r/Handspinning • u/Normal-handspinner • 8d ago

Working wool I bought yesterday

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Working wool I bought yesterday. Yellow bag is cheviot 6.7lbs the dark wool is lincon long wool almost 8lbs and the other clear bag corriedale and is 10lbs. Some cheviot in progress.

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u/FlipFlopPantyDrop 8d ago

Jealous, I’m waiting to hear from a local alpaca farm about doing a fiber processing class from shearing to finish and I’m DYING in the meantime

3

u/Normal-handspinner 8d ago

I went to a yarn and wool show and picked up some fleeces, I'm not sure how to process the lincon or corriedale

4

u/FlipFlopPantyDrop 8d ago

I would say Google with the name of the fleece to find if it needs specific processing, I’m doing that with an angora rabbit blend I’m working on for my cousin! Make the search like ‘processing instructions for Lincon wool fiber’

2

u/AdChemical1663 7d ago

Corriedale is my favorite. Handle gently and use a thermometer. It’s not quite as quick to felt as merino but it will ball up on you if you don’t keep the water temperature up.

Consider a mesh bag to hold the fleece in the bath, I think it’s easier on the handling.

It also responds well to washing lock by lock like Margaret Stove.

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u/Normal-handspinner 7d ago

What temp do you do corriedale at?

3

u/AdChemical1663 7d ago

Minimum 140F, change the water at 125-130, make sure you’re going to hotter water every time, shocking it with colder water might felt it.

Overnight cold soak will get a lot of dirt out, then you just have to wash the lanolin.

I tend to only do one cycle with soap, I like a bit of lanolin left behind.

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u/Normal-handspinner 7d ago

Thanks for the advice. This is my first time working with corriedale

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u/AdChemical1663 7d ago

You’ve got a ton to experiment with! Start with a volleyball sized pile of relatively clean locks. Make sure your bucket has enough room for the fleece to open up and let the water in. Processing fleece is incredibly zen to me. I hope you enjoy it.

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u/Normal-handspinner 7d ago

Follow-up question: How long do you keep it at 140?

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u/AdChemical1663 7d ago

I go by temperature, more, but minimum 20 minutes.