Prepared Wool Fibres Wool fibres that have been washed and carded into a roving are commonly known as Wool Tops. The fibres are prepared so that the wool tops are consistent in their staple length and count. The Bradford count (see more about the classification of wool fibres) of fibre fineness is sometimes used in […]
Category Archives: Spinning
17
Jun
Jun
Susan Litton shows us how to prepare a silk hanky ready for spinning. A silk hanky is produced from a silk cocoon and is made up of one continuous gossamer thread. The sericin (the glue that keeps the cocoon together) is removed from the cocoon by simmering it for 30 – 45 minutes in a solution […]
11
Jun
Jun
These luxurious Fibrecrafts fibres are available in a variety of forms and each is the result of different stages in the silk production. The silk fibres can be dyed to vibrant colours using Acid dyes and the reflective light qualities of the fibre add further dimensions. These silk tops have been hand-dyed and are available […]
08
Jun
Jun
Karen Malledent sent us this great photo. ‘Thought you might like a photo of my daughter wearing one of my creations using your merino and blue faced Leicester (the one I dyed yellow using your acid dyes). I call this the ‘Pineapple Hat’!’ Karen has hand spun dye wool tops, and hand dyed and spun […]
03
Jun
Jun
It is possible to knit from any continuous length, whether it be deliciously soft wool yarn or a ball of common household string. Knitting directly from the silk Mawata Cap, which we sell to you as a fibre, can work equally well. Mawata Caps are created by pulling out the cocoons over a former creating […]
03
Jun
Jun
There is a strong relationship between the fittings on the spinning wheel and the type of yarn easily produced. This explains why many spinners have more than one wheel. The working unit on all modern spinning wheels is the combination of the flyer (the ‘U’ shaped piece) and the bobbin on to which the yarn […]
01
Jun
Jun
The Fibrecrafts range of these rich hair fibres which include Alpaca, Camel Down, Cashmere, Mohair and Yak Down. They can be used for spinning soft, fluffy yarns and in feltmaking. The fibres do not felt easily as the scales along the fibre are much further apart than the scales on wool, but felting can be […]
12
May
May
Pat Hodge bought her spinning wheel from Fibrecrafts in September 2002 and set about learning to spin under expert tuition from Phyllis Funnell. Here she proudly shows off her hand-knitted sweater made from the yarn she has spun from Jacob and Shetland fibres. Well done Pat!
12
May
May
Phyllis Funnell sports her Moebius scarf knitted from a pattern in the ‘Treasury of Magical Knitting’. She hand spun the super soft yarn from grey Alpaca. In hindsight, we should have taken more photos of this lovely lace knitted scarf but we are delighted to have a photo of the modest Phyllis at last! Both […]
08
May
May
Chrissie Shepherd hand crafted this handbag by first hand spinning a selection of dyed merino wool tops (drafting the colours at random to create the variation in colour). She then knitted a rectangle before felting it. Once it was felted, Chrissie folded over two fifths of the fabric and stitched the sides. The remaining fifth […]