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Creating silk thread manually is an involved process that takes a bit of time and patience, but is rewarding. The work begins with boiling the silk worm cocoons to dissolve the glue holding the silk thread together. Once they're ready, the threads can be 'picked up' by gently running a brush over the top of the cocoons floating in the water. The individual strands are fed into a device that winds them together into one large strand as it winds them onto a wheel. The finished product is a beautiful skein of silk thread. Thanks to Michael Cook for the information. To read more about his silk worm project and how to make silk thread click here.
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In addition, all standard rigid heddle looms now have holes drilled in the bottom of the rails to enable you to use your loom as a warping frame for the indirect warping method. This will be a great space saver as it can eliminate the need for a separate warping board. Plus it allows for the flexibility to use one thread of color, have even warp lengths, and better tension control.
You can purchase a set of Rigid Heddle Warping Pegs that includes 14 pegs which can be used for a variety of warping lengths. We'll be adding the warping pegs to our store soon. And we will also be carrying the double heddle kit for those who want to upgrade current Ashford rigid heddle looms. Keep an eye out - we'll be sure to keep you posted!
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TENCEL® is a brand name for lyocell and is a wood based cellulose fiber made from South African Eucalyptus trees and manufactured by the Lenzing AG company. The production process is extremly eco-friendly and referred to as a closed loop process which uses non-toxic chemical and recycles nearly 100% of these chemicals. The only products that come in to the plant are wood pulp and water and the only output at the end of the process is water and fiber. Because of the nature of the material, the processing never requires bleach. This process of manufacturing received the “European Award for the Environment” by the European Union. TENCEL® blends very well with wools and other fibers and absorbs dyes quickly and evenly. It has a similar feel to bamboo when spinning and is strong and very soft.
]]>Did you know...SeaCell is a luxurious silky fiber made from Seaweed and Eucalyptus fiber. SeaCell is a cellulose fiber and is non-allergenic and very soft.
SeaCell is produced by smartfiber AG. The seaweed for SeaCell is harvested from the sparsely populated fjords of Iceland in locations where there is no waste and no pollution from ship traffic.
Watch the harvesting process...
Film seaweed harvesting SeaCell EN vimeo from Smartfiber AG on Vimeo.
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The Zwartbles sheep breed originated in the Friesland region of Holland. It's a hardy breed, often pastured with cattle and characterized by the striking white, badger-like facial markings and the 2-4 white socks.
Due to changes in farming practices, the numbers dwindled to approx. 500 animals by 1978 with only about 250 of these considered to be purebred Zwartbles. The breed was adopted by the Dutch Rare Breed Survival trust in the mid-1970s.
Breed numbers began to increase in the late 1970s, primarily due to a resurgence in hobby wool spinning and a desire for natural, black wools. In 1985, Dutch breeders started a Zwartbles flock book.
Zwartbles sheep were first imported to the UK in 1986 and the number grew increasingly in the 1990s. In 1995 the Zwartbles Sheep Association was formed. In 2014 there were around 700 registered flocks and 12,500 registered animals.
Zwartbles wool is medium to fine with excellent crimp and fiber length and a micron count of 27 making it popular for both spinning and felting.
]]>Here's a full list of what we currently have...
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The Icelandic breed was introduced to Iceland when the Vikings settled the area during the 8th and 9th centuries. The Icelandic breed has been developed in almost complete isolation for over 1000 years, which makes them one of the World's purest breeds.
The fleece is dual-coated and comes in white as well as a variety of other colors, including a range of browns, grays, and blacks. The outer coat, called "Tog" is long and course and is perfect for outwear garments, weaving, etc. The under coat is called "Thel" and is very soft and lustrous and great for garments that are worn next to the skin. The coats can be separated from the fleece and spun individually, however most commercially prepared fibers contains both coats.
The average micron of the outer coat or Tog is 27-31 Microns. The undercoat or Thel averages 19-22 Microns. Staple lengths for the outer coat is 4-18 inches. The undercoat is 2-4 inches.
]]>So what is all this Micron stuff about anyway? In the United States wool is graded using one of three methods:
The "American" or "Blood" System: This is an older system where wool is graded depending upon the amount or percent of "fine wool" sheep breeding (Merino/Rambouillet blood) there is in the animal being shorn. For example, if a "grade" ewe is bred by a purebred Merino, the lamb from that mating will produce a 1/2 blood fleece or wool. Currently, the names refer to the diameter of the fiber. With this standard, "fine" refers to the diameter of the fiber, not the total quality of the wool.
The "British," "Bradford," or "Spinning Count" System: This is based on the amount of "Hanks" of yarn that can be spun from 1 pound of scoured (washed) wool. One Hank = 560 yards of yarn. If a Rambouillet grades 64s (fine grade), then 1 pound of clean wool from that sheep will yield over 20 miles of yarn (64 X 560 yards of yarn). This system’s grade numbers are always even numbers, with the lowest being 36s and the highest 120s. With this system the larger number will be a finer wool. The problem with this system is that there are too many variables that influence the results.
The "Micron Count" System: This system was developed in the United States around 1966-67. It is based on actual micron measurements taken with a microprojection unit (magnification 500 X). (One micron = 1/25400th of an inch). Generally, most major wool producing regions of the world utilize this system. It is considered an objective system because it uses scientific measurements to help with the grading.
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Romney is one of our favorite wools here at Laughing Lamb Fibers. It's soft, drafts easily, dyes beautifully and is very affordable...great for felting too!
The Romney breed originates from the marshy area of Kent in England which often receives rough winds and heavy rain. The fleece is dense with well-defined crimp and remains healthy in harsh weather. Due to similarities in weather conditions, the Romney breed made an easy transition to New Zealand and the Falkland Islands, where it still remains a dominant breed.
Our New Zealand Romney is a joy to work with - go ahead and give it a spin!