From Wool to Wheel

There is alot more that goes into the making of yarn than most people realize.  It's easy to think that it isn't that involved since you can buy a decent skein of yarn at walmart for just a few dollars.  The catch for that yarn is that it is machine processed by the ton.  While I don't think there is anything wrong with machine processed yarn (I used store bought yarn for years!),  I think it leaves out alot of the creative process that goes along with making something out of fiber.

When you are making something from raw fiber it really helps to have in mind what you want the final product to be.  Do you want something thick or thin, soft or rough, durable or dainty?  Then you have to think about the color.  Do you want to keep it natural or dye it some outrageous color?  Do you care if your yarn is lumpy, or does it have to be smooth and even.  All of these things depend on what it is you plan to make.  For example, if I was going to make a rug, I wouldn't really mind if the yarn was scratchy because it will never be up against my skin.  I also wouldn't care if the yarn was a little lumpy and uneven for a rug since I would most likely be weaving it and that would add a little texture to the overall design.  However, if I was going to make a hat or a scarf I would want something soft and even so it feels nice and fits well.

Here is my step by step process of taking my fiber from a raw material and making into something that I could make a hat with.

Step one:  Clean the fiber.  Not all fiber needs to be cleaned, but most will have some vegetable matter in it if it came off an animal that lives in a pasture and doesn't wear a coat.  Wool from a sheep will also feel greasy because of the lanolin in contains which is produced by the sheep to help waterproof their coat and keep them better insulated in bad weather.  Some people prefer to not wash the lanolin out of their wool because it makes it easier to spin.  Other animals like alpacas don't produce any lanolin, but roll in a lot of dust which makes their fiber quite dirty.  Washing before you spin the fiber generally makes it a little easier to work with.

Step two:  Card or Comb the fiber.  In order to prepare the fiber for spinning it helps to line all the fibers up so that they can be easily drafted.  This is accomplished using a carding brush or comb.  There are plenty of how to videos on you tube that show this step of the process.

Step three:  Spin the fiber.  Spinning can be accomplished using a drop spindle or a spinning wheel.  Spinning creates a twist in the fiber that allows microscopic ridges in the fiber to catch on each other and hold themselves together.  This is what gives the fiber strength and allows it to be drawn out into a long continuous thread known as a single.

Step four: Ply the singles together.  Plying is how yarn is made.  When plying, the spinning wheel is spun in the opposite direction that the singles are spun in. This allows the singles to twist back on each other and adds bulk and strength to the yarn.  You can ply together two singles to make two ply, or three singles to make three ply.

Plying two singles together

Step five: Crochet or knit the yarn into a finished product.  The amount of yarn you have to work with is the only limiting factor in this step.  Luckily once you know how to spin, you will always be able to make more yarn!