wall.  Until I rounded the corner and saw the Corn Palace in all its wonder....

 

 

 

 

The whole building is covered with decorative murals and textured elements made of corn.  I had no idea how impressive it was until I saw it in person.  Weird, but wonderful in its own way.

 

Taking art three-dimensional makes it complex and inviting.  Art that can be considered from many more viewpoints than just flat on a wall is far more interesting to me than any other type.  Perhaps that is where my fascination with fiber art begins.  The ability to wrap fiber around a three dimensional form, whether it be a person or a structure never ceases to amaze me.  I love the trend of yarn-bombing that has taken hold.  These odd little bits of knitting that cover trees, benches, and bike racks have a sense of fun all their own.  I've seem images of this in various places, but never in person.  Maybe someday I'll find some - or maybe make some of my own!



 

 

 



Where squirrels are slow...

A couple of weeks ago, I said goodbye to my best friend.  Granted, she was short and furry, but she was my buddy, my confidante, and my solace when things weren't going well.

Her name was Vanessa, and she was a Border Collie and Sheltie crossbred dog that was rescued from a hoarder who had about fifty dogs on the property.  The dogs weren't mistreated, but had little human contact.  She and her mother, Piper (also rescued by Great Lakes Border Collie Rescue) were both placed in foster homes.  With so little human contact, Vanessa was very shy and wasn't available for adoption right away.  At the time I found out about her, she had been in foster care for nine months of her year and a half lifetime.  So many people had wanted this beautiful dog, and just were not a good match for her, with her shy nature and high sensitivity to noise and motion.  I was fortunate enough to have a lifestyle and quiet environment that the foster caretaker wanted for Vanessa to recover and learn to love being a pet.

At first she was so timid that she wouldn't get close to anyone unless they had a treat for her.  This was the only dog I've ever had that was so motivated by food, that she'd do just about anything to get it.  Made her delightfully easy to train, and she was so intelligent!  I could watch her figure out problems - important things like "there is food on the table, how can I get up there to get it?" and "how can I get the thumbed one over here to open the refrigerator?"

She loved the farm, the ability to run loose and chase the cats, rabbits and squirrels that populated the great outdoors.  Lightning fast and graceful, she was a joy to watch.  She was independent and smart, and her training went quickly and well.  She went through obedience classes and then beginning level agility classes and passed both with flying colors.  Competition was suggested, but with my work schedule and her skittishness with strangers, I never pursued it.  When I moved into the city a few years later, she was by my side.  The open farm was replaced with trips to the dog park, where she loved to run and chase mice and gophers.  Once she caught a toad, which was amusing to me, but must have tasted bad to her because she flung it away and drooled for a while afterward.

As she got into doggie middle age - about six in this case, I decided to have a photographer do a shoot of us together.  My thinking was that I'd rather have photos of her while still in her prime than to wait until the end of life and have only the pictures of an old dog with no sparkle.  I'm so glad I did.  These pictures are from that shoot in June of 2009 with Konopa Photography.  They have since moved to Alaska and I bought the rights to the pictures, which I have enjoyed greatly.  Black dogs are notoriously difficult to capture on film, and I think they did a marvelous job with Vanessa.  We had a lot of fun during the shoot, doing both indoor and outdoor shots.  She was a lovely model and the pictures were so much fun!  She was willing to do all her tricks for the photographer, and he was able to catch a few of them, as well as creating some fabulous images with the both of us together.

As she got older, the visits to the dog park involved too many dogs that wanted to pick a fight with her.  She was so selective in her choice of playmates, and that seemed to frustrate some dogs into aggression when she ignored their invitations to play.  It didn't take too many instances of that kind of agressiveness for me to pull the plug on that situation.  She didn't need to be attacked for wanting to be left alone to run. 

So we took walks at home and played in our own yard as she slowed down.  She still loved to try and catch the squirrels that populate the oak trees and the small woods.  Sometimes she'd get a few feet off the ground going after one of them up a tree.  She took her squirrel duty very seriously, and never missed an opportunity to run them back up their tree, and then looking wistfully after them.  I could almost hear her say "almost got that one!" before we'd turn back for home.

Last April, her annual veterinarian visit turned up a decline in kidney function on her blood work.  I already knew she had a heart murmur, but this was something that there really isn't a treatment for that is reasonable for a dog.  As she started dramatically increasing her water intake, I knew her time was growing shorter.  I started coming home from work for lunch so she could get outside more frequently.  That lasted quite a while, and I actually enjoyed our time together during those breaks from my work day.  Then I noticed that she was less interested in her rawhide treats, and played with her toys less and less.

There comes a point where the quality of life trumps nostalgia.  I knew she couldn't get better and that the end was coming for her.  I did not want her to suffer - she'd given me so many years of companionship and joy.  I made the most difficult call of my life when I contacted the vet for her final appointment.

About a week later, she got in the car and we made the short trip to the vet.  Dr. Jan brought in a padded blanket and spread it out on the floor, we had the conversation about how the medicine works.  Vanessa didn't even need to go up on the table this time.  Dr. Jan gave her a sedative shot, and Vanessa wobbled over and laid down on the blanket with her head on my feet, so I couldn't go anywhere without her knowing.  She always did that when she wanted to rest, so that she wouldn't miss anything exciting.  Then Dr. Jan gave the shot in Vanessa's foreleg that let her go peacefully away, and she was gone.


Vanessa was a beautiful story of success from her difficult beginnings, through rescue and the fabulous people who donate their time, their homes and their love for the dogs that they help along the way.

Goodbye my beautiful friend.  I'll always remember you, my dear Vanessa.  In time, we'll meet again in the place where dreams come true, and squirrels are slow.

Vanessa
6/2003 to 3/13/2013

Things are getting fuzzy!

Knit Picks Galileo in "Gem" on size 3 (3.25 mm)

Spinning and swatching have taken up my fiber time lately.  I've been working on wooly goodness to put into my Etsy shop as well as spinning more singles for another embellished yarn.  Swatching for some new projects as well.  Sometimes it is nice to start looking into my next few projects when I feel ready to stall out on my current one.  Shipwreck is in that particular spot right now... a little too much time on really fine yarn and fiddly lace has me hungry for some super simple take along type of projects.  That being said, naturally the first thing that grabbed me was the extra-super-duper fiddly cabled cardigan called Tapestry.  I'm nuts - I know.  But the swatch was plain stockinette with garter borders, so it met the need of super easy knitting that I needed just then.  Of course the photo also gives me away - I've cast on for the sweater and I'm a couple rows into it.  Didn't I just frog out a cabled sweater?  Ummmmm..... yes, but I guess I'm ready for more punishment on even finer yarn and smaller needles.  Learning from recent mistakes doesn't always happen in my case evidently.

Combed Romney nests up for sale

Other fiber madness includes this batch of delightful fluff.  This is hand combed Romney that I processed on my English 4 pitch combs.  I mentioned them and discussed the process back in the Wicked post.  It is a very nice way to get lovely spinning fiber out of clean but trashy (with VM) fleece.  Spinning from hand combed top is such a pleasure.  The fiber is arranged in parallel fashion, so the spining is so smooth and wonderful!  I like texture too, but nothing beats combed fiber for a lovely smooth singles when spinning.  This Romney is pretty typical of the breed, long and silky fiber.  Not as harsh as most of the longwools and a terrific fiber on which to learn spinning.  There is also something about spinning the pure, undyed, creamy natural wool.  My passion for color in spinning doesn't often give me the time to do much white, but this fiber may just find a place in the lineup sometime very soon.  This particular batch is listed here in my Etsy shop.  I'm working on more of this fleece in dyed colors as well.  Those will go up in the shop as soon as I'm finished combing them.

Original pair of swatches for Knit, Swirl jacket

Another fun project that I'm still swatching is a jacket from the book Knit, Swirl by Sandra McIver.  I've wanted to do one of these lovely knitted works of art for several years, so I finally bought the book and raided my stash for these swatches.

The rich purple is a mohair that has been in my stash for years, just waiting for the right project to showcase it's beauty.  Being mohair, it isn't next to the skin soft, but it has such a wonderful fluffy halo that it should work well in this jacket.  The one on the bottom is the handspun that has made several appearances in this blog.  It is the Dolly Dorset with Louet Northern Lights in Wild Berry Jam.  These swatches were done on the same needles with the same stitch count and pattern, and they don't match up for size.  Bummer, but that is why I do swatches, to find this kind of thing out before I charge into a project.  I've learned this the hard way... so I do a lot more swatching than I used to.  Since the tags aren't really visable, I'll give the details here.

The mohair swatch is done in Millie Mohair that I've had in my stash since 1992 or so.  I remember buying it back when I lived in Colorado from a shop called the Recycled Lamb.  I believe that they are still in operation - I've encountered them on Ravelry from time to time. 

Back to the swatch: I cast on 24 stitches with the plan of a three stitch garter border and worked it up on size 7 (4.5 mm) needles.  Did four rows of garter stitch and then worked the stockinette center section and finished up with another four rows of garter stitch.  Bound it off and gave it a bath.  Who knew such fine yarn would work up in nearly Aran weight?  The fabric is light and airy, but the fuzz really fills it up!  I also notice that it has a definite tendency to bias which is good to know.  I didn't block it hard because I wanted to know what it wanted to do on its own.  Worked up at four stitches per inch, just a bit too big for the gauge called for in the pattern.

The second swatch is the handspun done up in the same fashion.  But it washed up nice and square - being a three ply yarn really helps it to behave as a more stable yarn construction.  This swatch worked up at just over five stitches per inch. 

New swatch showing the welted construction,
done in two different needle sizes

Tough decisions now... do I switch yarns, or switch needles to make these yarns work together?  The first thing I sampled was to change needle sizes to make the gauge match and it worked pretty well.  But, and here's the big problem, I don't like it as much.  Knitting the mohair on size six (4 mm) needles makes it firmer than I really want and really compresses the fluffy fun that makes the yarn such a treat.  I also find that I'm not as wild about the handspun on the size 8 (5 mm) needles.  A bit too floppy for my taste, and I think the colors just don't really go together as well as I'd hoped.  So, I'm back to the drawing board.  What I'm considering now is a very plain yarn with the mohair so there is less competition between the yarns.  I'm also thinking that I may alternate rows to spread out the fluff a bit.  The welts will still show up well I think, but I'll need to swatch it to be sure.  I'm not wild about the visible purl bumps between the welts, so I may match up the yarn on those rows to help them blend in better.  So, now I'm in search of a new background yarn to use with the mohair.

Rare breed Spin-A-Long - Dorset Down

Brindle Shetland yarn, finished skein 466 yards

Rare breeds of sheep are so interesting.  The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook by Deb Robson and Carol Ekarius is one of my favorite sources of information on breeds of sheep and the qualities of their wool. Yet it gives only the kind of knowledge that reading provides.  As a spinner, I love the tactile qualities of the wool.  So I was immediately attracted to the Knit Spin Farm Rare Breed Spin-A-Long (SAL) that started back on the first of January.  I mentioned the Shetland that I did as my first project.  Since I posted last, I finished the skein.  It ended up being 40 wraps per inch in the singles and about light fingering weight in the finished chain plied yarn. 

Close up of Brindle Shetland yarn

Statistics: 3.7 ounces, 106 grams. 466 yards of chain ply yarn.  Spun singles clockwise on the Kromski Fantasia, chain plied on the Louet S10 13 treadles.



Dolly Dorset - raw lock from darkest portion of fleece

Now that I've finished the Shetland, I decided to do more with the Rare Breed SAL.  Thought through the list and decided on the Dorset I have in my stash.  Remember Dolly from the color study?  I'm working with her fleece on its own this time.  Took a couple ounces and prepared them on my wool combs to produce a semi-worsted top.  I did not lock wash this fleece, and I'm not concerned about having a fully worsted preparation since this is a down wool.  I wanted to have some fun with the bounce, and by combing I thought I'd be able to reduce the fuzzy factor of the finished yarn somewhat.  This is what the fiber looked like beforehand.

Saving a lock out of the raw fleece is an excellent idea, since I seldom am able to process a whole fleece at the same time.  Typically, I'll do a small sample and start the record keeping in a spinning journal.  The pages aren't in any particular format, but I do try to record things that I do with the fleece. 



Combed nests of Dolly Dorset's fleece

Back to the raw lock, there is a good reason to save it.  The crimp pattern is most obvious in a raw lock that is undisturbed.  In this particular fleece the crimp is very orderly and consistent from end to end.  The brownish tips are somewhat weathered since this fleece was not covered with a sheep coat.  Being a down wool, it should be (and has been) pretty resistant to felting.  This particular lock shows length of about four inches, which is longer than usual for down wools. A happy surprise indeed, since it allows a lot more options for processing and spinning this wool.  I usually use the snack size ziplock bags to preserve the raw lock and make a note of the breed, the name or ear number of the sheep, the source and price and the weight of the fleece and whatever other things I notice at this stage of working with the fleece.  Then I toss the bagged lock back in with the fleece.  As I process the fleece, I tag the bags as I go along so that I don't lose track of which one it is and what I've done with it.  With a raw fleece, I put any notes in a page protector since the grease of the wool will affect the paper - sometimes to the degree of obliterating the notes I've made - not a happy discovery!

Finished skein of combed Dolly Dorset

Down wools come from several breeds of sheep, and the saddest part is that few shepherds that raise them are much concerned with the quality of the fleeces and treat the fleece as more of a nuisance than a profitable product that the sheep are producing.  Perhaps this SAL and others like it can encourage a few more shepherds of these down wool breeds to place more value on these fleeces.  This particular fleece seems to be from a shepherd that does have some care for the spinning quality of the fleeces they are producing.  That being said, the fleece was still quite reasonably priced when I bought it through Ebay.  Many shepherds use Ebay and Etsy to sell their fleeces, and with the exception of the Nasty Romney, I've had little or no trouble with inaccurate descriptions.  Most sellers are very honest about the qualities of their fleeces - sometimes even exaggerating the amount of vegetable matter to be sure the buyers know what they are getting, and discounting the price to make it more appealing if there is veg in the fleece.  Such was the case with Dolly's fleece.  It was described as having some veg, which it did, but not nearly the quantity I was expecting.

Close up of the finished yarn

The spinning was smooth and easy.  The combed preparation drafted smoothly, and I did much less predrafting than I typically do.  I spun with a medium backward draw since the staple length was allowing me to do so. The singles were very fine and the plying went well.  Overall, I continue to be impressed by how well-behaved this fleece is.  Everything just works, smooth and simple. The fiber does shed slightly while spinning, and feels somewhat dry in comparison to other wools I've worked with.  I don't know if this is characteristic of the down wools or not.  I've got an order in to another shepherd for some Dorset roving to test this idea, but being a commercial prep, so I'm not sure the comparison will be valid. 

The statistics on this skein are: 31 grams, 1.1 ounce, 124 yards.  Spun singles clockwise on the Kromski Fantasia and chain plied counterclockwise 13 treadles on the Louet S10. 

Dolly Dorset carded batt

Part of my purpose for this wool in the SAL is to compare combing and carding prep on the same fleece.  I'm looking forward to finishing the woolen prep I did for this study.  I've started on it already, and the main difference I've noticed is that I'm pulling out the neps as I spin.  I rather expected this, since combing removes them before spinning.  Woolen preps mean less waste at the processing step, but more at the spinning step.  Still less overall compared with combing, since it leaves the different fiber lengths in the batt.  Combing sorts out the longest fibers and keeps them well aligned in the top.  It is a trade off in some respects, but the end product can be vastly different.  Since I wanted to test the difference in prep, I'm spinning the singles in the same way, medium backward draw, clockwise on the Kromski and I'm about halfway through the batt.  It looks and feels similar in the singles.  The washing of the plied yarn will tell a better story.  The combed prep seemed less bouncy than I expected after the washing.  The value of doing the two similar skeins side-by-side will show the difference in bounce by the length of the finished skein.  I expect the woolen prep to be much shorter in length since the crimp isn't as altered.  I'll have my answer soon.