In packing for the Black Sheep Gathering trip, we discovered that there was enough room left in the car for the spinning wheels after all of the camping equipment and other gear were loaded. We had been undecided on the question of bringing them, and this was just the thing we needed to tip us over to “yes” as the answer.
But what to spin on a road trip? Fiber samples, of course!
I grabbed several of the one ounce bundles of fiber from the Woolgatherings sampler pack. These are quick little spinning adventures designed to help me learn about the different sheep breeds and their fiber characteristics. On this adventure, I sampled the Shetland, Cormo, and Romney fibers.
First out of the bag was the Shetland. This fiber felt lovely in the bundle, which is what tempted me to pick it up first. Little did I know how wonderful it would be to spin! The fiber practically spun itself, slipping through my fingers so that I barely had to draft at all. I started this in the spinning circle at the gathering on Saturday, and finished it that night by the campfire after dinner. (Yes, we made sure to keep far enough from the campfire to prevent scorches from stray sparks. And yes, we were spinning at a campground. It wouldn’t be the last time.)
The staple length on this breed is longer – 4-5″ in length. I spun the entire ounce onto one bobbin, taking the opportunity to practice lengthening my draft. I then chain plied it to make the finished yarn. The yarn is soft and springy and would be lovely to knit. Shetland is definitely going on the list to spin again.
The next fiber sampler out of the bag was the Cormo. Again, it felt lovely in the bundle and tempted me to pick it over the others. I started this one in the spinning circle at the gathering on Sunday, and finished it around the campfire that evening. This one was not fun to spin at all. I felt like I was constantly struggling to draft, and the heat probably didn’t help (sweaty palms aren’t conducive to drafting). I likened it to trying to spin spiders’ webs – very sticky.
I spun the entire ounce onto one bobbin, then chain plied it to make the finished yarn. This yarn is also soft and bouncy, though I’m not sure it was worth the trouble it took to get it. Cormo is going on the list to maybe try again at a later date, when I’m a more experienced spinner.
The final sampler spun up on this trip was the Romney. This was also a wonderfully easy spin. Again, the fiber practically spun itself, with very little effort at drafting. I started and finished spinning this sample while relaxing at the campground near Tillamook.
Our daytime campground spinning caught the attention and interested stares of the nearby campers, though they were too shy to approach. One older weaver, who happened to be walking by our campsite, stopped to chat and compare notes with us about the Black Sheep Gathering. Fiber lovers are everywhere – even two days and a few hundred miles removed from the gathering, we still ran into other folks who attended.
I spun the Romney onto two bobbins, then plied them together to make the finished yarn. The staple length on this fiber is similar to the Shetland, so I practiced lengthening my draft again. This fiber made extremely strong singles; I would consider using it for a singles yarn in future. My two-ply made a very nice, sturdy workhorse yarn. I’m also adding this breed to the list to spin again.
For the fiber folk:
- Fiber:Â Woolgatherings 28 Breed Fiber Sampler Pack; Shetland, Cormo, & Romney
- Ravelry spinning project page here