Spinning From the Stash

Here is what is on the bobbin right now, Llama fleece that I bought before I had sheep and Llamas! I'm trying to use up my stash so I can plunge into all the Icelandic fleeces and rovings that I have. I am spinning this Llama fleece in the "grease", actually, Llamas have very little lanolin, however, they relish rolling in the dirt at every opportunity. I card it with my hand cards, then spin from the rolags. There are some guard hair in this fleece, I could have pulled it out, but am spinning it as is. The coarsest parts I just tossed out. I will ply this (then wash and set the twist) and send a huge skein to my Dad who is knitting up a storm and wanted some yarn this color! I use a double treadle Lendrum wheel, love the flexibility and portability of the wheel. I've got the plying head, haven't gotten the fast flyer yet (for lace yarn).

Roving to Yarn

Just spun up some almost bulky Icelandic singles from roving, this is from a gray-moorit ewe ( grey on the inside of the fleece, moorit (reddish brown on the outside). I just love spinning the wool from my Icelandic sheep. She is Yvonne, a very curious and lovely gray-moorit Icelandic Ewe. (Here pictured in the front at the right, with her twin lambs, a morrit badgerface ewe lamb in the middle and here HUGE grey moorit spotted badgerface ram lamb to the far left. Roving is washed, and then carded fleece made into a tube shape (not hollow), and is such a lovely combo of light grey with the oatmeal - moorit colors. I made a skein on my niddy noddy, but am going to look into purchasing a skein winder to create a more even skein. I first learned how to spin on a spindle, then after a couple years moved to a double treadle Lendrum spinning wheel and I just love it (but I do enjoy spindles too - a spindle can go to the doctor's office, swimming pool, park, camping, well, everywhere a wheel might be a bit too cumbersome to carry along). Spinning on a wheel or spindle is just so very centering and relaxing, a fine tranquilizer after a stressful day.