So pretty you make it look easy

Very interesting to see this technique on the drum carder. I’m going to find my hand carders and give it a try. I’ve also never transferred my single onto a ball winder. That saves time! Thanks for the tips😊

@liferaisingsheep

4 ай бұрын

I am glad you enjoyed the video 😀. Thank you for watching

Thank you for explaining about changing the hooks on the bobbin as you spin. I have watched others spin and wasn't sure why they were messing with the hooks. Now at last I know why! :)

@liferaisingsheep

4 ай бұрын

You are most welcome lol. I think you can get fancy flyers that have the ability to automatically shift as the bobbin fills, but I am not positive on that. Would be a nice feature though, it would save stopping .

Lopi yarn is the “in” thing! I got tired of plying, and I just processed 13 Polwarth fleeces and decided to give making Lopi a go. Turned out fantastic… and the best part is it cuts down on weaving in ends as all you do to join is spit-splice them! Though I do set the singles after spinning, and then opposite spin after they have dried, (as this adds just a bit of structure to the singles yarn). I’m enjoying your videos!!!

@liferaisingsheep

4 ай бұрын

I am a huge fan of the lopi for just this reason.... simplicity. And I am an impatient person 😆. I often set my fleece after spinning, especially the larger real loose spins. I wasn't sure if I needed to with the thinner yarns. But I have not ever tried spinning it the other way. Does it make it less twisted? Like when spinning a ply? Very curious on this as it may help with some of the grey fleece that I find has a lot course guard hair. Thank you so much for your comme t and tips! It is so appreciated.

You're absolutely right, spinning is relaxing 👍

@liferaisingsheep

5 ай бұрын

I love it and really need to make more time for it. We just filmed a "real time" video of spinning a full bobbin and I am curious how it will turn out because it seemed very soothing. Watch this space to see if it makes the cut lol.

I am surprised, that you knit with single, not plyed, not fixed. Maybe one day I will try it too. I am used to use chain plying and fixing my yarn in steam.

@liferaisingsheep

5 ай бұрын

To be honest, I very rarely set my yarn when I spin lopi. I find that between the long fiber (often around 8 inches) and the loose twist, the yarn stays strong and fluffy at the same time. There are times I will though, like sock yarn or fine weights. I have only found a need to ply the Icelandic when I actually seperated the thel fiber. It is a lot shorter and finer and I was making something a bit closer to lace weight and .... well I wasn't very good at it, so I plyed to give me stability on the weak parts. I do love the Icelandic for their lopi as it is so quick to produce and makes gorgeous mitts and hats and slippers and thing that don't require the finer yarn.

Very interesting.

@liferaisingsheep

5 ай бұрын

The Icelandic wool is so different from sheep to sheep in some ways, but it always make a beautiful product.

Your drum carder & color of fiber that you spun up are pretty!

@liferaisingsheep

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. I love the Icelandic fleece with all its gorgeous natural colors. Although I can't wait to try dying it too.

Thanks for sharing your process. Your yarn is so lovely. I am going to try drafting the roving off my carder like you did there. I loved how you wound up the finished yarn and used it right away. Great demo of spinning a low twist Lopi singles yarn!

@liferaisingsheep

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much. I love Icelandic yarn and always find it spins up beautifully. Making the rovings that way made things so much quicker for me. I am looking forward to doing more work with separating the 2 fibers and making more diverse projects. Thanks so much for watching 😀

So interesting! Are the sheeps at the end of the video your sheep? Is this how Merinos sheeps look like? 😊

@liferaisingsheep

4 ай бұрын

The sheep at the end are ours 😀. Icelandic wool is quite different from. The merino. Merino generally is shorter and finer which makes it softer. Icelandic sheep have two coats, a baby soft inner coat that is around 3 inches long and very desirable, and an outer waterproof coat that is at least 6 inches long and often more coarse or wirey.

Lovely yarn thanks for sharing Curious as to how you find it knits up without you setting the yarn before knitting ?

@liferaisingsheep

5 ай бұрын

I love working with the Icelandic yarn. I find that between the long hairs (often close to 8 inches) and the low twist, the yarn holds well and stays light and fluffy. I do set some of my yarn, especially the sock yarn usually, as it is spun so fine. I usually do it in hot and then cold, which is a no-no to many, but it works so well to "pre shrink" the yarn, and I find I get very little felting after. That would be my only complaint about not setting the lopi yarn is that it can felt when it gets wet... such as winter hats or mittens, but it knits and wears beautifully.

Merci 💗

New subscriber to your channel, love your method of pulling roving off of the drum carder. I will try that next time. Do you sell any of your fleece? I would love a chance to play with some Icelandic fleece. Your mittens are lovely too. Blessings.

@liferaisingsheep

4 ай бұрын

Welcome to the channel, so glad you found us. We do not sell our fleece at the moment, but shall be starting later this year. I shear the sheep all my self with hand shears and it has taken me years to be confident enough that I am doing it well enough to share with others. If you would like to email us at hickorycroftfarm@gmail.com, we could certainly discuss getting you some 😀