Saturday, April 10, 2021

Off the Wheel: Swaledale Wool Roving

What can I say about spinning Swaledale wool.... Well, mine was FULL of kemp. Not that I didn't expect kemp, but dang. It fell out when I spun both singles, it fell out when I plied, it fell out when I washed/tensioned it, and it fell out when I wove it into a table runner.

My singles kept breaking when I was plying, also, which means I should've put more twist into the singles, but I was afraid if I put too much energy in, they would feel coarser...and this is already a coarse wool, so...

It was mostly pleasant to spin, other than the constant falling of kemp onto my lap (see photo), but it's probably safe to say that I won't be spinning Swaledale again, since I mostly spin yarns that will end up against the skin. It was a good experience, however, and shows just how different one breed can be from another.

With 104g of roving, I yielded around 156 yds of worsted/aran weight 2-ply yarn. 








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