Sheep to Shawl: Part II

So, I have pounds and pounds of (mostly washed) leicester wool (see Part I). What can I do with it all if I am uninterested in dyeing?

One lace shawl, coming up.

Moreover, I have been wanting to knit a tallit for awhile, but it is a big project that requires some motivation. The poetic interest of making a religious object "from scratch" has some appeal, and they are usually mostly white - so no dyeing required.

So, how do I get from pounds of wool to a shawl?

Washed wool ready to be processed

First off, even with the remaining gunk, the locks on this wool are a gorgeous white and long.

Six-inch leicester locks.

The longer the staple of the lock (length) the easier it is to make low-twist, drapey yarns that are perfect for shawls. Six inches is great.

The locks are too long for carding, so at first, I tried combing. But the remaining lanolin made it too "sticky" with the combs I had. It ended up snapping most of the wool, leaving only a quarter as usable.

My fiber combs

Next, I tried just using my flick carder.

My flick carder, or flicker

I kind of hate this tool, because of the way it tends to scratch up my hands when I use it. I wish that it had a blunt end, rather than than having the carding cloth go around the corner. But it opens up the locks beautifully.

Flicked locks

Just flicking the locks lets me spin with aligned fibers (which makes good knitting stitch definition) without mucking about with the combs. It also gives the little sticks and bits of grass a chance to fall out (the dreaded VM). Even though I put a cloth on my lap, it does mean that I look like I have been rolling around in mulch whenever I flick locks.

The one last question was what to do with the waste wool that gets pulled out by the flicker. I fold the lock over my finger when I flick to try to prevent loss, but there are always a few shorter hairs, and some tangles.

I have been making "dryer balls". These go in the dryer, and they supposedly save energy and make clothes naturally softer. Since they are felted, it doesn't really matter what the wool looks like, so I have been stuffing them with the waste. I haven't used them yet though, because I am waiting until I have enough to felt them in the washer.

Pre-felted dryer ball

It is about the size of a large orange. The yarn is an unsuccessful handspun made with some other waste wool.

Part III can be found here.