Spinning Wheel

My Norwegian style spinning wheel, It is a working model but spent several years as a shop window decoration, the shop is now closing down so it was put up for sale.

I have never done any spinning before but hope to learn PDQ! I have two Ryeland fleeces and two black Welsh Mountain fleeces to scour. They will also need combing or carding but as combs are so expensive I think I am either going to have to buy dog combs and brushes, or make my own combs using harness needles.


I've had a couple of practice runs on the spinning wheel, the resulting yarn is nowhere near perfect but not too bad either, although on the second practice it did run away with me a bit, and I could have used a longer pair of arms! The result was too much twist in the yarn.

I'll get there in the end, I just hope my cats don't get their whiskers in the way!

Sheep Shearing Day

Hector the Big Tup waiting his turn.

On Friday 10th July my friend Pat called me to let me know her little flock of Ryeland sheep were being sheared that morning, so Jim and I grabbed our camera's and took off for the farm. The Ryelands have very thick, soft fleece, it covers their eyes so the can't see where they are going most of the time, and it also goes all the way down their legs to their feet. Pat has two Tups, Jamie and Hector, plus four Ewes and a number of lambs born this year. The lambs are adorable, a couple had to be given extra milk by bottle and one earned itself the name Safeway, and I think another is called Morrison! I bought both Jamie and Hector's fleece, so now I need to learn how to clean and wash them etc., Followed by carding and spinning.

One of the lambs:

"Am I next?"

"Hey Maa, you do look funny!"

"I don't think we want to go there!"

Hector is almost shorn.

Hector leaving with Jamie following.