June/July 2023 Update

July 20, 2023 Emily Wallace Handwoven5 Comments

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I thought I would post some of my recent projects from June/July since I haven’t posted on WordPress for a while. You can find me on Instagram @emily_wallace_handwoven & also on Facebook as @emilywallacehandwovendesigns.

I’m preparing for a Scottish Festival in October, so lots of tartan scarves are on the loom. I’ve started with Middleton, Wallace, and Wallace Hunting–but more will follow.

I’ve also been weaving some handspun table runners for this event (and the holiday market in December). One is from various raw fleeces that I’ve had remnant yarn left over from and the more colorful runner is from another handspun yarn from hand dyed roving (BFL)

I’ve been spinning for the Tour de Fleece as of July 1st and here are my completed yarns so far: Handdyed Corriedale, Zwartbles, Herdwick, Icelandic/Balwen Welsh Mtn, and Shetland (finished but still on the wheel in this picture).

Monday’s knitting project was a raw fleece remnant yarn beanie from Gulf Coast Native, Icelandic-x, Babydoll Southdown, and Shetland.

Raw Fleece to Finished Yarn: Navajo Churro/GCN lamb fleece sample + more

June 26, 2022June 27, 2022 Emily Wallace HandwovenLeave a comment

This time of the year, I hate being outside–mostly because of the 90+ degree weather mixed with 50% or higher humidity here in Alabama. The only good thing about the heat is its ability to dry wet fiber quickly when set out in direct sunlight. So, I’ve tried to get through some of last year’s fleeces–or at least continue sampling those fleeces–while the heat lingers.

One of the fleeces I washed/dried over the past few weeks is a Navajo Churro/Gulf Coast Native lamb cross from Summer Fields Farm in Monteagle, Tennessee–where I purchased nine fleeces last October. While it isn’t suitable for next-to-skin items, this fleece will be fine for home goods or outerwear.

29 g (washed and carded fleece) yielded approx. 80 yards of 2-ply sport weight yarn

I also washed & drum carded a sample of some Dorset Horn raw fleece that I purchased from Three Creeks Farm in New Hampshire. I have five pounds of this fiber, but this is the first sample I’ve done so far. I’ve worked with Dorset Horn raw fleece before and I enjoy working with this breed–from the processing to the final project.

Dorset Horn sample from Three Creeks Farm (NH)

I also decided to play around this week with my mini frame loom–using some waste fiber from other raw fleece spinning projects. I don’t weave a lot on any of my frame looms, but I hate wasting fiber–even if it isn’t enough for spinning or another project. Pictured here is left-over CVM and GCN from last year’s Tour de Fleece.

Icelandic Raw Fleece to Woven Rug

June 21, 2022 Emily Wallace HandwovenLeave a comment

This project had been on my to-do list for a while–after seeing several similar raw fleece projects woven on peg looms. While I have a peg loom, I decided to use my 32″ Kromski Harp loom for this project since I wasn’t sure if the fleece would draft sufficiently enough.

The fleece came from an Icelandic ram named Sean from Ballyhoo Farms (Bagdad, KY) last year (2021).

Essentially, I just drafted directly from the raw fleece–completely unwashed and unspun–straight out of the bag. This rug used about half of the 3.5-pound fleece. After weaving the rug, I wet-finished it using Unicorn Power Scour to remove dirt and most of the lanolin.

The finished rug ended up measuring approximately 45″ long by 24″ inches wide.

Off the Needles: American Tunis beanie (from raw fleece)

June 21, 2022 Emily Wallace HandwovenLeave a comment

This knitted beanie was finished a few weeks ago–a project from one of my Tour de Fleece 2021 spinning samples from an American Tunis raw fleece bought from Solace Farmstead in Coalmont, TN.

Although I don’t remember the fiber being exceptional when I was spinning it, the finished beanie turned out wonderfully soft and lofty. This would be a good yarn for a sweater project in the future with the remaining 2.75+ pounds of remaining fleece.

Raw Fleece to Finished Yarn Sample: “Freesia” Shetland lamb fleece from Ballyhoo Farms

May 29, 2022 Emily Wallace Handwoven1 Comment

Sample of “Freesia” Shetland ram lamb raw fleece from Ballyhoo Farms (Kentucky) yielded 114 yards of 2-ply sport weight (40g). Fiber was scoured with Unicorn Power Scour and hand carded before being spun semi-worsted. I believe this was a 2021 fleece, so the tips were a bit fragile from temperature changes with the lanolin–and I bought it discounted as a result. I have 2 pounds total of this fleece.

New Fleeces from Ballyhoo Fiber Emporium: Shetland & Icelandic-cross Lamb

May 18, 2022 Emily Wallace Handwoven1 Comment

Other than the two fleeces from my own sheep, I hadn’t bought any other raw fleeces this year. Then, Ballyhoo Fiber Emporium had a fleece sale–but even then, I was good. I only bought two: a Shetland fleece and an Icelandic cross lamb fleece.

I started processing the Icelandic cross lamb fleece today, and processed a small sample from the larger Shetland fleece. It was super hot outside today (91 degrees was the high), so I took advantage of the sunshine and dried the whole Icelandic fleece outside in a couple of hours. Then I processed about 30 grams of it (via my drum carder) and spun a two-ply sample of about 33 yards of worsted weight.

I’m still hand carding the Shetland sample, but I should have a yarn sample spun up tomorrow if everything goes as planned. The Vet is coming to castrate Sean, my surprise ram lamb born in February, so that’ll be the first order of business in the morning (and not something I’m looking forward to.)

Punkie inspecting the fleeces upon arrival

Raw Fleece to Finished Object: Gulf Coast Native Table Runner

May 17, 2022 Emily Wallace Handwoven4 Comments

Yesterday, I was looking through some of my handspun yarn from last year’s Tour de Fleece and I found a skein of GCN yarn (raw fleece from Alchemy Farms, Gurley, AL) that I had slightly felted during the dyeing process. (Yarn had been naturally dyed with crushed annatto seeds). Knowing I couldn’t use it for clothing, I decided to weave a table runner with it and another small undyed GCN sample from the same fleece.

After measuring my coffee table to decide how long to weave the runner, I set up my 32″ Kromski Harp loom and began weaving. A few hours later, my table runner was finished, and another ‘raw fleece to finished object’ had been completed. My tension got a little uneven while progressing my work on the loom (something that I usually have control over), so one side is a little wider than the other. I think I could wet block it to even it out, but I’m not really too concerned since it’s for my personal use.

I’ve been moving at a snail’s pace this year, project-wise, but I’m hoping once my health issues improve, I can really move forward with my ’52+ projects a year’ goal.

Raw Fleece to Finished Object: “Olwen” (Icelandic/Balwen Welsh Mtn) Scarf

May 16, 2022 Emily Wallace Handwoven2 Comments

“Olwen” Icelandic/ Balwen Welsh Mtn (Ballyhoo Farms, KY; photo courtesy of Madeline Rosenberg)

I sampled one of Olwen’s fleeces back several months ago (I have two shearings from her) and knitted a small cowl/neck warmer with it, but I wanted to weave some of her yarn, which required me to process more of her fleece. (When I initially sample a fleece, I only process and spin enough for a small skein of yarn).

When I pulled some of her fleece from the bag, I noticed how clean it was and how little lanolin was in it, so I decided I would try to process this sample “in the grease” –no wash, scour, etc. I’m glad I tried it, because it saved me a lot of time in the long run. I didn’t have to scour and wait for the fleece to dry– I simple put the sample on my hand carders, combs, and then, drum carder. My wrists were starting to ache from combing, so I ended up using about 50 grams on my drum carder for the spun sample. The finished yarn was then scoured before I started weaving with it.

The yarn sample was a 2-ply, Sport weight–about 46 grams and 124 yards. I used a little less than the full skein for the woven scarf. In order to have enough yarn for this project, I chose to use a spaced warp/weft technique for an open weave scarf.

“Olwen” Raw Fleece processed in the Grease

Raw Fleece Sampling: “Fiona” from Brush Prairie Farms (Washington)

May 16, 2022 Emily Wallace HandwovenLeave a comment

A few of the flock from Brush Prairie Farms (Washington)

During my trip to Washington last October, I visited Brush Prairie Farms— just up the road from the friends I was visiting in Brush Prairie Washington. I contacted the farmer, Tara, a month or so before my trip to see if she had any fleeces available for me to look at when I arrived and she graciously invited me to visit. I ended up buying nine fleeces from a variety of breeds and crosses–all of which Tara shipped to me in Alabama after I returned.

This particular fleece was from “Fiona” –a mystery breed sheep. Her fleece reminded me a little of Dorset Horn and Suffolk…either way it was a pleasure to spin.

Now, I have eight other Brush Prairie Farm fleeces left to sample…

Shetland Raw Fleece Knitting Project

May 11, 2022 Emily Wallace HandwovenLeave a comment

Macchiato’s fleece was one of two Shetland fleeces I purchased from Ballyhoo Fiber Emporium at the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival in 2019. These Shetland are raised in Bagdad, KY, along with Gotland, Icelandic, Finn, and other breeds.

I spun a sample of Macchiato’s fleece last year during the Tour de Fleece, but this is the first knitting project I’ve completed with the sample yarn. It wasn’t my favorite to spin, but the end result was fine. I think I left too much lanolin in the fleece when I originally scoured it, so I’ll be washing this beanie in some Unicorn power scour to get the remaining lanolin out.