Don’t you kill the bunny? (by Jennifer Green)

…and other angora questions

We just got back from our County Fair. It’s a week of fun and time spent with my children. It is a time for us to share what we’ve been working on, show off the livestock and home economics projects and to share some knowledge with people who haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy the lifestyle we have.

We answer many questions about the animals during the week. Some people want to know each animal’s name, what their breed is and what that animal’s job is. Sometimes, we have an opportunity to educate people about some of the myths and misconceptions that abound about livestock and how they are raised.

We fielded many questions about rabbits this year. In particular, we answered questions about the Angora rabbits my kids had on display. We are raising German Angora rabbits and the kids are head over heels in love with them, as am I. The German Angora rabbit is a fascinating animal. Bred to be one of the largest Angoras, the German’s job is to provide a quantity of quality wool with low maintenance and upkeep requirements. They are sweet and friendly, hardy, excellent mothers and the workhorse of their kind.

One of the questions we hear most often, and one that is very surprising when you first hear it, is, “Don’t you have to kill the rabbit to get the wool?” The first time the kids got asked that question, they were so astounded that they looked at each other and then at me for guidance. No, we do not have to kill the rabbits to harvest the fiber. Depending upon the breed of Angora, the fiber is harvested, on a schedule, by either shearing or plucking the rabbit.

German Angoras are shorn every 90 days. They can produce between 60 and 75 ounces of wool per year with some animals far overreaching that average. These rabbits do not typically shed their coats, and so must be shorn rather than plucked. We remove the coat on the rabbits for two reasons. One is to harvest the fiber for use in the creation of textiles and yarn. The second is for the rabbit’s health. As I mentioned, these rabbits don’t shed their coat on their own. It is up to us, who bred them for this purpose, to periodically remove the fiber.

In so doing we cool the rabbit down in warm weather, offer an opportunity for the rabbit to grow new fiber, remove the environment for pests to live and grow, and take the time to inspect each rabbit for injury or disease that might otherwise be hidden by all that fluff. Another benefit to removing the fiber is that the animal is less tempted to groom themselves. When an Angora rabbit is forced to groom their own coat, they wind up ingesting a certain amount of fiber. This wool tends to bind up in their digestive system and cause a serious, and often painfully fatal, condition called Wool Block.

Other breeds of Angora do shed their coats periodically and for those breeds, many raisers choose to pluck the wool. Plucking (also called rooing) is not painful or mean. It is gentle and quiet and the rabbits learn to enjoy the time with their people. They are, after all, the center of attention and who doesn’t love that? Generally, the handler will place the rabbit in their lap and will gently comb through the rabbit’s coat with their fingers looking for loose clumps of fiber. Any loose bits are simply taken off with the handler’s fingers. No pulling. No injury. Just a quiet time of grooming and loving on the rabbit.

Again, it is important for the rabbit to receive this attention to prevent them from ingesting this fiber. Removing the loose fiber cuts down on matting which can harbor pests and filth, thus helping the rabbit to maintain a healthy condition. It is time the raiser can use to inspect the rabbit for condition issues and time spent in bonding with these sweet and loving creatures.

We have found our time with the rabbits to be so rewarding and memorable. The kids have learned about responsibility, love, goals, rabbit care, record keeping, showmanship and sales. I have spent priceless moments with them in support and love that will be mine to treasure forever. We continue to look forward to sharing what we have learned with those who come to see us, whether it be at the farm or at the fair. We welcome the questions that come from excited visitors and now look forward to showing folks how wonderful and rewarding these creatures are. We are no longer shocked to be asked about killing the rabbits, but rather welcome the question as an opportunity to educate and share.

A sheep unto its own (by Sandy Ryan)

Have you ever wondered where a wool path less traveled may lead you? What elusive fiber and fleece awaits? Today’s journey finds us heading to Scotland and a majestic, elegant sheep known as the Scottish Black Face.

A few years back I got know Graham & Margaret Phillipson who tend a beautiful flock of Scottish sheep. The sheep are well loved and spend their lives happily romping acres and acres of pasture in a secluded scenic valley. The Phillipsons travel to back home to Scotland and England each year, returning with genetics from long established native flocks. They are very dedicated to the preservation of the noble sheep included in their flock of North Country Cheviot, English Suffolk, Mule Sheep – and Scottish Black Face sheep.

I go out each spring to help on shearing day, scooping up beautiful fleeces while plotting my next projects and offerings for our Website. What a day! There is a lot to know about the ‘Scotties’ but I am going to concentrate on my own experiences with the sheep and the fiber they produce.

Scotties are a traditional breed raised in Scotland and much of Europe. They are known as very hardy sheep, resistant to disease and parasites. Their babies hop right up after birth and the mamas protect them like lions. Their fleeces have been used for centuries as the main wool in Europe’s famed weaving industry. Carpets, tweed fabric and any durable item a suitable match for such long strong locks.

The average fleece features locks from four-to-10 inches long, is dual coated, coarse in texture and even has a bit of shine to it. The sheep are sheared once a year and our own Scottie Devlyn’s fleece almost drags the ground by March. The locks have a very defined structure with a wavy crimp.

While you might wonder ‘why try’ this coarse wool, here is what I have found. The wool is very easy to wash, often I find a bit of silver threaded through the entire fleece, sometimes only spots. Locks are easily separated for use in doll hair, primitive Santa beards and embellishing. 

If you blend a small amount of fiber into softer wool it creates durable sock yarn for the entire sock, or just heels. They are comfy and you do not have to darn them often. Knitting or crochet projects may find the wool in hats, mittens and outerwear items. 

The fiber takes dye like a champ, but maintains a mind of its own, at times resulting in slightly secretive to very creative variegations in color. It is an adventure to rinse out the dye pots. It cards easily into batts or roving.

It is also an easy felting fiber. Again, durable, stylish when used for trim or entire projects. One of the first projects I created after meeting these lovely sheep was a knit then wet felted tote. The fiber felted quickly and I still carry the tote bag with knitting stashed inside- it looks like it was just felted last week. I have also enjoyed using this wool as a needle felting embellishment.

Weaving is another fantastic use, I have not tried it out yet but history indicates enough bounce in the wool to avoid path wear or wear under heavy furniture. I intend to try this out soon, maybe with a bulky bulky single ply- I cannot wait! (Just have to get that loom warped up- my patience needs more work!)

Customers who have tried this wool have given satisfied feedback for all uses mentioned above. They added that when spun into a fine yarn, it has many of the same characteristics of linen (flax) fiber and softens with use/wear.

Over the years part of the Phillipson flock has made its way to a very historical setting in nearby Milwaukee- roaming a golf course designed after the rugged terrain of Ireland. Whistling Straits will host the 2010 PGA Championship in August. You can be sure the Phillipson sheep will be wowing golfers and keeping tabs on their scores- from afar.

Maybe you will wait to try this fiber or file info away for a future time. Add it to your fiber bucket list, try something new and get to know a Scottish Black Face sheep.  For more extensive information about Scotties please visit our friends at http://littledalefarm.com and lots of info and pictures can be found at http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep

Read about the Kohler/Whistling Straights Scotties here    http://www.golfti.com/kohler/irish/

Our sheep offer a variety of Scottie fiber selections so hope you will stop on by http://www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarmcom or http://www.crazyquilthomestead.etsy.com

Twist & Shout! (by Erika Purcell)

No not dancing..twisting fiber.   Making yarn.  I promised myself 2010 would be the year I learned to spin my own yarn.  You know, cross something off my bucket list.  Maybe I’ll even buy a spinning wheel.   Who knows?

Naughty Knitterz seem to be most interested in two things.  Some are trading in their knitting needles and learning how to crochet.  Some are starting to spin yarn.  A few Naughty Knitterz are experienced yarn spinners.

I know nothing about twisting fiber but I have always been intrigued by the contraptions used to make yarn.  Spinning wheels fascinate me.  One of the first people to join the circle was Karin from eastern Australia who wrote an article entitled “Relax and Enjoy the Spin“.  Her article was my first exposure to spinning wheels. 

Karin wrote about how she came to own a Ashford spinning wheel and at a v ery reasonable price.  After reading Karin’s piece I became interested in learning more about spinning yarn and about the different types of spinning wheels available.  First thing I did was to look on eBay to see if I could find any Ashford spinning wheels. 

Ashford is described as the VW of spinning wheels.  Ashford spinning wheels are manufactured in New Zealand.  I thought it would be best to see if there was a wheel made closer to where I live.  My concern was getting spare parts.  I quickly learned spinning wheels are made all around the world and spare parts are available everywhere and online. 

The next thing I did was to ”Google“ spinning wheels.  I also looked on ”Youtube” to see what videos I could find there.  I was overwhelmed with all the information available.  There are a bunch of different types and brands of spinning wheels.  I found two articles which I recommend you read if you’re interested in a wheel of your own. 

The first is entitled “Choosing a spinning wheel“.   I found another must read article  about spinning wheels on The Woolery web site. After reading both I decided I wanted a folding wheel for its size and portability.  Here is a another article comparing the different folding spinning wheels.

The one thing I learned fast was buying a spinning wheel was not a decision to be made quickly.  Once I decided which type and brand I wanted, I decided to look around to see if I could find a used wheel.  The other thing I learned was that selecting a spinning wheel that’s right for you is not the end of your journey.  It is only the beginning.  Next, you’ll need to learn to use it.  You will find a good how a spinning wheel works video on the site which is a place you can start.

Start by deciding what type of yarn you want to make the most of.  Using a small hand spinning wheel is where I chose to begin.  Whatever you do remember to Relax & Enjoy the Spin! and as the song says ”Ride a painted pony…Let the spinning wheel fly!” 

Good Luck & Knit Happy!

Introduction to Tri-Looms (by Pamela Kelly)

I have been crocheting and knitting for the better part of my life. However, I now primarily spend my time knitting, spinning, and weaving. I fell in love with spinning the first time I sat down at a spinning wheel at one of my friend’s shop. As time progressed I decided I would like to try other fiber venues. As it turns out, I saw a tri-loom on the internet and asked my husband if he could make me one of these. Husbands are great for that sort of thing you know. With no information other than a photograph and a bit… sorry… a lot of ingenuity on his part he endeavored to build a tri-loom for me. After about three months of effort his first seven foot loom actually turned out to be only six feet long because, for whatever reason, he calculated seven feet to be seventy-two inches, which of course is only six feet. He’s over that and better now!

Jim now makes tri-looms for Sunflower Fibers (www.sunflowerfibers.com) in several sizes and is working to get his personal adjustable design patented.

Knitting and weaving is just not simply fun for me, it is a “passion”. I have wanted to weave and knit full time for years but unfortunately making a living at a full time job was preventing me from doing that. I was a computer programmer for a major international company, and as many IT jobs have done in the past several years, my husband’s and my job were both best-shored to other countries. So I have been forced to do what I love to do. How cool is that??? Besides, a job is a “job”. Weaving and knitting is “fun”!

Jim makes looms and I weave and knit. 

Triangular (tri-loom) weaving frame.

An adjustable triangle loom is for weaving pieces into various garment accessories, blankets, throws, afghans, shawls and scarves in various sizes. There are three wood rails attached at the angle or corner to create a 90 degree triangle. Each rail has nails or pins aligned in a straight row for the full length of each board. The nails are proportionally spaced in order to have the same number of nails on each board. Since the hypotenuse is longer than the two adjacent sides the nails will be a bit further apart on the hypotenuse side. The size of a tri-loom is measured by the hypotenuse side of the loom. An adjustable tri-loom has drilled holes at specified distances to allow different sized looms to be created from one set of three rails.

This invention relates to a 3-sided 90 degree weaving loom that can be adjusted to various sizes.

Background of the weaving loom.

The triangle weaving loom is used for weaving triangle shaped fabric pieces that can be used as an individual piece like a scarf or shawl; or to weave several triangular pieces that can joined together to make ponchos, afghans, bed throws and many other common household or garment items. The adjustability of the loom allows for the different sizes desired for the item that is being constructed.

Weaving on a triangular loom is much easier than normal weaving because the only measurement that is required is how much yarn is needed to complete the job. The complete piece can be woven by using a center pull ball of yarn. Other weaving projects, or weaving on a floor loom, may require measuring and cutting warp yarns, or dressing with warp yarns, winding shuttles with weft yarns before weaving.

When weaving on a triangular loom it is imperative that there be an equal number of uniformly spaced pins on each rail and that the pins intersect with no major gaps at the corner and at the 45 degree angles.

Summary of the invention

A tri-loom is a triangle made of three rails of wood with nails or pins evenly spaced on the upper side of the wooden rail for weaving the yarn. The rails are connected via a bolt and wing nut at the ends, or at the specified pre-drilled holes that allow for the adjustments to create a different sized loom. No matter what sized loom being used the loom is constructed in a way that allows for the loom to have the same number of nails for each loom depending on the loom size desired.

No matter what size loom being used the following is required and provided.

1. The invention provides an adjustable triangular loom that maintains an equal number of pins or nails on each rail.
2. The pins or nails intersect at the corner and angles with no major gaps.
3. The spacing of the pins or nails will be uniform on each rail regardless of the size of the triangle loom being used.

More unobvious and obvious features will become more apparent looking at the pictures of the looms at www.sunflowerfibers.com.

What is Rolag? (by Michele Grim)

Don’t fear!  I’m here to answer all your questions.  One of the most common types of spinning fiber that will be processed is called roving.  Roving is carded wool that is a long continuous strand of twisted fiber.   

A roving is a long and narrow bundle of fiber or fibre. It is used to spin wool yarn. A roving can be created by carding the fiber.  Because it is carded the fibers are not parallel.  Roving that is not twisted is called a sliver (pronounced SLYver).     

The first picture on the right is Llama roving.   

A batt is a wider than roving, rectangular and made from a drum carder.     

The second (white and yellow fiber) picture on the right is that of a wool batt.  

A rolag is a roll of fiber made from hand carders and generally used to spin woolen yarn.  A rolag is created by carding the fiber using handcards and then by gently rolling the fiber off the cards. If it’s properly prepared a rolag will be uniform in width distributing the fibers evenly.  A combed top is another type of long, continuous strand of fiber.   The difference is that instead of being carded it is combed with all the short hairs have been removed to create a smooth fiber.  

Animal fibers have traditionally been used to create rolags but today’s yarn spinner uses many different materials including synthetic and even plant fibers – like bamboo. 

The third picture on the right is that of a wool rolag. 

Either one you pick will give you some very beautiful yarn. Stay tuned for more fiber spinning related articles.  I’d sure like to hear from you if you also dye and spin your own yarns.  If you visit Misfit Yarns you’ll see some of my work.  Naughty Knitterz will soon be displaying some of my work on a newly created Yarn & Fiber Shop page.  No matter if you spell it fiber or fibre you’ll find it there.  

If you have email me ( michele@naughtyknitterz.com ) with any questions you might have.      

Spin & Grin you Naughty Knitterz!     

Source: Start Spinning: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Yarn, Maggie Casey, Interweave Press, 2008.  Pictures taken by Michele Grim. 

Process Knitting (by Mary Fran Riley)

There are many ways to approach knitting.  Making finished objects,  making hundreds of swatches to learn various techniques and knitting for the process.

I love a beautiful hand knit project as much as the next gal (or guy).  I really do!   I have three sweaters on needles, a pair of slippers begging to be sewn together and felted, a pattern waiting to be typed and yarn for about ten other specific projects calling my name.   I am a process knitter.  What’s that?  I knit because I love the action of knitting and not for the contentment of completing finished pieces.

When I knit I become part of what I am knitting. It is a movement and a flow. The knitting itself is the point, not the finished product. It is about a connection I get to a project.  It’s about the satisfaction I get using my hands to create something.   A kind of satisfaction I don’t get from my creative industry job.  It is a break from the sterility of computers and the perfection they give.

I have a short attention span and always get bored with a project long before it’s done.  Including hats.  After I have experienced the best there is about a pattern, I am ready to move on. I usually finish hats when I run out of short circular needles and need them for another project that I so very much need to knit.

I always have my knitting with me and knit every chance I get – air planes, trains and cars are my friends.  Long boring meetings and college classes provide great opportunities for me to knit away!

My aversion to getting to the end of a project might be because of my deadline driven professional life.  Sometimes it’s just nice to create and not have the pressure hanging over the process.  Sometimes I feel I should be creating better goals for myself and try to finish more of my projects.  I’m afraid that by doing this I will taint my pure connection to the act of knitting.  I will turn knitting into a task that is always looming.

So, I will continue on my path to knit with every type of fiber that I can find followed by an attempt to learn as many techniques and stitches along the way.  Maybe, just maybe, all of this will end up in a higher project completion rate for me.  Maybe it won’t and I am ok with that too.

I am certain I’m not the only knitter out there who knits for its calming effects.   I hope I am not the only person who knits just to knit and not to make a finished work piece.

How a Spinning Wheel Works (video)

The Naughty Knitterz Spin & Grin topic category is all about spinning fiber into yarn.  There are a variety of spinning wheels.  If you want to learn about spinning it’s important to understand how a spinning wheel works.  This video does a great job of explaining not only how a spinning wheel works but also describes its parts.  Having a basic understanding of spinning wheel mechanics will help give you an initial understanding of spinning fiber into yarn.  

In this 10 1/2 minute video Sue Macniven shows a saxony wheel, its various parts and how to adjust a scotch tension. In depth look at how to work out the ratios.

Yarn Addiction (by The Woolpack)

What’s so addictive about yarn? Everything – With so many choices and uses, it’s the perfect collectible.

Yarns today are being made from so many fibers-natural and synthetic.  Natural fibers include sheep, llama, goats, buffalo, alpaca, angora, musk ox, possum, cotton, silk, corn, soy, bamboo, and milk fibers.

Our yarn supply is a truly global economy:  Italy, Australia, South America, Turkey, China, USA.  Many US distributors work with small cooperatives in developing countries helping regions to become self-sustaining. 

Today’s synthetic fibers like  modal, viscose, tencel, courtelle,  nylon, and acrylic are spun using high tech spinning equipment to produce yarns far removed from the acrylic yarns of the 50’s and 60’s.  Many acrylics feel like natural fibers and are wonderful to knit with.

Hand spinners are turning out artful yarns in small quantities and hand dyers produce rich, deep or delicate colors using many natural fibers as their canvas.

You can knit, crochet, weave, felt, embellish and craft with yarns.  You can put them in a basket like a bouquet of flowers and just admire them. 

Yarns are spun finer than human hair and as thick as your finger.  Yarns can be a single strand or ply and many plies twisted together.  Sometime they are even constructed of plies of plies twisted clockwise and counterclockwise (for a Z twist or an S twist). Some are smooth while others are highly textured.

You can make a collection of yarn from a particular designer, fiber, color, gauge, or even collect yarns as a souvenir from your travels.  You can swap yarn like trading cards, buy on ebay and yard sales or make donations to worthy causes.

People buy yarn who have no earthly idea what they are going to do with it, some don’t even knit or crochet.  They are seduced by the color, the feel.  It might remind them of a place or a person.  The texture might be soothing and calming to the touch.  The colors may brighten your spirits.  You just know that if you don’t buy this yarn, it may not be there the next visit.  That if you don’t buy this yarn, you will think about it for days.  That life is full of regrets and this shouldn’t be one of them.