{"id":11602,"date":"2025-03-29T07:03:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T06:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/?p=11602"},"modified":"2025-03-29T08:08:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T07:08:32","slug":"hanna-the-gold-medalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waltin.se\/josefinwaltinspinner\/hanna-the-gold-medalist\/","title":{"rendered":"Hanna the gold medalist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On last year\u2019s Swedish fleece championships I managed to get one of the gold medalist fleeces, from the Gestrike sheep Hanna. She grazes in Claudia\u2019s pastures and I was there at shearing day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are a patron, or want to become one<\/a>, you can have access to a video postcard where I show you the fleece and what I made of it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fleece is shiny and soft and quite variegated. When I picked the fleece I surveilled the staples and divided them into piles of staple length, which quite often also means fineness. I ended up with three piles \u2013 200 grams of fine fibers, 660 grams of medium fibers and 300 grams of stronger fibers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Raw fleece from Hanna the Gestrike sheep, shorn autumn 2023 and a gold medalist at the 2024 Swedish fleece championships.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A variegated fleece<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My plan is to spin the same type of yarn from all three categories \u2013 a 2-ply woolen yarn spun from hand carded rolags with English long draw. That way I will have one soft yarn, one medium and one stronger and use all three of them in the same project. I could use the fine yarn at the neck of a sweater where I may be sensitive to itch, the medium for the body and the stronger for elbows and cuffs, that may stand against abrasion better than the medium yarn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The finished yarn from the medium fine staples of Hanna\u2019s fleece. Picked, teased, hand carded and spun with English long draw into a 2-ply woolen yarn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last week I finished the last skein of the medium staples. When all the medium staple wool was spun I had 530 grams and 830 meters. I managed to get the yarn very even in grist across the 13 skeins \u2013 ten of them had a grist between 1400 and 1600 meters per kilo and the remaining three not far from that. I am very happy with the result so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Three similar yarns from three different staple categories of the same fleece. From the left long and strong, medium and fine fiber staples. I can use these for different parts and for different purposes in the same project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The tricky part comes next; to spin the other staple categories into similar yarn weight, look and feel. I have not started the fine and the strong categories, but I did do a quick sample collection of the three varieties. I thought I would have to alter the amount of treadles for gathering and adding twist, but all the variants worked with the treadle combination I had used for the medium staples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Squishy centerpull balls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And oh, I tried a new technique to hand wind my centerpull balls. Usually I wind them around my thumb (like you would with a nostepinne, only without the nostepinne), but a student of mine taught me to make squishy ones, and that requires a nostepinne. When you wind the yarn, you make sure to add a finger or three around the ball, so they are wound into the ball, After a few rounds in the same spot, you slide the fingers out, turn the ball and take a new grip. That way the yarn is loosely wound onto the ball, which makes it airy and less pulling on the yarn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A sweet and squishy hand wound center pull ball and a wee swatch, what more could you ask for?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The balls are fun to make and I love how smoothly the yarn comes out of the center. They are also pretty, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When projects come running<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My plan was to spin all the categories before I started a project, but I willingly admit I utterly failed. My mind needed to knit, and so I cast on for a sweater. I am pretty sure I will have yarn left for another project to use with the other categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Midori Hirose\u2019s Ranunculus is a fun and quick knit with lots of opportunities to play and adapt the pattern to your needs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sweater I cast on for was Midori Hirose\u2019s Ranunculus<\/a>, an oversized top with a patterned yoke. The thing with this pattern is that it is designed for a range of yarn weights and has instructions for different amounts of oversizedness (yes, it\u2019s a word). In my book this is perfect for handspun yarn. The instructions are very clear and there are links to a range of techniques that are used in the pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The laced and patterned yoke is very playful \u2013 while it seems like just random holes to pick up new stitches from, I realize this pattern was designed by someone extremely skilled in their craft. This sweater is such a joy to knit! I am already planning for another one, in linen for the summer, perhaps with a wider neckline and more width in the torso. It would result in the loveliest drape. I just need to spin the yarn first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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