Adventures with YarnInformation about everything to do with yarn, knitting, fiber arts, sheep…

I have been working over the past few weeks in processing and spinning my Shetland fleeces from my own herd. However I recently came into possession of the Shetland fleece pictured above. The owner was about to get rid of the fleece via burning it, as she had no idea what to do with it. Yes that is a greater than 8 inch staple length! Unfortunately the tips are badly matted and felted and might need to be snipped, however this is where all of the veggie matter is located, so maybe snipping it out will be the better approach.

I am washing a load right now and that will be done drying in a few days, at which point I shall comb some up and see what it’s like. Even though it has matted tips, the root ends are so fine and clean and a wonderful light white shade. This fleece is a diamond in the rough, that’s for sure!

While prepping the fleece for its washing, I quickly hand-spun up a small double ply sample of yarn. It is very strong and uniform in color/texture, so I have high hopes that some amount of success will be met with this adventure.

A reader of this blog, Sue, sent me a link to this adorable well-illustrated story of Yuri’s New Sweater, in which a mother creates a sweater for her son from the wool of his favorite animal on their farm. Do check out the rest of her blog! I’m greatly enjoying reading through her other adventures with both yarn and a self sufficient lifestyle.

Thanks for sharing the link, Sue! Readers, if you find such cool resources or stories that should be shared, I’d love it if you sent me the link via a comment!