Fleece plans

I achieved two accomplishments today. The Shetland fleece is now all scoured and teased, and the mixed fiber roving from Wellington Fibres is now all spun up.

I got 689 yards total of 3-ply yarn from the 250 grams of roving. Not enough for a vest or sweater. At the moment I'm undecided what I will make with it. I could weave a shawl--they are handy in the winter. Nothing feels cozier than a wool cloth around one's shoulders when the temperatures dip low.

I haven't weighed the fleece yet to see how many ounces there are. I did not have to toss too much of it, just a bit more than a handful of it was too soiled to try and keep. I will put that in the garden as mulch.

My large basket was overflowing and I had to employ a smaller one as well!

I have come up with a plan for this fleece so long as there is enough of it. First, I'm going to dye it. A large portion will be dyed "Tobacco Leaf Brown", one smaller portion will be dyed "Cayenne Red" and another small portion will be dyed "Forest Green". All three dyes are acid dyes that I have on order from Dharma Trading Co. They should arrive next week, I hope.

I had wanted to use natural dyes, Black Walnut, specifically. But since I don't have any Black Walnut trees, I would have to order the powdered form (or possibly see if I could find chunks somewhere). However, the fun of natural dyeing is going out to harvest materials oneself. It's the process that brings me joy. So if I'm going to buy powder, it might as well be an acid dye because it will be much more light fast. I've worked with acid dyes before and they are fun too, but not the same as foraging and making do with that which is at hand. It's just different. Acid dyes are called acid because they require the presence of an acidic environment to work. Vinegar is often used to make the bath acidic. Another option is citric acid.

The red and green dyed wool will provide a heathered effect in the brown. After the wools are dyed, I will mix the three colors on the drum carder. I chose green and red because they are Christmas colors and if all goes well, I will have a cape or cloak to wear around that time of year.

Yes, that's the plan: A garment. After dyeing and carding I will spin my brown heathered yarn and weave it into enough cloth to hand sew a lined cloak or cape. Gosh, I hope there's enough fiber. I think there is.

If it turns out I'm short of yarn, the Vermont Sheep & Wool is coming up in October and I might be able to buy another Shetland fleece there. If not, I'll have to think of something different to make.