Experiments in spinning really old wool

For the last couple of years I have been stocking up on fiber whenever I go to any kind of knitting/yarn/wool store or festival. I really, really wanted to buy a spinning wheel - eventually. In my mind it was one of those purchases that came after the mortgage I don't yet have was under control, and the student loans were paid off. Spinning wheels are expensive, and fiber isn't cheap. Unfortunately, I have no self-control.



You might notice that there are boxes everywhere. That's because I would rather play with wool than unpack. See above re: self-control.

The woman that I bought the wheel from (used) gave me a few bags of wool she had lying around in her basement with the wheel. For anyone who cares, it's an Ashford Traditional that she hadn't touched since she became pregnant with her son. I met him during the exchange and would put him in 3rd or 4th grade. Long time for this thing to be sitting in a basement.

I bought the wheel a month and a half ago, but I neglected to buy carders, mostly because there weren't any in the back of the woman's minivan when I bought the wheel. Friday, when I got home from work, I had a package from my boyfriend - beautiful curved carders. He gets extra points for thoughtfulness.

I carded some raw wool from WheelLady on Friday night (because my social calendar is clearly packed). It was mostly white and light grey, with some browns and blacks that I blended in. I really, really didn't know what I was doing. I spun it onto two bobbins (back of the minivan) and let it sit overnight, because that's what the only spinning book I own said to do. In the morning I plied it, strung it up on my niddy noddy (back of the minivan, too) and then ran to find my book because I had no idea what to do next.

Thankfully, I had everything I needed in the house. I soaked the yarn in some hot water with dish soap for awhile:



Then vinegar, then hot water. I patted it dry with an old towel and then gave it a few snaps and hung it up to dry:



I let it hang overnight and took it down this morning. It's messy and it's inconsistent, but it is definitely yarn.