Tagged: Värmland sheep
Nalbinding and card weaving
These are two techniques I’d like to learn properly. I’ve nalbinded every now and then for years, but I seem to land in the same stitch every time. I don’t know the name of it, but it’s a thumb stitch. I used a handspun yarn (Värmland sheep) to bind a purse for the “stone age” spindle I bought at Shetland Museum in Lerwick. I use this spindle supported, but it can be used as a drop spindle also. It’s a favourite.
The band is one of my first card woven bands. The pattern is from a Finnish book, “Lautanauhat” by Maikki Karisto. The teal yarn is handspun (British Longwool blends, commercial top), the white is handspun silk (brick), and the lilac is a commercial wool blend yarn. The little sheep button is a gift from someone. I’ve forgotten from whom I got it, so if you see this, please shout! I think I’ll add a tassel to the bottom of the purse also.
I spun the yarn on the Lerwick spindle. It’s Åland sheep, from one of the sheep I showed in an earlier post. The wool is very soft with almost no guard hair, and as I spun it lofty and quite thick, the yarn is super soft. I’ll use it in nalbinding that I will felt. Maybe mittens? A hat?
Wovember yarns
I’m still exploring six Nordic Short Tailed sheep breeds’ wool: Finn, Kainuu Grey and Åland sheep from Finland, and Finull, Gotland and Värmland sheep from Sweden. I have now spun a few samples of Finn, Finull and Värmland. I hope to continue next week with Gotland and more Värmland.
Kainuu Grey, Värmland, Finn, Finull, Finn on the bobbin, dyed Finull rolags
Finn and Finull are so similar that I’m not capable of distinguishing their fleeces or yarns from each other. That goes for all of the colors. Both breeds come in white (main color), brown and black. This is Finull. It could be Finn as well, but luckily I had tagged the photos:
Swedish Finull
If you haven’t already noticed: Kasper is always helping me. I love that dog.
Swedish Finull
The hand of the two wools is also the same. Soft, nice, much of it is next-to-skin wool, but there are also more robust fleeces. It’s wool that can be used for many purposes from soft baby clothes to blankets, upholstery and even rugs. It’s often short here in Scandinavia as the sheep are sheared twice a year. 5-7 cm is an average.
Värmland is another type of wool. I will return to it later, so let’s only mention it’s a primitive type of wool. Double coat, everything from very soft to harsh. All colors from white to black. A very interesting wool, as primitive wools often are. This is an older photo of Värmland I spun a couple of years ago. The triangular lock structure tells you there’s both long guard hair and soft undercoat. The guard hair can be picked or combed out if you want two different kinds of yarn from the same fleece.
Lock, 2-ply guard hair and undercoat, singles guard hair, 2-ply undercoat
I have written about Kainuu Grey here.
Half of Wovember is gone. I have loved reading the Wovember blog (link in the Blogroll).
Maybe I should honor Tom of Holland by mending something, and also showing some of my mended socks in another post. Yes, I think I will.
Barbro's Threads 