{"id":10711,"date":"2024-02-24T08:10:56","date_gmt":"2024-02-24T07:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/?p=10711"},"modified":"2024-02-24T08:10:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T07:10:58","slug":"silk-and-kemp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/silk-and-kemp\/","title":{"rendered":"Silk and kemp"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve done it before, married a kempy Gute fleece with recycled sari silk<\/a> with surprising success. Today I\u2019m combining silk and kemp again, with even more success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a patron (or want to become one<\/a>) you can see how I tease, blend and spin the Gute wool with sari silk in my February 2024 video postcard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The combination wool from a primitive breed like Gute sheep, including kemp, with something as delicate as silk is quite intriguing, and I still giggle when I think about when the idea poked me in the eye a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021: First try<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Back then it was a Gute lamb\u2019s fleece. I teased the wool with my combing station, while at the same time blending it with recycled sari silk. A lot of the kemp stayed in the combs as I teased the wool. Sadly, a lot of the sari silk did too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lots of the sari silk got stuck in the tines of the combs when I teased and blended the first Gute fleece back in 2021. I got a lovely little skein and did a couple of fulling tests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The result was a surprisingly soft yarn, though, with little specks of silk next to the quirky kemp. Sadly, I only spun that one small skein as a test when I bought the fleece, and when it finally was the Gute fleece\u2019s turn in my fleece queue, it had gone old and brittle. With a heavy heart I placed it on my garden beds as mulching. I was quite crushed by this (even if the vegetables weren’t).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024: Second try<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A year or so ago I got myself another Gute lamb\u2019s fleece, with beautiful soft undercoat and quite a lot of kemp. This one made its turn in the fleece queue before it got brittle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another Gute lamb’s fleece came home with me. Just as the first one it has lots of kemp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This time I tried teasing it staple by staple with a flicker. And it really did the trick \u2013 by gently brushing the cut ends I got rid of a lot more kemp than I had with the combs. All that was left after the flicking were astonishingly soft fibers. Some kemp is still there, but I don’t let it bother me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With a simple brush with the flicker I remove lots of the kemp and end up with fine and silky fibers. The rightmost image shows the original staple (middle), the flicked staple (top) and the waste in the flicker after flicking (bottom).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I look at the flicked staples I can see that there are outercoat fibers, but very close to the fineness of the undercoat fibers. Just sweet locks of silky vanilla kindness, light as feathers and dying to spoon with some sari silk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Flicked (left) and unlicked (right) staples of Gute lamb’s wool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My usual yield from raw fleece to finished yarn is around 55 per cent. I expect this yield to be lower due to the amount of kemp removed, but the result is truly astonishing and definitely worth it. Flicking staple by staple is time consuming, but I do it while bingeing Downton Abbey, and enjoy the slow movements of the flicker. Once a staple is flicked it feels like a luxurious soap against my skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter recycled sari silk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My plan was to use combs to blend the sari silk with the teased staples. However, when I tried adding the sari silk straight onto the cards I realized that it worked wonderfully well. I just pulled a staple length of the sari silk off the braid, teased it sideways to match the width of the wool on the card and placed it on top. Carding was a dream and the silk blended smoothly and evenly into the batt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I’m dressing the card with first the flicked staples and then the recycled sari silk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I find the rhythm I can card for ages. It’s like a dance and I swirl away to the muffled sound of brush strokes. The teased fibers make the smooth movements possible. My latest ebayed hand cards are a dream. I think they are from the -70’s, but made with old techniques. I have never experienced such smooth cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shaping the gute\/sari silk rolag into pure yumminess.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Woolen yarn and fulled dreams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am spinning the rolags with an English longdraw on my spinning wheel and 2-plying it. I am spinning the yarn quite fine, around light fingering to fingering weight. As you can see in the picture below, there is still kemp in the yarn. Most of this will fall out during weaving, leaving air pockets that will make the fabric light and warm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My plan is to weave it in tabby on my rigid heddle loom. I’m not sure how much yarn I will get, perhaps I will use it all as a warp yarn and spin some Icelandic undercoat wool the same way for the weft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A 2-ply yarn spun with English longdraw from carded rolags of Gute wool blended with recycled silk.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In May I will go to a fulling mill with my wool traveling club and full the finished weave, along with some other woven projects. More kemp will fall out in the intense handling, leaving a magical cloth. That is my plan, anyway. I’m truly excited about both the wool journey and the results. I will of course keep you posted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy spinning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can find me in several social media:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n