Fleece to Garment - Making a Sweater from Scratch

Backstory: How I Landed on a Sheep Farm 

(Note: If you want to get straight to the workshop experience, skip down to Introductions & Sheep Shearing.)

For years, I imagined myself surrounded by rolling green hills among fluffy grazing sheep. I imagined the sensory pleasure of feeling the texture of wool between my fingers. To behold the craftsmanship of a spinning wheel and learning the age-old skill of spinning wool. The reality of physically being in this imagined place felt so out of reach.  I thought it only existed in Ireland, or some other rural setting far away. I could have tried the search string, ‘sheep farms (or) fiber farms near me’ in Google, but for some reason it never occurred to me. I didn’t need to search for it because this “place” that previously only existed in my imagination found me first.

Last autumn, I was curious to learn more about the fashion industry in the Bay Area. I wanted to know if there were textile recycling centers and sustainable fashion brands to be aware of. What I found in my search, which was like a golden egg that hatched before my eyes on the computer screen, was an article titled, “Bay Area Made: The Locally Crafted Home”. The Locally Crafted Home installation was an open plan loft space furnished and decorated by Bay Area artisans. In a photo, a large wall hanging made with felted wool caught my eye. I discovered that the artist of the wall hanging, JG Switzer, is a member of their local Fibershed, a non-profit organization that “develops regional fiber systems that build ecosystem and community health”.  Wow, I thought. What is a fibershed? It sounds like a watershed, but for fiber. I had to learn more and I wanted to get involved.

The timing of my research was impeccable, just in time to attend the 2023 Wool & Fine Fiber Symposium.  I learned about fossil fuel divestment from textiles and fashion, policy change, and garment workers rights. I met fashion design students, upcyclers, and knitters. I visited the learning activities showcase where I met Marlie de Swart, an artisan and professional hand spinner. 

Marlie shared that she’d be co-teaching a ‘Fleece to Garment’ workshop with Mimi Leubberman at Windrush Farm, a working fiber farm in Chileno Valley, CA (only 40 minutes away from my house!). In this workshop series, I would learn how to process a fleece and create a garment from start to finish. Enchanted, I took a flier with the information and called the phone number listed. I reached Mimi and I shared my interest in learning to spin wool. Without hesitation she offered a few days that week that she was available to teach me private lessons. Just from Mimi’s voice and the ease of our conversation, I knew that she was a special person that I wanted to meet. So we set up a few dates. I wasn’t yet ready to commit to the whole Fleece to Garment Workshop, I just wanted to get a feel for what I would be getting myself into.

Getting My Hands & Feet on the Wheel - Spinning Lessons

On my way to Windrush Farm, I drove through a beautiful landscape of rolling green hills in Chileno Valley. As I pulled off of the main road and into the driveway I saw sheep and alpaca to my right, just living the good life. This was it. This is what I had imagined! And now I was beginning to live it in real time. Mimi greeted me outside and brought me into the barn. The potent smell of sheep greeted me as well, and I welcomed it. 

In the corner there was a spinning wheel waiting for me. I walked over to it and sat in a chair and put my foot on the pedal. I pressed into the pedal up and down to turn the wheel clockwise. I did this for a while until I found a steady motion. Next Mimi showed me how to separate the long pieces of roving and how to set it up on the wheel. Roving is the combed out wool or cotton that you spin into yarn. I got a lovely chocolate brown color. She demonstrated how to place the hands on the roving and feel the twist begin in the fingers while the foot rhythmically pushes on the pedal. Keeping track of both actions felt like I was rubbing myself on the belly and patting my head simultaneously. Her main instruction was to just breathe and relax. I learned there is no “right” way to spin, and that practice is the best teacher. 

Spinning woolen or worsted are the two distinctions I learned. Spinning woolen keeps the yarn fluffy which is good for knitting sweaters, and spinning worsted which requires pinching the yarn more and sliding your fingers up and down as you spin makes a tighter, more compact yarn that is good for knitting socks. I think I oscillated between both styles because I honestly didn’t know what I was doing- but I was doing something! The bobbin was collecting more thread. She let me take the wheel home to practice that evening. For some reason it didn’t work. I was stumped.

I came back the following day to continue the lesson. It turns out I needed to adjust the wheel. I learned how to ply the yarn. Plying is taking two or more strands of yarn and twisting them together to make a stronger yarn. When you ply, the wheel goes counter clockwise. Once it was all plied, I wound the yarn onto a Niddy Noddy to create a skein. The skein sets the twist. I then soaked the skein in hot water, squeezed out as much as I could, then let it drip dry. Once it was dry, I wound the yarn onto a yarn ball winder. At the end of the day I learned how to spin up a ball of yarn with wool from Mimi’s sheep. Success! Mimi told me there was still room to participate in the Fleece to Garment Workshop, and I agreed. I enjoyed the meditative nature of spinning and I loved being in that barn on the farm. I signed up for what seemed to me an opportunity of a lifetime.

The Workshop Series

(Note: The following sections are extrapolations from the journal I wrote in to record my daily experience at the workshop- hence the diary style writing.)

Introductions & Sheep Shearing (1/27/24) 

Today, we met the participants in the group, about 20 of us. We saw samples of knitted wears- scarves, hats, mittens, a vest, and it was inspiring to see all of the ways in which wool can be worked. We also watched the sheep and one ram get sheared in the barn. It was really cool to see the process. It is a skill that requires strength, care, and exactness.

The sheep were shuffling around nervously before it was their turn to get a haircut, but afterwards they looked 10 lbs lighter and a bit more carefree. I was admiring the sheep and the sheep shearing extravaganza, which made me a little late in picking out a fleece. All of the fleeces were placed in bags and Marlie confirmed that the fleece I chose was a good one. I could feel that the wool was still warm. I feel really grateful to have one.

The hair’s staple length is short, and has some crimp to it (springiness). The fleece color is brown and gray, many tones. It was also a little small compared to the others. I believe it was lambswool- my sheep was shorn for the first time. There wasn’t a lot of matting or even plant matter to pick out when we skirted the fleece.

Skirting involves laying the fleece out on a mesh wire tabletop to investigate it and pull off undesirable parts that are matted or have a ton of lanolin and dirt. We then separated 2 pounds of the most desirable part of the fleece from the rest to use for our project. I think I will make a cowl with it. Something I can use when it’s cold. I’m really excited to begin the fleece to garment journey.

Scouring the Fleece (2/10/24)

We dedicated this day to washing the fleece. We took a small amount of our #1 (the most desirable part of the fleece), soaking the tips down first in a tub of hot water and a healthy amount of Dawn soap. This is the soap used to clean birds after oil spills, so it works really well to strip the lanolin (wool grease) from the fleece. We pressed the fleece into the water so it was submerged and let it sit for a solid ½ hour. 

While we waited for our fleece to get clean, Mimi took us to the farmland where the pregnant sheep were grazing. Each one with a unique personality. She puts the pregnant sheep in a separate grazing area so they don’t have to compete with other sheep for food. Especially the rams can be more dominant and bully the other sheep into not eating. It’s really important that the pregnant moms get all of the nutrition they can possibly get because all of their nutrition goes to the baby in utero. Mimi gives the sheep extra nutrition/supplements to the grass like alfalfa and a molasses-like bar they can lick. 

Mimi knows when a sheep is in labor when their two front legs are in front of them while laying down, and their neck is outstretched as they make a sound. A number of complications can occur during childbirth, Mimi assists at times when the birth isn’t going as smoothly. Sometimes she has to call animal control. She doesn’t like to do cesarean births because it can lead to infection. She has lost sheep due to childbirth- mother and baby. There are also outside factors like coyotes. Sheep can be bred as early as in their first year of life. They can have offspring several times until Mimi retires them, because the older they get, the higher the risk of the pregnancy. They can live up to 15 years of age. When Mimi looks at rams for breeding, she looks at their quality of fleece, head size, and more.

After learning about the sheep and the hard realities of farm life, we returned to the washing. We gathered the small portion to one side of the bucket, strained the dirt water without wringing it out, and put it in a towel to pat dry. The fleece felt much lighter, and the color tone changed to a couple shades lighter. Lots of dirt escaped from the wash, but it was already fairly clean because of the natural winter rain showers the sheep had prior to shearing day.

Lastly, we shared in a circle our knit, crochet, weaving, and spinning projects. There were SO many beautiful things shared, from sweaters to hats, mittens, shawls, and scarves. Very inspiring and stunning as I was eating my smoked turkey and gouda sandwich. I intend to knit a vest, but if that’s too lofty, I’ll stick with the Sophie Scarf or something. I want to practice and learn Norwegian knit. A classmate showed me and I think it’s a quicker way to knit and purl.

At home when I tried cleaning the fleece myself, I messed up and put too much in one bucket. It started to felt. Felting is when wool gets matted or condensed, this is something to be careful of during the washing process. I don’t know yet how I can save it, or use it for something else. I just have to count my losses, use it as a learning opportunity, and continue learning. I’m so new to this, and I want to be already great at it, but I have to keep humbling myself. I’m a beginner. My back pain and busy-ness made me take a break. I’ll get back to it after recovering from the frustration of a set-back!

Once the clean fleece dried, I realized I hadn’t felted the wool after all. I started to pull one curl at a time apart to “fluff” it. This is a tedious process.

Carding Methods (2/24/24) 

On this day we learned about different carding methods. Carding involves disentangling the wool and making sure all the fibers align in one direction to prepare to spin it. While there are numerous methods to get the job done, I developed a favorite quickly - the drum carder. There are many ways to prepare the fleece before carding as well. My approach was to fluff most of the wool by hand, teasing out the curls, picking out vegetable matter and chunks of dirt. It produces a lot of dirt particles which creates a coating on your clothes and face when the dust billows up.

We started out the day sitting under the warm sun with our spinning wheels and fleece. The Chileno Valley was completely brilliant green due to the heavy rains. It was a perfect day to work outside.

Marlie and Mimi demonstrated all of the ways we could utilize tools to prep the fleece. There’s a hand carder, a great portable option for combing the fleece. The picker is daunting but it also helps to separate the curls - it conveniently deposits what is ready below in a bucket. The drum carder in my opinion cranks out the most roving if the fleece is already fluffed.

I carded my #1 once, and put it aside to spin. The color differentiation in the fleece stands out more. I carded twice and the roving was less slubby when I spun it and more consistent. Slubs are the thicker area of the yarn, or a variable diameter in the yarn. I even carded 3 times. Twice is a sweet spot though. One thing I haven’t tried is spinning from the cloud. This means spinning the wool after it has been teased, but not carded. 

“The Picker”

Carding Lab (3/9/24) 

This was a bonanza. Card as much as you can. From 10:00 am - 3:00 pm I carded most of my wool with the table carder. My back and arms were sore from this. But I produced a ton of roving so it was worth it.

Project Progress Check (3/23/24) 

I continued to card the remainder of my wool, and managed to spin some as well. Mimi and Marlie went around to check our spinning progress, and advise on the correct knitting needle size and spinning for our final project. They said I was on track. I will next create some swatches (knit a sample square) to see how it looks and see if I need to make any adjustments to the needle size. My ultimate goal is to knit a raglan sweater. We have from now until the fashion showcase to complete our garment.

Fashion Showcase and Potluck (5/4/24)

Today was the fashion showcase, where everyone shared their finished handmade projects. People made hats, gloves, vests, shawls, and scarves mostly. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything to show besides a ball of yarn I spun and the beginnings of a sweater. Although I didn’t have a garment to show, I still got a certificate of completion for the course (yay?!?!). I am determined to finish my garment, I just need more time.

The Makings of the Sweater (May to October)

For months I knit the sweater in the round following the Step by Step Sweater pattern by Florence Miller. The pattern was easy to follow with written instructions and a youtube video tutorial. I enjoyed the slow process of knitting, as this was my first time attempting to knit a sweater. It was challenging and frustrating at times, but the thought of having a sweater at the end of it all kept me going. Plus, everything is hard the first time around. I especially loved feeling the softness of the yarn in my hands. It felt like gold.  Juggling mom life, I used the free moments I had to work on it- early mornings, nap times, and late into the night listening to an audiobook or album.

Completion (10/28/24)

I completed my very first knit sweater project from all the handspun wool that I processed- just in time for the chill of autumn! I blocked the sweater the following day. In this process I submerged my sweater into a basin of cold water, let it sit for 5 minutes, then pressed the water out gently (no wringing it out). Then I lay my sweater out to dry flat on a towel. I placed another towel on top of the sweater and stepped on it to draw more water out, then I let it dry flat. The sweater grew on its own, and I also stretched some areas of the sweater to my liking. One sleeve ended up shorter than the other, so I stretched one arm down.

When I wear this sweater it reminds me of the journey I took to make it. It all started with meeting Mimi and Marlie, getting to the farm on weekends, meeting the sheep, cleaning the wool and separating all of the curls, carding the wool and spinning it up into yarn. And lastly, knitting the sweater to fit my body which took hours and days and months to complete. That is why it is so special. Clothing has a story. And in every way I feel great about this sweater’s story. It comes from local sheep, and was made by my own hands. If I take good care of it, it will last me a lifetime. That’s what you call “slow fashion”. I hope that this blog inspires you to learn more about wool, process a fleece, and knit your own garment.