Episode 19: In Progress

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   Michelle is

            Ravelry: MichelleTF

            Instagram: michelletfcrafts

            Facebook: Valdelia Maker

    Erica is

            Weavolution: Erica J, Jahanara, or Weavolutionary

            Ravelry: weavemage

            Instagram: weavemage

            Facebook: Weavolution
Intro and Outro Music: Sundown by Joseph McDade, thank you!


Tool tip:
Michelle ordered a brush cleaner to try on the drum carder she borrowed from the library. She had carded the white Coopworth/Shropshire (Coopshire? Shropworth?) after carding the black llama and then used the usual cleaning brush on the drum before trying this brush cleaner. It was obvious, because the fiber she got on the brush cleaner is gray, that there was still some llama left on the drum.

It did a number on the brush cleaner, but she thinks it will work better with fewer teeth anyway. She thinks the teeth are just prone to turning on this particular one.

Finished objects:

Michelle finished carding the Coopworth/Shropshire fleece. It became very floofy.

British Breeds Study Spun Yarns
These were not spun recently, however, Erica came across the breed study yarns she has finished spinning. In the photo below you can see from left to right Jacob, BFL, Suffolk, Shetland. The Weavolution sponsored Breed study includes the following breeds:

1. Suffolk
2. Jacob
3. Romney Marsh
4. Shetland (moorit, humbug)
5. Black Welsh
6. BFL (oatmeal, 
7. Masham

Erica still has a few sample packs left she can send to listeners, if you are interested e-mail her.

Erica also completely finished her Community Cloth Sett Samples, by mounting them on card stock with their records. You can see various details about each sample on Weavolution. Merino Sample,  Merino Sample 2, Merino Sample 3, and Shetland Sample 2. See WIP's for Sheltand Sample 3.

Works in progress:

Since Michelle is traveling this week, she pulled out her Electric Eel mini spinning wheel to start spinning the Coopworth/Shropshire cross. She hopes to talk her Dad into helping her make a box for the battery to add some weight to the very light wheel.

Erica commented on how small the Electric Eel mini spinning wheel is, so Michelle had to get a picture that showed the size of the wheel. Here's a picture with the wheel sitting on the bottom of Michelle's sandal to keep it out of the sand and keep it from moving. Michelle does have big feet, but it may give an idea of the size of the wheel.

Erica

Erica has finished spinning the Rambouillet in the colourway Gizmo from Fiber Nest Studio. According to Deb Robson's Fleece and Fiber Source book, Rambouillet began in France in the 1700's. Louis XVI was allowed to import 359 Spanish Merino to his estate in Rambouillet. His breeders bred for different specifications, thus creating the separate Rambouillet breed. When Erica showed her spinning to the Wool N Spinning Community she received several great descriptions pointing out that it is a very grippy and sproingy/springy yarn. Erica had noticed it was Targhee like, the grip is great for spinning, until it isn't. Erica experienced far more times of the fiber separating and pulling into the orifice than she does with other wools. In her post recording investigations, Erica learned that Targhee were bred from Rambouillet rams and a combination of other sheep. So it is no wonder that Rambouillet is more like Targhee than it is like Merino.

Erica has also done a bit more sampling on her Damask warp. Since the colors she chose from Halcyon Yarn were out of stock, she ordered a red and black from Treenway Silks to test. Treenway has a variety of reds, fortunately the red they had in stock is so very close to the red from Halcyon that Erica liked. Let us know in the comments what you think of the difference (bottom sample that has been cut off the loom is Halcyon Yarn Gemstone Silk, upper cloth still on the loom is Treenway Silks). In this photo you can also see the area where the sample was mistreadled and inadvertently cause some very long floats. When weaving damask you only tie each thread down once in a 4 pick repeat, so missing a treadle creates a quite long float. After consulting with other drawloom weavers on Weavolution, Erica will be weaving her cowl face up on the loom to prevent this from happening.

This is a cowl that was made for Erica when she was Queen. This is included, so listeners can see what she means by a 7th C Persian Cowl, it is a very different shape from what we modernly use the word cowl to describe.

Finally, Erica has finished weaving the third sample for the Collaboartive Cloth project, sett at 24 epi on the loom. She has embarked on this project with 3 other SCA spinners. The other members will spin the yarn and Erica will weave 4 meters of cloth for each member. She is really excited about this project, because she has always wanted to have a very authentic experience where she works with friends who specialize in spinning to make cloth for everyone. This is how communities functioned before the guild system. She finds this project is building even more a sense of community amoung her and her friends. She will also invite all the spinners over to weave a bit of their own cloth, if they chose to do so! She hopes, despite the current pandemic, that everyone will be able to see and touch the samples and the group can make a final decision, between the Merino and the Shetland, so they can embark upon the final project soon.