The Woolly Thistle podcast Episode 188, the last segment has a women, who is a knitter and yoga teacher doing a demo of some wrist/arm stretches. They have worked well for me. They are good to do whether you have issues or not, just to keep your hands and arms healthy. I am very glad you are following through on this study. When you're ready, if you want to do a goat study, I think that would be awesome. I just finished a sock yarn spin, 3 ply,...2 with Finn one with mohair. It would have helped to know more about the mohair. Thank you always.
Hello Lisa! I am loving your channel and especially loving your breed study. Thank you for doing this. It’s a real treat for me to watch your weekly instalments. I look forward to them. You are an inspiration and I learn so much. ❤️ You have inspired me to pick up the drop spindle again. Your enthusiasm and love of spinning is contagious.
Ah,I’m spinning some Tarndie polwarth right now…Bliss.!! Tarndwarncoort is just down the road and it’s the home of polwarth… the Dennis family have some lovely colours and a great farm shop.l enjoy your weekly discussions.. a good excuse to sit and spin with you and a cuppa.Many thanks.P.S. I flick card raw fleece and spin in the grease.
I’ve had a difficult week-but watching you spin along with your music choice is so very appreciated. Thank you I’ve made Skeindeer’s Kosekofte with my home spun polwarth- this sweater is so warm I can wear it with just a sweater underneath in -35 degree weather. I love this breed!!
Oh wonderful! Couldn't sleep, and now I get to catch up with you while I knit through the night ❤️ I think that Ann Budd sock book would be really helpful for knitting socks with the handspun, wouldn't it?
Wendy Dennis taught me to spin. You couldn’t meet a nicer family. A beautiful property where they love their sheep. Tarndie wool is fabulous. Loving the breed study. Your podcast is super. Keep up the good work. A little bit of calm in this mad world of ours. Love to you from Tasmania. ❤
@@SoulfulSpinning I learnt to spin with polwarth in the grease from Tarndie. Amazing experience. Please be encouraged by all of us enjoying your podcasts in the global village community. Sharing inspiration, ideas, knowledge and fun to encourage all arts and making is crucial for the world we live in. Do not underestimate the power of your work.
Australian sheep breeds are quite interesting. the wool industry used to be HUGE here. I live in a city that used to basically be made off of the sheep industry. we had a woollen mill, we still have the Australian wool museum here, and we have so many old buildings that used to be used for wool grading, wool processing, weaving etc that no longer do that. they have been repurposed (one is now a brewery). so we have had so much of our city's commerce beginning from wool, and then it just kind of died off as many of those companies moved overseas for whatever reason, taking all the fleeces with them it almost seems.
@@SoulfulSpinning i agree. There's still a lot of wool business here, we have some woollen mills still up and running, but most our companies either sold overseas or went out of business sometime around the turn of the millennium. We still have so many sheep farms, however many don't sell spinners fleeces, or at least don't advertise they do so, rather selling their wool commercially. Which isn't wrong, though I find it interesting. We used to have a much bigger spinners community.
It couldn’t make me more happy to know that you are going to try goat gossamer (spinning and knitting) 🎉 for the reason, I learned spinning from your videos and it took about 2 months before I started spinning gossamer. This kind of knitting may not be for everyone, but the thing is, if you don’t try, you will never know 😮
I love knitting lace, and i have those 2 books on Orenburg lace... took classes from Galina in 2002 and 2006 at Stitches Midwest (in Chicago). Also took a supported spinning class from her in 2019 at PlyAway in KCMO.... first day was spinning and i was all thumbs; the second day was plying the goat with silk, but i missed that due to illness. I am working on a warm Orenburg shawl using angora and silk, and i have done a couple of scarves. Don't know if i will ever spin fine enough to use for knitted lace, tho!
Carol, sometimes I call goat angora mohair “animal silk”, and I always try to draft longer and longer (2-4 hair thickness) and excessively overspin - that’s a must for knitting singles, any bias disappears after wet blocking.
I have some Polworth I purchased to comb with some alpaca. I am thinking of a 50/50 blend. It feels better in the hand than Merino if that is at all possible. Thank you for another enjoyable episode!
Thank you as always Lisa! I really appreciate the info and your hard work and attention to this study. You are helping me think about spindle spinning!
Hi Lisa, I got some Polwarth fleece from Australia and from Tarndie farm a few years ago and yes it is soft and fine and comes in beautiful colors. I am really enjoying your breed study and have tried many of the breeds that you have featured and so it is relatable to hear you speak about their characteristics. I enjoy sometimes mixing them and just the different texture combinations one can make is just amazing. God has created such amazing things.
Instead of making faux rolags why don't you make real ones on a blending board? Glen Powell has some very useful videos on RU-vid using a Clemes and Clemes blending board. Part one of her Introduction to the Blending Board is specifically what I was thinking of but the rest in the link are really good too. Be warned, they may send you down a rabbit hole! ru-vid.com?search_query=clemes+and+clemes+blending+boards
I’m going to watch those this week. I actually have a Clemes blending board I purchased years ago. 😊 That’s what I love about my viewers , you all give me such good ideas! Take care and have a good week. 💕
Fleece envy I totally understand! I’ve been indulging myself over the last few months-between Rhinebeck, the beautiful fleeces you show off, and some Ravelry groups I’m in, my love for raw fleece has been reinvigorated. I decided I’m just NOT going to feel guilty anymore about acquiring more. As long as I have the room and can afford it, I can have fun discovering new breeds AND support my local farmers! It’s okay if I can’t process them all at once. (Though I did make a rule that I must wash every fleece before it gets put away-I won’t store dirty wool for fear of m*ths.) My long-awaited Finn lamb fleece arrived and I finally had a chance to unroll it and start sorting it while watching this video! It is truly glorious and I can’t wait to start spinning it! It’s exciting to see your lovely Coopworth too. I fell in love with a Coopworth lamb fleece at Rhinebeck, and have enjoyed it so much I called up the farm to see what they have this year! There’s a very special cardigan pattern I’ve been wanting to make from a raw fleece for a long time, and I think this one might just be it.
Interweave had some FANTASTIC videos online. One of my favorites was about Ornburg lace. I am not sure who has the videos anymore since interweave kinda broke up but they were fiber and history. Your polworth is gorgeous.😍
I think Long Thread Media bought them all up. I am knitting the little sample shawl in the Orenburg book but I could use some visuals from video lessons.
Morning! I sent some snow…..😊 Unlike Targhee, I love spinning Polwarth! It’s like butter to me. I’ve taken a lot of interest in purchasing fleeces, and can’t wait for the Sheperds Harvest festival in a couple months. I hope to add one to my fiber collection! And I also started the Birlinn blocks and found I need the longer DPNs. I’m going to take a look at the ones you purchased. With regards to spinning various weights, I haven’t mastered that YET! Also, I’ve learned it’s okay to just appreciate the items of other people (ie FMO syndrome); you shouldn’t feel like you need EVERYTHING….but it’s difficult, I love the energy of learning new hobbies!!! Have a great week! ❤ and happy spinning!
Love your book selections, they’re in my library, and the Ann Budd books ARE great for us yarn makers! You’re making great progress on your breed study, love to watch, and get inspired, so many fleeces to spin up, so little time!
Thank you for your time in your marvelous breed study. I would love to try spinning palwarth fleece. Are you aware of a Shepherd in U.S. that has them? I, too, spin DK/worsted...lace isn't my jam.😅 Thanks for sharing you book stash. I have the sock book by Ann Budd and it is a great reference in sock knitting! 😊
When I started spinning my goal was always to spin thin. I can get a three ply light fingering weight pretty easy now but the thought of spinning even thick enough for a two ply fingering or sport is completely daunting. I'm going to try spinning a two ply fingering/sport soon! Any tips for a thicker spin?
Hi Lisa, a wonderful winter breed study again. You're a great teacher! Thank you for taking so much time to share all your fiber knowledge freely. I've been a knitter since my late teens (30+ years) and now wish to take up spinning, specifically spindle spinning for starters. Is there a book or RU-vid channel you can recommend which is really good at teaching spindle spinning. Thanks again. Love from Canada
I know how hard it is to keep going on projects that you have committed to, especially when the end is in sight but still not quite within reach. Keep up the excellent work with your winter fleece study! It's so interesting and I find that I often watch it more than once just to try to absorb the info better. It is for fun. (It may be more fun for us watching) so don't stress yourself out too much. It's may feel like a job, but it's not. I think we all understand. In regards to socks, I was watching a sock knitting machine video recently and found it mesmerizing. Made me wonder a little bit more about its history. Seems like it might have been one of those home industry 'get rich slowly' schemes promising fortune and fame for X payments of $XX.XX. Have you ever looked at those? It doesn't really seem like your thing, just curious. I made my first knitted square this last week. Maybe I'll put a picture on Instagram.
I was really looking forward to this episode as I’m enjoying spinning my first Polworth fleece. It’s clean and low lanolin so I’m gently combing each lock to avoid neps, spinning and then scouring when it’s yarn. It really puffs up after washing and it’s beautiful A shawl would be the perfect project, thankyou Lisa
I just found your channel and enjoy your start-to-finish approach, as well as your gentle manner. I had begun to feel a bit despondent about not finishing my various projects, but now feel buoyed to progress with them, so thank you for sharing your thoughts on the fleeces you have been processing and not adding to your stash. I find it hard to squash the coveting bug. Relevant to today’s vlog, I have 24 ozs of Polworth/Silk dyed braids that I’m spinning from the fold on a supported Tibetan for a 3-ply fingering yarn. I enjoy the fiber and the spindle, but progress is slow because of the thinness of the singles and all my detours.
Another wonderful episode! Loving your breed study. Learning a lot about the different breeds. So glad that you are doing this! Thank you for taking the time to post your videos. I'm sure that it takes a lot of time!! Take care
Hi Lisa thankyou for another enjoyable time spent watching the podcast. When u started spinning in the 80''s their was no processed fleece. I' m thankful for the experience, but honestly enjoy all the options we have available this days. At the present I'm spinning sth African merino blended with Australian merino and mulberrry silk.
Are you making a sample book 📖 like all the sheep 🐑 wool you have. ? Like a little jewelry bag holding the lock of fiber with a spin single and then a 2 ply sample yarn. Also, a small knit square ⬛️ . Having them named on the one page. I really like these breed studies, and I have learned a lot from your channel ☺️. I would like you to know I made a small coaster with my first lesson on knitting. I like you to explain how your knitting the squares you a making. Thumbs 👍 up for your lessons.
Another person with fleece envy here. You have some beautiful fleeces, you have made me want to dive into my stash and do some fleece washing 😉. Looking forward to next week’s episode. Sue.
I get so distracted,too :-) thank you for sharing the wisdom of enjoying and even romanticizing what we have. It’s something I’ve been trying to do more of lately!!
I really look forward to each breed and each week. So much wonderful information. Thank you for your commitment to teaching even after retirement. I think this information has been so helpful to so many of us. I love your style and pace. Thank you
This is my first time watching your channel. I’m not even sure how I got here because I am not a spinner, just a knitter. But I did enjoy this episode. The breed study is very interesting so I’ll stick around 😊. I knit the Arboreal sweater in a polworth. It was pretty soft but the end result was a bit drapier than a merino. I love my Arboreal knit with polworth. Great idea to knit hat as a gauge swatch. Thanks for all the research into the breeds and for a wonderful episode.
Hi Lisa, i have spun Polworth fiber and when i set the twist it poofed up. I was trying to spin for fingering weight, but it poofed to sport. It is very easy to spin and very soft. I just finished a commercial yarn knitted sock. I used two colors and just wove in all the ends. Thanks for a great podcast
Bravo! Another excellent video. Thank you for sharing. For some reason all my free floating anxiety goes out the window after I watch one of your videos. And i learn so much too!
Dear Lisa, Oh what a treat to hear your singing voice at the end.... I wanted more :) Polwarth was one of my most enjoyable spins. I thought I was spinning really fine but then, after plying and washing, it plumped up so much it became like a cloud. My white jumper with cables (the one you really like) is out of handspun Polwarth. It is a pleasure to spin and knit as well. ❤❤❤
I think Polwarth really has the puffy quality. Your little cable detail in your jumper really looks beautiful in your handspun Polwarth. In a ranking of my favorite woods. polwarth would definitely be high in the list. So soft, like a cloud. Take care, Lovely 🥰.
That polworth looks scrumptious! Ya know, one of my favorite wools to spin is the Gulf Coast. I spun some for me conservation breed project soooooo long ago ;) That polworth prep reminded me of the experience. Another great vlog and time together. Thank you!
The 'Getting Started Knitting Socks" by Ann Budd is the best book for sock knitting by far. The best tutorial for a plain vanilla sock is on 'Crazy Sock Lady" youtube channel. She walks through each step, and it is very easy to follow along. I highly recommend it.
I’ve really looked forward to each of your breed study episodes (even if I am a bit behind - I took a few weeks off from social media!) but it would be awful if this became an onerous task for you - a lot of my enjoyment stems from your enthusiasm for the subject at hand. So I hope, once the current project is finished, that you’ll feel inspired to do a breed study every now and then as the mood takes you. I have found great sock knitting help from Winwick Mum here in the UK - she has an online blog with lots of useful information, a RU-vid channel with tutorials on it and several books / patterns (published under her real name, Christine Perry). She has worked with West Yorkshire Spinners fairly frequently. If you aren’t already aware of her, I’d recommend checking her out. I don’t have fleece envy but I can get quite covetous of people’s spindles! All the best, J x
Thank you so much! Yes, an every now and then breed study is much more sustainable. This channel isn’t my job but I was almost starting to feel like it is. 😝 Many thanks for the sock resource recommendation. I’m just in my 3 rd pair of socks and am still learning. Take care 🤗.
Thanks for your wonderful channel. So much useful information. I’ve just started back with spinning after over 30 years and am lucky enough to have a kilogram of Polworth tops I bought on my last trip to visit my mum who lives very close to Tarndwarncoort. It is a dream to spin and I can’t wait to knit it up. I’ve also just bought a number of breed specific tops to experiment with. Looking forward to seeing how they spin.
Well you've convinced me to give polworth another try. My only experience was with a small sample of prepared top. It felt a tiny bit sticky as fiber, and remained tacky after spinning. I'll try what you said about adding boiling water and scour power and see if that helps. I always love the goodies that come out of your stash. Do you keep a chart to remind you that, yes, you have some polworth (or whatever) hidden away? Happy Spring, Lisa! (watching later and catching up)
Polwarth was the first large amount I spun way back after I'd learned to spin. It wasn't the best spinning job, but it came out alright. I spun up two different colors, and knitted one up into a lacy cardigan. I never decided what to do with the other color, and it had been sitting in my stash for all these years. This last year I finally got on it, and knitted it up in Tin Can Knits North Shore pullover. I had to purchase some yarn for the colorwork, but I am so glad to have my own spun yarn to wear. Even as a beginner, the Polwarth was wonderfully easy to spin.
Lisa, You are creating so much joy with your videos. Thank you so much for all the time you put in to this work. I have learned so much and feel just like you, "How can I keep from spinning!"
I celebrated my birthday this week. I've been working on some plying and practicing with my spinning wheel. I needed some spinning wheel oil so I used some of my dad's gun oil which I talked to him and did some research which is a good sub for spinning oil along with sewing machine oil. My plans are to work on my Jacob wool and hopefully start on making my own combs.
I have only spun on commercial Polwarth but oh how I would love a fleece. Your brown polwarth was stunning! Thanks again for taking time out of your life to share with us what you are working on! I love seeing what you are up to fleece study or not!
Yes’m commercial Polwarth is lovely to spin, but from raw is next level! Thanks for checking me out. You can hear all about Rambouillet in the next installment. 💕
Hi Lisa, I love watching your videos, they are so informative and relaxing :) I have a question but wasn't sure where to send it so I've put it here, I've been spinning for about 8 months now and absolutely LOVE spinning on a drop spindle but i'm never sure how much yarn to spin onto it? I have a 60g drop spindle and have ordered a 30g one which I'm waiting for. My question is what sort of weight do you spin onto your spindles, I always seem to end up with tiny skeins of pretty wool when I've plied them so I'm thinking maybe I could fill my spindles up more? Anyway any advice would be much appreciated, and I cant wait for your next video. Thank you :)
I usually put about an ounce on a drop spindle. I usually go by feel, when the yarn starts to break due to the weight and the cob reaches the outer edges of the whorl. You can ply several spindles worth onto one bobbin if you have a wheel or an e spinner If you have one. I like spindles between 0.7 and 1.5 ounces for the most part, 60 grams is a bit heavy and best for thicker singles or plying I think. Spinning a\on a spindle is so fun, isn’t it? Take care and happy spinning 🤗.
Another informative and wonderful episode! I have a few ounces of Polwarth top tucked away that I now I want to get out and try! I have been saving it to blend with some sari silk, but I may just spin it on its own. Thank you for your ‘full-time’ efforts to get these breed studies published. They are quite worthwhile! We appreciate it very much 🧶❤️🐑
Thank you so much dear Leslie. I was just looking for my sari silk to have a go at a blending board experiment. I think white Polworth would look so pretty with the sati silk speckles. It’s so hard for me to use up precious fiber sometimes. Take care and many blessings to you and your family. 🥰
Hi LISA. My very first fleece was a Polworth lamb. It was lovely to spin once I got it cleaned and combed. I didn't look out for the amount of chaff in the fleece before I bought it as I was new to it all. After that I watched out for this aspect before I bought fleece. But Polworth is a pleasure to spin.
Love the content! I am from Sweden and I enjoy spinning Swedish breeds. I don't like carded top that much. Like you I prefer preparing the rawfleece myself. I have been following your breed study so far and I like it very much. So keep posting, please!
Hi Lisa, I have thoroughly enjoyed your breed study. Many breeds I have spun, and new ones that would be fun to try. I know you are going to enjoy the Orenburg spinning, and Ms. Galina Khmeleva is a delight. I too have her books, several of her videos, and some of her spindles. It would be awesome to be able to get some Orenburg cashmere to spin. If you ever find any, would you please share your source? Thank you again for a delightful episode.
Pretty fleeces and fluffs! I’ve now spun up 6/10 of my breed-study-fluffs. Going well! I usually find corridale to be annoying to spin, but I just found out that it’s much easier when there’s still a bit of lanolin in it! Holds together better. Happy fluff-spinning!
That fleece looks incredibly fine and silky. I bought a white Shetland fleece at Masham sheep fair last year thinking it would be like one from the year before which was medium grade and double coated. To my surprise it turned out to be single coated and unbelievably fine and silky, so I’ve decided it must be used for my first attempt at a lacy shawl. I’d heard Shetland can vary a lot but never expected such a big difference.
As always, your podcast was lovely and the perfect start to my Sunday. Polwarth is one of my favs! I love it for the same reasons you mentioned: soft yet sturdy and easy to spin. It also spins fine well. I made my first fingering weight with it a couple years ago and continue to choose it for anything that will be around my neck. Like you, I found it nice to use over the fold on the supported spindle. It actually helped me learn to spin on mine. … Suzanne
It would be nice you do like a scrapbook of the last pass breeds of sheep 🐑 you have talked about. With a pint picture of the sheep and the sample of wool and yarn. Also the business card where you got the fleece. I would like to see 👀 you hold it up at the end of the 13 short tail breed studies. Then please 🙏 keep going on the sheep 🐑 studies, because I have learned so much from you by doing so.
@@SoulfulSpinning I found out the little jewelry plastic bags work great for holding samples. Circles sticky back fasteners, velcro to hold them on a page. I found them at Walmart for the items. Have fun making your refrance scrapbook on wool and other different fibers by type. Don't forget to add a holder for the business cards where you got the fiber from. I enjoy 😉 ☺️ my scrapbook and sharing it with others who spin. I can't wait to see your next video. 😍
@@timothychandler1725 You know I was just picking out a scrap book on Amazon and was trying to work out how I might attach the samples! Hubby just happens to have some little bags (for fishing lures or some such). All I’d need is the sticky back fasteners. Thanks for the inspiration!
