Bearlin Acres Farm : From Sheep to Sweater
Shearing a black sheep
After approximately one year of growth the wool is sheared from the sheep. Very dirty parts are removed by skirting. Main wool areas to be removed are usually the face, belly and around the tail. The rest of the fleece is weighed and divided according to grade of fleece. The nicest fleece comes from the back and shoulders. Fleece is then washed in hot water and mild detergent by soaking with minimal agitation. The wash is followed by two soaks or rinses in clear hot water. Fiber is let dry on screens on a low humidity day.
The fleece is flipped every so often to facilitate drying. Once dry, the fleece is shaken to free loose vegetation from the fiber. Some areas will need more work.
Clean fleece IS underneath!
Our fiber is then sorted, picked, carded, spun into singles, plied, dyed and worked into projects. I also send some fiber out to be made into quilt batts and machine spun yarns. These yarns are also dyed or hand painted.
The weight of the yarns are sport weight 3-ply and light bulky weight 2-ply. Both are 100% wool.
What is in a Sweater ?
Raise the sheep- 1 year for fleece
Shear the sheep- 10 minutes (if you are good)
Skirt and sort the wool- 1 hour
Wash the fiber- 3 hours to all day
Dry the fiber- 1 day to 1 week depending on humidity
Pick and card the fiber- days (How big a sweater?)
Spin the singles- you have until winter!
Ply the yarn- ditto
Set the twist- overnight
Dyeing is an option- all day till it dries
Knit the sweater- well for NEXT Christmas.
Some definitions that are useful for describing yarns are:
- ypp=yards per pound. To get this number weigh a skein of known yardage. Divide the yards by the ounces and multiply by 16.
- tpi=twists per inch. To get this look at a sample of your yarn under no tension. Lay it next to a ruler and count the number of diagonal lines in an inch.
- wpi=wrap yarn around a ruler so that each wrap just touches the next. Count the number of wraps it takes to cover an inch of the ruler.
- gauge=on a certain size of knitting needles, knit a 6" X 6" square. Lay the square on a flat surface and count rows and stitches in a 4" x 4" area. If your piece has fewer rows or stitches than the required amount in the pattern, use smaller needles. If your number has gone over the required gauge, use larger needles.
- hand= How does the yarn feel?
- drape= How rigid is the yarn piece after it is knitted?
How long does it take to get from pasture to sweater?
Well- I'm still marking time. Some sweaters with commercial yarns have taken a decade.
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