Last Year’s First Raw Fleece (Elektra!)

So, I finally finished spinning Elektra’s 2025 fleece. From the whole fleece weighing in at 32.9 oz., I managed to get 18.6 oz. of finished yarn. Random leftover bits are at maybe a little over 1 oz. that I’m going to keep for spindle spinning because this fleece has been so easy to draft. The lost weight is mainly the lanolin that is found in a raw fleece, because I did not actually process the fleece by combing or carding. Before finishing, the yarn added up to approximately 822 yards.

1964 Nilus Leclerc Floor Loom (New Project)

For my next trick, I’ve bought an incomplete vintage floor loom because when the hell does that come up for sale not just in south Louisiana but actually in Baton Rouge. And with an owner willing to deliver to my house!?!?!? Just crazy. So, I had to get it. Because fate. I have wanted a loom since I first started doing this stuff 9 years ago. Not having the money or room for a loom was the reason I stopped spinning. I hate knitting, and I do not crochet, so the only purpose the yarn was serving was (eventually) feeding the moths.

Fate also decreed that I didn’t have the extra money to get the parts needed until the Leclerc supplier went on summer break. So, now I get to wait until at least the end of August to get the aprons, rods, and a reed. I have replaced the brake cord, crank, screw eyes, and the bolts to hold the treadles to the loom. I also got some Texsolv for the treadles.

Conundrum

I need to figure out if I can use the yarn I’ve spent the past year spinning as warp yarn. The decision to just spin straight from the fleece did introduce some weakness in the yarn, especially the yardage from the very start of the spin (which was me getting reacquainted with spinning again). I think I might be able to use the two-ply finer yarn that I spun with the lace kit for the Aura that makes up a little more than half of the yardage. I want to make a shawl. I have absolutely no regrets about spinning straight from the fleece. The yarn is really cool looking and preserves the burnt tips that made the fleece so gorgeous.

Another New Thing

I have already rebranded my YouTube channel: Complicated Fred: One Woman’s Twisting Journey. I’ve decided that I’m going to talk about whatever the hell I want to feed the mind in a showcase of one woman’s obsessions with words, women in the ancient world, and fiber arts. My latest video features hand carding and drum carding difficult (crappy) wool for felting.