The woolen yarns produced with hand-carded fibers are warmer and fuzzier than worsted yarns—they are excellent for knitting and crocheting. This has been a rewarding experience and I have been researching more about the subject of processing and spinning wool and will be purchasing more pelts of different types for my projects, and learn how to spin yarn. Each piece is made up of three essential components: the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla. Dry wool is difficult to color. Raw wool is scoured at a processing plant in Adelaide. Wools are mainly obtained from animals like sheep, angora goats, yak. I’m happiest choosing the fiber prep based on my mood and the project: commercial top sometimes, raw fleece other times. They worked well like that. Raw fleeces contain lanolin, which makes them greasy, and they will still hold vegetable matter from the fields. I dipped a ladle into the stock pot and poured the hot water into a cup and added the food coloring and mixed it thoroughly.Then I added the coloring to the stock pot, with 1 cup vinegar and salt (if you want to try) approximately 1/4 cup. Way to go. Each wool fiber absorbs dyes so deeply that dyeing at any processing stage is equally effective and durable. Fill the wash and rinse buckets and tubs with very hot water. Let the wool soak for about ten minutes in the basin of warm water. To card the wool, you are shifting the wool from one carding brush to the other, back and forth until there are no more balls or knots of wool, or at least very small ones. I loved this!! Their annual sheering was in a few days and she brought me a whole fleece! Hair conditioner for softening the wool if desired. I am fairly sure it could be done and believe I have enough wool to make one costing $20.00 in raw wool (and the fun in doing it). Yarn spun short draw using these preparations can be considered semiworsted. Belly, neck and hind (britch) fiber should also be removed. Wool is commonly used for warm clothing. Avoiding shock temperatures is the secret to success when working with raw wool. Custom Wool Processing. Processing Prices. The wool is rinsed, squeezed by rollers and dried. Over the period of several weeks, I watched videos and read many articles about how to work with raw wool. Kool-aid packages Non-sweetenedI bought discount Kool-aid at Big Lots for 15 cents. Remove the wool when it is completely dry and put it in secure containers and store until use. Waverley Mills is the last remaining woollen mill in Australia that’s still in full operation from raw wool to finished product. Our tutorial is free ... please share! These items could effect the final outcome of the wool process. I used a large plastic 22 gallon tub with a lid to store the clean wool in, to prevent mice and bugs from damaging it while storing it in the garage loft. (ABC Landline)Reimagining the supply chain. My son's aunt raises sheep and I was able to get a large bag of recently sheared wool from her. Then place the bowls in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. There are wool scours scattered around New Zealand, and they handle perhaps about 5 tonnes of wool an hour in their production to produce clean scoured wool – white, free of contaminants, ready for processing. You can tell when the wool has absorbed all the color when the water is clear or pale in color. Add to the pre-soaking water, Plastic wrap,or zip lock bags, microwave safe glass jars or bowls, Plastic table cloth to protect work surface. This was so much fun even though it was time consuming. Distilled water ( for soaking and rinsing if you have heavy minerals, chlorine, or fluoride). Who We Are: The American Wool Council is a division of the American Sheep Industry Association, which is a non-profit organization that works to improve the American wool industry and to promote the usage of American wool–both in domestic and international markets. We offer expertise in a variety of woolen mill services. After the wool has cooled completely it was rinsed in vinegar water to remove soap residue several times. A flick carder looks like a small flat-back hand carder with a small surface for the carding cloth and a slightly longer handle than that of a handcard. The processing of a raw wool fleece into weaving yarn is routine among the Navajo shepherds and weavers, or at least it once was. I added a pic of my freshly dyed wool. Distilled water ( for soaking and rinsing if you have heavy minerals, chlorine, or fluoride ). Raw wool, called grease wool, contains grease and dirt that needs to be washed without agitating it too much, as this will result in felting. Using a drumcarder can change their perspective. The ingredients list for the microwave method is almost the same as heating it on the stove. Calls for Submissions and Editorial Calendar, Address: 311 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO, 80524. In order for wool production to be sustainable, however, there needs to be a wool-processing facility and textile mill, so that raw materials can have value added. While the wool is soaking, set up the work station and mix the Kool-aid with a small amount of distilled water, just enough to cover the amount of wool you want to dye and 2 Tablespoons of vinegar and salt if you want to try 1- teaspoon. Submerge your wool. We also offer a variety of blending fibers including tencel, superwash merino, bamboo, seacell silk, hemp, and nylon. The purpose of handcarding wool is to open, separate, and straighten the wool fibers. Fluff and turn the wool a few times to rotate it so it will dry. I discovered there are many different opinions and methods available. Repeat again for 2 more minutes. Repeat the process as necessary. Remove the wool from the microwave and using gloves gently squeeze the colored water from the wool and place the wool in a towel to absorb the remaining liquid and press. Cleaning and dying wool is neither difficult nor expensive. While the wool is soaking, set up the work station and add 1/4 teaspoon of coloring to a small amount of hot distilled water and stir. The clear descriptions and detailed illustrations will guide through the basics of wool processing. All major processing countries recorded large year-on-year declines in the volume of wool exported to them by the major wool producing and exporting countries in April. Reply When the water is fairly clear, gently remove the wool from the pot and place it into a bowl to cool. Repeat again for 2 more minutes. Woolen fabric holds a greater market than other textile fabrics. Its length usually ranges from 1.5 to 15 inches (3.8 to 38 centimeters) depending on the breed of sheep. Processing raw wool can be a costly process. If I’m going to spend time processing fiber, I shouldn’t rush the spinning. I used 2 gallons for approximately 2 large bowls of wool. Hot water is required to remove all the lanolin. Skip to content. Wool dyed immediately after it … Our processing facility is equipped to process alpaca, wool, llama, bison, cashmere, angora and mohair. We hope you find it as exciting as we do! One day I mentioned that I'd like a bit of raw wool to play with. I will definitely do some felting and spinning~, Thanks so much for taking a look at this instructable and do have a safe and happy holiday~, Participated in the Fiber Arts Contest 2017. It is very true with wool processing. 2. Washing and carding the wool is the most time consuming part of processing the wool. Reply Not only is it easier than the stove top method, you can save the dye bath water. Today, wool is a global industry, with Australia, Argentina, the United States, and New Zealand serving as the major suppliers of raw wool. I used it for the wool in this instructable. Getting the raw wool squeaky clean and not felting it in the process is a challenging part of the wool processing journey. What is the Process of Felting?. This isn’t really accurate and doesn’t give a clear sense of what the fiber processing really is. It looks like it is a felted blanket, so I tried to find how to information about felting blankets and did not find anything available online. The characteristics of spun yarn depend, in part, on the amount of twist given to the fibers during spinning. Our specialty is custom spinning of your wool into yarn. Colorful Wrapped Rope Macrame Knot Necklace. Spread the clean wool on the skirting table and fluff and cover with a sheet using clothes pins to secure. Any second cuts left after shearing should be removed as you skirt your fleeces. It is a process that eludes most new spinners and can even cause problems for the most proficient wool worker. Getting the raw wool squeaky clean and not felting it in the process is a challenging part of the wool processing journey. You can apply the dye differently by laying the wool on a plate or plastic surface and apply the food coloring in a concentrated mixture with distilled water, and vinegar mixed with the paste food coloring and stirred. How to Crochet a Whimsical Light Fixture! Skirting a fleece Salt has been recommended for a better overall color. Very carefully add a small amount of wool to test for unwanted felting. Hopefully now you’ve got a big pile of clean, dry fleece, probably including bits of dried up grass and stuff, but generally looking a better for having had a good wash. Nora's mom had sheep and they made a lot of Navajo Rugs over the years. Rub the wool with your hands to wash it thoroughly. We love working with Canadian farmers to procure the best natural wool and create a variety of yarn for our customers. If you are dyeing large batches, I recommend using the stove top. Hair conditioner ( as wool softener if desired ). The savings were very rewarding. The lanolin and other contaminants are removed from the raw wool before further processing. Remove the wool from the ( pre-soaking mixture) and very gently squeeze ( do not wring) the water from the wool. Contact us for an estimated time to expect your finished items. I used 1 cup in the Home Depot bucket. She still makes them and has a large loom in her living room. I was asked what type of wool I wanted so, I mentioned that I wanted to use it for batting for quilts and crafting projects. Woollen refers to a yarn produced from carded, non-parallel fibre, while worsted refers to a finer yarn spun from longer fibers which have been combed to be parallel. Raw wool is use to create Waldorf dolls and soft sculpted animals. 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