Spinning!
Yippee, Hooray!!!!. We are finally able to
add spinning to the options here at the Wooly Knob. It’s now two
and a half years since we opened. I can't say the ‘newbie
exhilaration’ has rubbed off of us, but we are a little less energetic and
in need of better sleep, LOL. Since you are here on this page to learn
more about the spinning option, I better shut up and tell ya the good stuff.
The Wooly Knob Fiber Mill has teamed up with Aunt
Aggie’s Spinning Mill in Edgerton, Ohio. We run the roving with
all the usual care and attention our customers have to come to rely on, then
we pass it on to them to spin it up.
Here are our recommendations on spinning:
First off- I would greatly recommend that you
only
consider commercially spinning the good stuff. This doesn't mean the
good fiber, but the good fleeces. So often, people send what they
would call quality wool. When we open their boxes or bags, we see really
nice fiber, but it is so full of VM {vegetable matter} that it’s
practically a waste of their money to process it. This kind of fleece
would make torturous under-drawers. Rugs would be a good option
for the yarn these kinds of fleeces would make, but if you want really nice, VM free, yarn, start with really nice, VM free fleeces.
Second- A length between 2 1/2 to 6 inches would be
really nice. The machinery can spin from about an inch, up to maybe 8
inches, but ya know, working a job 8 hours a day, fighting up hill
the whole way, is going to make some grumpy people and burn ‘em out
faster. Regardless of the fact, it just makes nicer yarn when the fiber
length is in the mid-range.
Third- Give a general size of yarn you want
back. Because of the way we process, it is really hard to control the
size of the yarn. Give a general idea of your required
size.........something like lace weight, ‘normal’, bulky...will work just
fine. That will give a target to aim for. I had a guy call me
already wanting to have wool spun into No. 13’s. What the heck is
that?!?!?!?. LOL, actually I do know what thickness that is,
but to actually achieve a no. 13 will be really hard on a 5 lb lot of
fiber. He may have gotten a No. 12 or 20 back instead and been really
ticked at us for our imperfectness. Well, be warned! We are
human....
......and imperfect.
The way the Wooly knob handles spinning orders, is
only slightly different from our roving orders. With the spinning orders
we require the full cost of processing up front.
When we run fiber for spinning , we process the fiber as usual. We
card it then into a really thick roving, With this roving though, we
have to spray it with spinning, and anti-static solutions. Once the
roving is run, it is then passed off to the kids over at Aunt Aggie’s ( Ok,
So they're Jamie’s parents and don't fit into the ‘kid’ category
anymore, but they are fun loving and like to clown around. Come to think
of it, I haven't been to a Halloween party yet where they didn't dress as
clowns.....LOL! I think you all will really like them).
Anyway, Once they are done spinning your
order, they will now be the ones calling you on your remainder bill and handling
the shipping back to you.
So to ship fiber out for spinning, bag up your
fiber with a note of instruction. It may be hard to get the full amount
for a spinning batch in one bag, so do what you can and label the bags so we
know what bags go together. Maybe something like ....part 1 of batch A,
part 2 of batch A; part one of batch B.......part 2,3,4, whatever........and
so on. Also a note as to how many plies and how thick. Also in the
note, Please, please, please, include all your contact information.
We are sitting right now on an order that we received 2 years ago with
absolutely no owner’s information. Even the shipping company had no
info.
Now on the outside of the box write something
like’ fiber for spinning’, ‘to be spun’, or something to that effect.
We require a check or money order for the approximate cost of running
the fiber into roving as a deposit. So please include this as
well. If you don't have a set of scales, take the shipping weight they give
you at the Post office, and subtract 2 pounds for the weight of the box.
This will give you an approximate weight for your fiber. Multiply this
weight by 6, and this is about the amount for the roving process.
You can then either slip it under the box flap and finish taping , or
you can put it into a secure envelope and tape it down real good to the top of
the box.
Once you get all this done....ship ‘er out to us
here at the Wooly Knob. If we have any questions or clarifications,
we'll call immediately before we go any further.
Now, if I were you, I'd go check out Aunt Aggie’s
website. They can answer all the spinning related questions and tell you
their requirements much better then I can. Clicking on their link will spin ya
right over to their website.
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The Process
How to Prep
How to Wash
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