Okay, I am officially a crazy person.
I am now the owner of three sheep fleeces.
Three WHOLE sheep fleeces.
We’re talking pounds of raw wool, meaning a lot of wool to make a lot of yarn and crafts. Needless to say, this is going to take some time and energy to get through.
How did this happen you ask? Well, in December I heard tell that Merry Meadows Farm located a couple hours north of SF in Willits, CA, which produces award winning wool at county fairs, was having a year end online sale: 3 fleeces for the price of 2.
You can see where I am going with this.
Know what else? I even know the sheeps’ names! Isa, Bianca, and Willie. Isa and Willie are Cormo (Corriedale/Merino) cross sheep, and Bianca is a CVM/Merino cross sheep. And their wool is so, so soft and crimpy. And very clean but still quite sheepy. 🙂
Oh, oh, and you know what else what else? Seemingly just in time for all this wool, I also ordered an electric spinning wheel in December, and I just took it out of its box!
I’ll grant you, the spinning wheel was not quite an impulsive buy. I’d given the whole spinning wheel thing a lot of thought. After doing quite a bit of research I realized that even the most basic spinning wheels have a high price tag ($600 or more), but the Electric Eel Spinning Wheel is an economical choice at only $200. Not only is it more affordable, it’s also known to be easy to use and compact, making it ideal for a beginner like me and for our small urban apartment.
I am thrilled and not a little overwhelmed by all of this, but I just can’t wait to get washing, carding, and spinning. Be prepared for some ongoing updates as I begin my sheep to shawl adventures!
That’s really exciting, and a lot! Good luck to you. It’s nice to hear your thoughts on the spinning wheel. I wonder how noisy it is or isn’t. I look forward to watching your progress with this.
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Thank you! Yeah, it is a lot. Which is why I am crazy. It’s exciting, though.
It’s amazing how much you can do with raw fleece. I am actually toying with the idea of making a blanket using a hand felting method with the smallest fleece I have. I’ve seen some really impressive ones online that folks have made. They resemble sheepskin rugs, but the sheep didn’t have to die to make them. ❤
I have tested the wheel and it isn’t as noisy as I thought it would be, especially if I have it sitting on a mousepad on a pillow or my bed. I think the noise is mostly caused by the vibration of the wood, so the padding helps.
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