When working with a fresh fleece, we often scour the wool to remove the lanolin. Lanolin, sometimes called grease or wool wax, is a sticky substance sheep produce that is akin to human sebum. It keeps the sheep’s skin moisturized, helps to waterproof the fleece so that it doesn’t mold in the rain and humidity,
There are many times when waterproof fabrics might come in handy for the fiber artist; waterproof spinning lap cloth, anybody? Or it may be a finish you choose for some of the fabrics you make. It is fairly simple to waterproof most fabrics at home using two basic ingredients: beeswax and linseed oil! The combination
Cabled yarns are a fantastic addition to your spinning repertoire. A cabled yarn contains at least four singles plied with multiple layers of ply. An example would be if you spun a two-ply yarn and plied it in the opposite direction with another two-ply yarn. A cabled yarn could include multiple layers of twist. You
As a new spinner, it can be discouraging when you start to calculate the costs of all the tools you need to spin yarn. But the truth is, much of what we do can be done with very simple tools or no tools at all. Blending for color or fiber content is a great way
Silk can seem tricky to dye, but the results are almost always stunning! Silk soaks up color and has an unmatched sheen. Mawata (sometimes called hankies) is a versatile preparation and one of the most forgiving forms of silk. You will need: silk mawata (homemade or purchased) 1 gallon zip top bag food dye or
One of my favorite preparations of silk is mawata, or silk hankies. Mawata are made by stretching silk cocoons over a frame one at a time, layer by later, until you have a solid fiber preparation from which to spin, knit, or felt with. You will need: silk cocoons a square frame a large pot
Mawata, sometimes called silk hankies, are a preparation of silk associated with spinning and felting. But many fiber artists don’t know that you can knit with unspun silk as well. It creates a very light, textured yarn. What You Need: silk mawata, dyed or plain US size 11 (8.0mm) knitting needles or needles of your
In the world of spinning, we often think of silk as an add-in for spinning. We blend silk top with our wool. We spin mawata into lumpy, bumpy silk thread. We dye cocoons and incorporate them whole into our art yarns. We often don’t consider reeling silk. Reeling silk is hard. Reeling silk requires lots of
Onions are one of the most common vegetables found worldwide. They’re not just a delicious staple, they can also be used to dye with! Natural dyeing can be intimidating for beginners, but onion skins are an easy place for beginners to start. Yellow onion skins will produce a bright yellow-to-orange color. Red onion skins will
