Okay, so that isn’t a very technical term, but it is very, very fun. Here’s a picture of what it looks like:
And here’s what it looked like before being spun:
Then you grab a handful and start spinning. Mega fun! The resulting yarn is very interesting and very usable.
The class that was doing this “new” kind of spinning was our Breeds class. Each month we spin a different breed. Last month it was Gotland, this month Teeswater. I buy raw fleeces and wash them prior to the class. This fleece was simply gorgeous. It is a lamb fleece that weighed only 3 pounds. The lamb lives in Texas. Here are two photos of the washed wool. Even after washing, the shape of the sheep was retained. Pretty incredible. Be sure to click on the second photo – the butt end of this fleece is simply gorgeous.
In addition to “spinning from the wad,” students also spun more conventionally. They found that the wool had a lot of static and was best spun right off the combs. Spinning from wool that had been pulled through a diz produced yarn that was lumpier (probably because of the static and lack of much lanolin).
Here are a few photos of spinners at work and the resulting skeins.
