I’ve been missing your lovely informative, restful podcasts, so I have started dipping into the older ones. This is such a lovely video. Thankyou so much. I hope you are keeping well and content.
I've learned so much from your podcast, I was really lost and ready to give up, and send my new Ladybug back. you have talked me off the ledge. I'm so disabled in my legs and i really love spinning, it's good for my soul. Thank you Margaret King
Oh dear Margaret I am glad you did not send your wheel back. I hope your health allows you to spin on her even for short bits of time. An e-spinner might be something to consider too. Sometimes my ankles don’t always want to cooperate. That’s when I go to my support spindle or e spinner. What is about fiber arts that soothes the soul? All I know is that it does. Love to you and I hope you’re having a good day. 🌹
Just lovely! I enjoyed everything from your fleeces, to your lovely spindles and beautiful projects. What fun! After a move at the beginning of the year and the distractions of COVID. I finally picked up a spindle and a loose washed and combed lock of something (not sure) and spun as I watched. Thank you for sharing. I'm inspired to organize my own stash of yarn and wool and begin enjoying some wooly goodness.
What a complete JOY to visit with you again, Lisa. It is our luck that you take the time to record and edit and share. You've got some beautiful stash you're working through.
Thank you so much Marce! I do have a lot of stash to work through for sure. Getting a comment from you and Jennie from Tiny Paper Foxes within 24 hours made my day. Take care 🤗.
Love your podcast, love your style and your passion for fiber. I have knitted for many years but my daughter-in-law has helped me down the fiber trail and I am hooked. Looking at buying my first wheel soon.
Since you brought up the virus, as I senior I have been staying home almost exclusively when not at work. Because of that I was able to hit my large yarn stash big time. Now I have a huge collection of the most beautiful one hundred percent cotton thread tablecloths, bedspreads and large triangle shawls and pure wool shawls, scarves, hats-even a handbag! I'm gifting some of them during the coming holidays while the rest will be for other special occasions. I'm happy as a clam!
If you like knitting with textured patterns and cables a 3 ply yarn will give you lovely, embossed looking cables. I like a 3 ply fingering/sport weight for sweaters, socks, hats and gloves. You have quite a lot of fibre, so you can have fun making some samples before you decide on what to make.
Hi Lisa, thank you for another beautiful podcast. I love all your Fall colors. We are at peak around here as well. I love all your spindles. Even went on Green Sleeves web site even though I don’t really need one. Ha ha. I plan to check out those two podcasts. Mostly I spin 2 ply yarn. I have tried chain plied yarn. I like how 2 ply gives you more yarn.🧶. Be safe at school if you have to be in the physical building. Happy spinning❤️
I love your series Lisa! Thank you so much for taking the time to do it. I am brand new to spinning. I bought a Louet S51 spinning wheel 2nd hand with no expectations other than wanting to try spinning. I have been knitting for 15 years now. I hired a teacher who helped me get it repaired and ready for use, and she introduced me to spindle spinning, which I didn’t care for as I struggled with coordinating it all. My teacher became ill and my wheel got stowed back in my closet for another 1+ years. Then with quarantine and being inspired from Whisky and Wool’s Shannon, I acquired several teaching videos through Craftsy and a bag of comb top and discovered WHY everyone loves spinning so MUCH! I am hooked. It’s so dynamic and with all the tactile and motor stimulation anyone could ever want to keep them in the Now of the moment. I relate well to your title for your show. Your soft, easy manner and candor make spinning accessible. You are a delight. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much Jane. You summed it up perfectly. Spinning really does help to keep me sane. Thank you also for your kind words. Happy spinning and I’ll “see” you soon 💕.
I've fairly recently discovered your lovely Vodcast and have so enjoyed listening/watching back episodes whilst spinning on my Sonata wheel. I really resonate with your delight in exploring great fleeces as I work from raw fleece through to dyeing and knitting. Hope you are well and look forward to your next episode. Many thanks for sharing your spinning adventures!
Such a beautiful video - you do such a great job describing each fleece and its unique character - they all are so special and lovely. Thanks for the feedback on the combed top, I really appreciate it! Have a great month, see you when the snow flies!
Hi Lisa, I just discovered your channel, and I'm do glad I did!! I just visited Jen at her virtual Rhinebeck booth yesterday, too! Have you already done a video talking about how you learned to spin, etc.? I'm very interested to hear more about it, as I'm only just beginning to spin. I have a couple of basic drop spindles to play with.
Dear Lisa, I'm so glad you found me and thank you for your kind words. I've been watching and enjoying your videos for about a year now, so I was a bit surprised when I heard you mention my channel. Thank you again, and just so you know, you have brought me joy and calm through your videos and creations. Ivana
I was so happy to see your video pop up! My goodness what a clean and beautiful CVM fleece! You seem to have a fondness for the breed 😊 A good episode, as always!
I also use old sheets to wrap my fleece but the next step for me is I put that wrapped fleece in a large used ice chest from a thrift store. Now they are moth proof/stackable and easy to label.
Thanks Lisa! You continue to introduce me to new shows. I'm now following Jen Johnson and I also watch JillianEve. I told her that I 2 plied exclusively for 20 plus years until I learned to chain ply and now that's my favorite way to ply. It's a 3 ply and you only need one bobbin at a time. I always love to see your projects.
Your videos are always such an inspiration! Good luck on your socks, can’t wait to see how they turn out and loved everything you showed today, all the happy mail! 💛
Oh my, you saw my video! 🥰 I’ve seen your 2ply yarn on your videos and Instagram and it’s so lovely! If you do try a 3ply, I’m very curious to know what you think of a 3-ply! 💕
@@JillianEve You have inspired me to make more 3 ply yarn. Congratulations on the growth of your channel. Your enthusiasm for the craft shines through your videos 💜.
Hi Lisa, I'm still binging on your videos, your podcasts have made me feel so inspired to start Drop Spindle Spinning. Really can't wait for Christmas to Open My Prezzies also the book you recommend the one "Respect the Spindle" Thankyou so much for sharing your expertise with us. Keep Spinning, keep safe and well. Love Jen xx I've watched a few of JillianEves podcasts. Thankyou for telling us about her.
@@SoulfulSpinning Hi Lisa, Thankyou for your reply. I love it when I get a reply. There's many who I feel can't be bothered. I nearly always reply back. School been hard not just to the children but also teachers, like you. I feel for all in this situation. I think it's been hard for the little ones that it's hard to explain why some days they're in school and then when they can't be. Thanks fir all you do. Take care. Live Jen xx
I just love your videos!😊 Would you please show when you spin that last lofty fiber that is on your Majacraft? Plying to keep it lofty is a challenge for me.
I tend to ply more tightly for my woolen singles. I try not to smooth it down as a I ply. I also find giving it a good thwack out of the wash helps it fluff up a bit. I will record my plying for the next video. Thanks for watching ! I love that there are so many spinners out there. Take care 💙.
I just found your channel today, and your video was lovely. I spin on my 200 year old saxony flax wheel and on spindles. My flax wheel has a tiny orifice so I spin singles only and I love it. I made myself and my husband a sweater out of my handspun Corriedale. Santa is bringing me a turkish spindle. Here in Nova Scotia, spinning is a rarity, so I have no experience with blending and processing raw fleece. Also we dont have many sheep farms to purchase fleeces from, although that is not an interest for me at this time. I have also just signed up for the Fibre of the month club at Paradise Fibres. I hope to learn much more about spinning! It brings me great joy. XO
It’s a wonderful craft. There is another channel called Julian Eve who opens up the paradise box every month and spins it up. She has some excellent teaching content there as well! Your saxony wheel sounds lovely.
Yeahhhhh! I am so glad you’re back. Ive missed you. The Ann Budd book has been my sock bible for years!! The only problem I’ve had with spinning sock yarn is that I have the princess and the pea disorder when it comes to any slight bump or irregularity that might occur when I knit for the bottom of my feet. I just have to be more careful when I spin for socks I guess!! Enjoyed the vid!
Thank you Lisa - I actually exhaled and felt happy right at the intro and all the joyful colors :) Thank you for bringing some happiness and balance into my day! XOXO -Kent
That is so cool! I just finished spinning the fiber she threw in to the sale. I just went to her web page. She says online buying will be available soon.
@@SoulfulSpinning awesome! Ive had this roving for years, I really should spin it up. It has a slight greasiness, but no stiffness like aged lanolin. I want to use mine to focus on long draw skills
Your podcast was such a lovely way to start my day, sipping coffee and working on a hat for my son#in-law’s birthday coming up. I so appreciate your time and work you put into these podcasts for I love seeing it all 😁 You are opening my eyes to many more breeds of sheep to try spinning. I have made quite a few handspun. So far the ones that are holding up the best are three ply high twist with “mother nature’s nylon” (silk or mohair), combined with a not so soft breed 👍🏼 Take care and stay safe💓
Lovely video, I am still doing the park and draft. I have a beautiful fleece that I need to start spinning. She's a beautiful white Romney named Petunia.🌹😊🍁🐑🐑🧵
Oh my, I needed this today.... popped up in my feed at the absolute perfect time. The world feeling crazy .... and this brought me much needed peace ♡ thank you ♡ Edit: I enjoy spinning fingering 3 ply the most. But my favorite look of yarn is singles for sure ♡
Hello Lisa, lovely to see you again. Some spinners don't use the finer, softer fleeces because of the pilling qualities in the knitted fabric/garment. I'd like to know your opinion on this because you have so much experience with fine fleece.
Horned Dorset is definitely not pure white; more of a creamy color. But what it lacks in bright whiteness it more than makes up for with springy and bouncy texture (3 ply). It's one of my favorite livestock conservancy breeds to spin; considered threatened.
Hi Lisa. I am an inexperienced spinner/knitter, but what I have learned from others and reading is that 3 ply is good for socks because it is strong and great for cables or any knitting that requires good stitch definition. I'm just finishing my first hand spun socks. For consistency, I used 6 bobbins and mixed up the order when plying. I made two equal skeins and knit both socks at the same time to make sure the yarn gauge was staying consistent. Just about to finish the foot on each. So far so good. It is "Socktober" at "Sweet Georgia Yarns". Rachel Smith is doing a "Spin to knit Socks" workshop. Hope this helps. Thank you for you beautiful podcasts. I look forward to them always.
2 ply vs 3 ply(or more) really depends what you intend to use the yarn for. 2 ply opens up better for lace knitting and shows the lace stitches better. a 3ply or higher will show off structural stitches like cables and twisted stitch patterns more crisply.
Thanks Lisa. It’s always so nice to “see you”. Have you ever thought about opening a Fiber Studio where you could teach and sell your yarn? I don’t know how you manage all that wool! 😉
Hello from gloomy Indiana 🌧 I’m a newbie spinner and am glad I have spinning to make the winter go faster. I’ve been really enjoying your videos but I have to say you share to many goodies that I want🤣 After watching your videos I was able to find some Shetland locks at my local spinning shop. They are a beautiful soft gray and I have 8oz and might get more. The store owner sends some of her fleeces to that mill in Michigan you mentioned and it is so much nicer and easier to work with then commercial. I also think those muck boots look interesting. I’m going to look up the pattern. Thanks for sharing 😍
I hope the sun shines your way soon! I agree, working from locks and farm wool is so much easier to spin! The Shetland you are working with sounds lovely. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. Happy Spinning 💕
I just love your channel, thank you for taking the time to share. I work in tech, so computer time/screens are a challenge for me, too! So I’m glad that you’re still sharing with us, but also glad you’re setting a “how often” boundary for your own! I also got a fleece from EBR and am just over the moon with it. Still working through washing, but have a few skeins (also 2 ply). I only do 3 ply if I’m doing a cable project because the roundness helps the cables pop! I mostly like stockinette or easy lace, so 2 ply works just fine. ✨✨ gosh, I just love the things you talk about and way you explore from spindle to drives to fiber! Cheerio!
I would love to see some pictures/videos of your pollinator garden. I am only a dabbler in gardening. Thank you for taking care of your bees and butterflies, so important!
Those closeups of the locks and crimp make me exclaim aloud! Beautiful fleeces! It looks like you’ve kept the lock structure quite well with the white fleece in the herb dryer. When I don’t open the locks I don’t get all the lanolin out. . The orientation of the fibers is disturbed but I do enjoy playing with it. I have some rewashed cormo that I’m contemplating on how to proceed.. I don’t know what to do with it. It’s a luscious bright white. When you squeeze and hug your wool I laugh because that is so me also.😆 In regard to the use of the fine wool singles just keep in mind that the yarn won’t be strong or long wearing and will pill easily with any abrasion. Oh and one question I have for a Shetland aficionado. A young guy from the UK said that almost all Shetlands have inherited a weak area in their fiber and can break at that point. I THINK he said it comes from the days they spontaneously shed their fleece. Have you noticed this? Maybe only UK Shetlands? I’m going to test some of my commercially processed top.
omg that corriedale/merino fleece is to die for..... seriously gorgeous. i'm currently trying to scour a superfine 18 micron merino fleece, and haven't been able to get the lanolin out even after 4 washes and rinses.... ugh. wondering if you have any suggestions on how to scour a super lanolin heavy merino fleece. i'm worried about felting if i continue to scour. i wash in small batches, in very hot water and let soak for 15/20 minutes using dawn dishsoap.. happy spindling xo
hello Holly. When I scoured the fine wool I added hot water from my electric tea kettle and used plenty of power scour. I have the gallon jug with the dispenser and used 2 full pumps per batch. With plenty of water for the mesh bag to move around in. Fine wool is a pain to clean sometimes!
A warm hello from South Australia. I have recently been following your podcast and feel like we’re friends as you chat to me over a coffee. I taught myself to spin this year as it’s always something I’ve wanted to do and I now have the time. Because all classes were closed when I started to spin, I have learnt a lot from you.. I wanted to share a wonderful designer from South Aust, Nim Teasdale who has patterns on Ravelry. I’ve just finished her free lace pattern Whimsycowl. I thought it could be a good use of some of your stash or would be lovely when you venture into hand dying. I’m not an expert lace knitter, but really enjoyed it ( I put markers between each repeat) and it knitted up quickly using only about 250m, It will also work with any yarn weight so is versatile for handspun. They say every cloud has a silver lining, well spinning has been mine, thankyou so much, Mandy ( like your Jacob fleece)
Thank you Amanda. So good to hear about your experiences. I am so happy to connect with other spinners and knitters! I checked out Nim Teasdale on Ravelry. Oh my goodness’s what pretty patterns! Thank you so much for the suggestion. I’ve only knit a few lace shawls and generous use of markers and lifelines got me through it. Take care and continue looking for they silver linings 💕.
Do you have any men as your followers? I have seen some of your videos, and I like them . Have you made or dye your wool to the colors of the season? Watching the first of this video i thought you showing the colors of fall. You talked of plying yarns, and I made a 4 ply. I used one color to be like a blue or red as to 3 of only one natural color light grey. Most of the yarn i made is given to family to make other things to knit and crochet. I am working on right now a blend of blues with a grayish brown wool. I have family my cousin's have a sheep on there ranch. At times if not to busy they have me help with sheering.
Hi Lisa. Enjoyed your podcast today, thank you! I have made socks in the past and wanted to give you a tip if you’d like to make yours last longer. When you are spinning your single, add some nylon or silk. It works well for me! Loved seeing your new fleece! It is truly beautiful. I wonder if the woman you bought it from has any more? I haven’t looked through the comments yet, but if you haven’t noted it, would you mind giving me her contact info? I have not bought a fleece for a long time and yours was pristine, just yummy💕 Thanks and happy and safe Fall to you. Your pictures are stunning of your plants. Linda
This was incredibly interesting. May I ask what you wash your wool with. I'm about to prewash a wool cashmere blend before dyeing and I was going to use baby shampoo as directed by most online dyers. Is this acceptable?
Hi Lisa I have been meaning to reply to your video. I think you should give a 3 ply a chance, especially if you want to make something cabled or durable. I made a 3 ply out of CVM and it was so delightfully squishy! I personally have only done two ply and three plys, i need to give singles a chance! If you are ever looking for future episode ideas, I would love a tour of your favorite fleeces in your stash, you always do such a good job showing your fleeces off on your channel and it makes me want to go through and touch/smell my stash! :P
I found a couple of three ply handspun skeins in my stash and I notice they are really round! I spin on the thick side so not sure if I can get anything less than an Aran weight yarn with a 3 ply. I’ll have to work in spinning thinner. For cables and knit and our patterns 3 ply would be perfect. Are you a weaver, too? Thinking of picking up a rigid heddle loom. Oh dear, another 🐇 hole. I hope you are having a good week.
@@SoulfulSpinning no I have been avoiding weaving for now! I am sure I'll be interested in it later. 😂 I would love to see your thoughts on it though! I have a cardigan I just finished the body on and just have to do the sleeves but I can't help but spin instead or fleece prep! I'm working through a super soft rambouillet lamb fleece right now, I love everything about it besides the fact it has little thorns in it I keep getting in my fingers. I might have to wear gloves when I'm flicking the VM out of the locks. I feel like I'll have to make a 3 ply out of that as well!
Rambouillet lamb’s fleece sounds dreamy. I was looking at a Rambo fleece but they are so big! I bet it’s a soft as a kitten’s ear. I am looking at rigid heddle looms. I have a birthday coming up 😉.
Lisa, forgot to tell you about a wonderful Acorn TV series I just found. I think you would enjoy it, so please check it out if you have a chance... very heartwarming. It’s called “A Place to Call Home”. Linda
I just had my first drop spindle class at #littlebluefibrestudio here in Edmonton, Alberta and am so inspired by your talents spinning on one. Any advice for a beginner.
I do prefer three ply for knitting- it goes faster!!!! Have you ever spun Gotland wool? My high school friend gave me a fleece, it’s a beautiful silver/ grey from her sheep Jane. Gotland is traditionally a Swedish breed- I read an article in Spinoff magazine a year? ago about Gotland- a ancestral breed for me. Which weight of spindle do you prefer?My favorite sock book is Sock Architecture by Lara Neel. I have the sock book by Ann Bud as well. I always have too many projects!!!! 😂🤣😂. Love your videos!!!!! 💜🙏🏻
Gotland is an amazing breed. I have some in my stash I bought from a lady named Ulrika on FB. I need to do a breed study on that one. So shiny and the gray shades are so beautiful. I will check out Lara Neel's book. Thank you for the recommendation!
@@SoulfulSpinning I prefer Lara’s book because there are many toe and heel shapes- my second toe is longer, other’s have toes that are mostly the same, or a hard diagonal.... also she has many toe up and top to toe versions for socks. I prefer toe up, both socks at once in the magic loop to make the best use of my yarn!
Yes, I have spun Icelandic. I drum carded the 2 coats together and spun into a bulky single. It was tricky as the soft undercoat (the thel) is quite a bit shorter than the outer coat (the tog). I have to experiment more with the breed. It is a beautiful breed! Have you spun it before?
No. I recently bought a lamb's fleece. I read it combs well with single pitch fine combs, which I do not have. So, hence my inquiry to you, since I know you have combs. If single pitch, it should theoretically keep the two coats intact....and therefore make a semi-worsted yarn. EZ has knitting patterns using this wool, hence my purchase.
Did find a video demonstrating single and double pitch on a duel coat. The single kept the two together thus allowing the spinner to achieve a loopi yarn. Thanks for your reply. Working on the BSJ by EZ.
