BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Spinning What do you have in your Stash?

Our stashes are never completely put up. What fibers do you have in your stash? Where do you stash your stash? What are you working on now?

My stash is all over the room and out in the traveling shop. Most of my stash is Rambouillet (aka: merino), I do have quite a bit of upland and pima cotton, some English Angora, and a bunch of camel.

I need ot get the tiny bit of kid mohair finished. That is what is on my Traditional wheel at the moment. My hubby has tri-color grease Debouillet on the Kiwi.

I have about a fleece worth of roving that my sister brought me from New Zealand years ago and 10 fleeces of merino I got free off Craigslist because they are dirty and full of pricklies and the person who got them wanted wool for stuffing. I also have some purple fleece my mom bought me on her honeymoon in 1990 that is really not fun to spin - something about the dye seems to keep it from sticking together like it should. I have it on the wheel right now because I'm trying to use it up - but that tends to keep me from wanting to spin... (Previously it was keeping me from feeling like I could buy fleece though, so I just need to use it up!)

Julie

Julie, is the purple stuff a slicker fiber? sort of like mohair? It is definately harder to spin and keep it spun.

I got some really pretty painted roving without feeling it first. It turns out to have a lot of spinning oil in it and is very sticky and doesn't want to draft at all.

I have no idea what the purple stuff is. It's supposed to be wool, but it doesn't really feel like it, even taking into account the dye. Frankly, it reminds me a lot of dog hair, though I know it's not. Unfortunately, I really have to eventually show up with something I did with said wool. My mom was so happy to find something for me and I told her I was saving it for something special.... (I don't think she touched it either, because she used to spin.)

Julie

I was afraid that would be the case, she would be highly offended if you didn't get it spun and made into something.

Just remember that the sooner we get these UFOs out of our hair, the sooner we can forget about the promise to do something with them.

It is always a good idea to feel the fleece if you can before purchase.

Hey, if it feels like dog hair and you know it isn't, is it one of those blends of something like Soy Silk and Merino? I got hold of some of that and it wasn't really great to spin with. Just the one batch of it. I did some straight Soy Silk and it worked like silk, but the blend left something to be desired.

Yeah, I just have to get through it. I don't have much left to spin, I just have to make myself do it. Ugh! I'm pretty sure it's not Soy Silk, it's supposively from the seller's own sheep. Maybe they were experimenting with chemo sheering and it messed up the wool, the dates are about right from when that was the new great thing. Who knows. I just need to get it out of my life! Actually, I was going to knit it into christmas bell ornaments or something, maybe if I did something 3-D I could use the rest of the fleece as stuffing, then I wouldn't have to spin it! Oh, what a great idea!

Julie

For sure a christmas ball or bell or maybe even a little purple elf. I keep thinking up more stuff that I have made from small bits of yarn that needed stuffed. At any rate, something to hang on the tree and/or give back to your mother?

I couldn't imagine going out and picking the fleeces off the fences and out of cactus when everyone was urging the use of the chemical to make the wool break. My thoughts were What does this stuff do to the sheep itself?

Hi Julie, Could you try felting it? I have had commercially dyed merino tops that have been hopeless for spinning, very short, and when the yarn was set, all the fibers came apart, grrrr! It was superwash too, yuk, so now I buy by the fleece, unless I'm really sure of my supplier. But wet or needlefelting might just overcome this, it wouldn't take long to find out, and needlefelting really can compact down, grin!
Cheers, Caroline

I just remembered some orange stuff I had. A friend named it "troll hair". I spun on that stuff for 2 years til I got it all spun up. Still have a ball of it in one of the baskets. Saw that in there this morning while looking for something else.

That reminds me of my mom's cone of Orange Rug Yarn which I now have and named my embroidery website after. Except that we've always had fun with the Orange Rug Yarn.

Unless I have some more stuffed somewhere, I think I have now spun the last of the purple stuff. Now I need to make something out of it and give or show it to my mom. (Well, maybe I'll ply it.)

Julie

I have about 12 wool fleeces,aprox 8 mohair fleeces, 6 Alpaca fleeces, dog hair ,cat hair and various and assorted silk and tops and stuff like thrums and noils and other fibers for blending.I doubt i will live long enough to spin it all. Worst of it is that now i have working drumcarders i can't wash my fleeces due to the drought. We just don't have enough water.

I understand that problem very very well. This year we have enough water so I can wash fleeces. Last year the problem of water was extreme! I finally let my yard go completely. That includes my herb garden and dye garden!

Now I have to replant both! Such a waste!

Have faith! It will rain again . . . eventually!