Comb To Separate A Double Coated Fleece | Viking Age Cloth Project

To start my Viking Age cloth reconstruction project, I will comb to separate a double coated fleece. I have an Icelandic lamb fleece and two sets of combs: Valkyrie Fine and a larger set of Indigo Hound with curved tines. Which one will work best to separate these coats of wool? Extant cloth from the Viking Age shows us that the inner and outer coats of double coated sheep were spun and used separately as warp and weft in woven cloth. So to weave my cloth for this project, we have to start by separating the tog and thel of this Icelandic fleece.
Let's Get Spinning!
***** JillianEve Affiliate Links *****
🐑 Find Wool Combs and Wool Here 👉 Paradise Fibers (Affiliate) www.paradisefi...
🐑 Find Wool Combs and Wool Here 👉 Woolery (Affiliate) woolery.com?aff=186
🐑 Find Wool Combs and Wool Here 👉 Etsy (Affiliate) shareasale.com...
☕ If you would like to help support my content, you can buy me a floof of fiber!
ko-fi.com/evie...
__________________________________________________
~~ Social Media ~~
📧 For business inquiries send an e-mail to [e-mail]
🛍️ JillianEve Shop - jillianeve-fib...
📷 Instagram / jillianevefa
🎉 Patreon / jillianeve
📰 Blog www.jillianeve...
⏰ TikTok www.tiktok.com...
__________________________________________________
🎵 All Music Licensed Through Artlist 🎵
"Sprightly Steps" created by Lance Conrad
"Like It's the First Time" by Josh Leake
__________________________________________________
*I use some affiliate links. They will always be clearly marked and you are never obligated to use them. If you make a purchase through the affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
__________________________________________________

[@CobraCreates]

Man, I can't wait to see more of this project :) I remember seeing Bernadette Banner, Morgan Donner, and other historical costumers reference those same sources. It was interesting to see how those clothes were put together, but this is an entirely different view with how the actual cloth was made. Super fascinating stuff :D

[@JillianEve]

They are amazing creators and so inspiring! How incredible were the clothes of history? So many layers of skills!!! 💖

[@nicbonhomme9877]

Great video! As someone who also does historical reconstruction fibre work, one suggestion: try single-row combs. Double-row combs are a later invention. We use them now, of course, because they work so well and because we have the industrialized tools to make them easily. But the folks in Greenland were likely using single-row combs. I wonder if that has any affect on the results? Also, do check out the original book "Woven Into The Earth", for which the pattern book is an accompaniment. It gives even more info on the fabrics and background, as well as the fascinating story of this particular settlement. I *love* that you are doing historical recreation work - as spinners and weavers we learn SO MUCH from this type of work! THANK YOU!!!

[@JillianEve]

Thank you! I have acquired single pitch combs since this video and agree, they are much better for dual coated fleece. I would love to get my hands on "Woven into the Earth," but I do have a copy of "Medieval Garments Reconstructed." It includes so much information about the yarn itself, and I'm really hopeful that I'll have informed results! 😊❤🧶🐑

[@zenophryk9419]

There have been many archeological examples of double row Viking combs that are just as old as the single row.

[@amethyst5538]

I know this is several months off but I am LOVING the historical videos. I love watching and have not spun but I have been wanting to learn looming. Your videos are inspiring and your personality.....I want to scream " I am not the only one ". My husband has already mentioned similarities.🤣

[@JillianEve]

Welcome fiber friend!!! There will be more of this project to come and I'm so glad you are enjoying it! ✨💗🧶

[@tannaeros]

I went through the same two coat learning process when I became the owner of a Scottish terrier.

[@Lucy-vx2ls]

This was so helpful! My family is from New Mexico (we have records as far back as the 17th century so far) so one of my goals with learning to spin is to knit socks for family members with Navaho churro wool, which I know is duel coated. This will be such valuable information when it comes time to invest in combs.

[@JillianEve]

That sounds like an amazing project for your family!

[@platedlizard]

I wish I’d seen this video before I processed all my churro wool lol

[@Amanda-yf7vj]

I'm such a geek that I made my own combs out of sculpey and corsage pins! Lol i made them 3 pitch and of course they are very small but they work very well!! As for processing large amounts it's a no go but for small projects they are great. Too bad I have about 200 pounds of wool to go through!! Haha🤔

[@cherylstraub5970]

You are correct that the two variations of the fleece are different colors. That's in part why the vikings wove twills and broken twills for their cloth.

[@jcwolfe1751]

I really like your video on the combs. I bought the larger combs myself because I have Churro sheep which are double coated and they work excellent on this type of fleece. I only shear once a year so I have very long outer coats, and depending on the sheep, sometimes 12”. These are perfect for separating the coats.

[@KleverskoyeFarm]

I believe you pull the tog away from the thel by hand - its very easy - and then you comb each set separately.

[@greenecrayon]

I love your videos so much, but I have to say, the best part of this one was your little song at the end.

[@JillianEve]

Hehe! 🎵🙈😁

[@Renee966]

A bit late, but is combing and carding the same thing? As in do they achieve the same result and fulfill the same purpose in the process? Your historical videos are great btw! :)

[@JillianEve]

They are different and I've gotten this question a lot lately so a video is in the works!

[@shadowlandsfarmandcreamery5400]

I love the smell of sheep too! Didn't know that til I bought a raw fleece😆😂❤

[@kazsev]

Valkyrie combs come in a wider width. You used 4 inch, 5 inch fines will give similar results to the other ones you used.

[@catrionahenderson7759]

I am really enjoying this so much! I am getting SO inspired to do as you are doing this project! I am a re enactor, and have bought my cloth to hand stitch my clothes from the Viking era. You have taken this to a whole new level for me. Thankyou so much!

[@elaineclark7505]

Having raised Icelandic sheep here in Maine for more than 25 years I have learned that carefully washing fleeces before separating the tog and then makes the process much easier. Also adult fleeces often separate easier than lamb fleeces. After washing the coats can often be separated by hand if one chooses not to use combs or does not have access to them.

[@bonniemiles7957]

Dark fiber over dark background is hard to see, wish you had a lapcloth of lighter hue.

[@apassionforlace]

Hi! Nice to meet you. It's the third video I'm watching, I'm hooked. I love your historical angle. I am a knitter and a spinner, not much of a weaver. My dad used to work for the Eise Eisinga Planetrium, here in Friesland, The Netherlands. Eise, born in 1744, built a planetarium, but his day job was wool comber. He had many people working for him. My dad, when he saw my Valkiery combs, told me that Eise WARMED the tines. That softened the lanolin and made combing easier. Not boiling hot, of course, but a bit warmer than hand warm water. Hope this helps you, Kindest regards.

[@wendymurray8594]

Really interesting! Do you think it may be easier if the locks were all aligned i.e. butt to tip etc? Hmmm. I wonder if the ancients would be bothered to be quite as meticulous though... Fascinating stuff. And you're going to be a busy bee!! 🐝🐝🐝💖

[@JillianEve]

I really don't know...🤔 Were there reasons to align or not based on how they worked with the wool? I need a time machine to go ask someone! I'm surprised the haphazard approach worked so well honestly, and it was a reminder to me to try different approaches! 💖🧶

[@magneafrandsen]

I just discovered spinning and your videos and I'm in love with both! I'm from Iceland and was rather surprised to learn that other sheep don't usually have double layered coats :) At the spinning course I just took we separated the tog and þel (=thel, can also mean skin) and used the paddle combs for þel and the combs for tog. Our teacher showed us very fine and strong sewing thread she made from tog, that's going to be my next projet :D

[@OrchardcottagefarmCo]

Combing wool is so relaxing. It's like meditation.

[@sarahredmond4074]

I always love your videos! It might just be time to tackle that Icelandic fleece I’ve had for a few years. I was thinking of separating it and maybe weaving an overshot pattern

[@millieo7155]

What is the name of the book? Is it in English?

[@jessicawright1656]

How interesting about the 2 sets of combs and how differently they performed. I enjoy these historic videos as well as your technique videos the best. Thanks for sharing!

[@JillianEve]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! 💖🧶🐑

[@jgordy4840]

So glad you are doing this viking project. It's fascinating what you are discovering 😀

[@JillianEve]

I'm glad you are enjoying it!

[@KiSaralise]

I have a Question: so with Alpaca, would you recommend Indigo Hound or Valkyrie or Both? I have a BUNCH of Alpaca that needs to be processed that I was Fortunate enough to Receive as a Gift from a Customer/Knitwear Designer, so I want to get the Proper Tools to begin my Journey! ☝🏻🤣🙏🏻

[@jillkaasteen6682]

Do you think this method would work for mountain goat wool? They have very long, coarse guard hairs with a wooly undercoat!

[@Sivaoan]

I ordered my first pair of combs today, based on your recommendation. The more I watch of your easily understood videos, the more in becoming a fan! Thank you!

[@D6861]

Hello, love your channel! Yes, I also comb fiber, but not a pro like you. (hahaha... I'm not a spinner yet - you might motivate me.) Valkarie fine combs are more for alpaca fiber, and ultra-fine combs are for use with angora. So using those heavy-duty curved tines on sheep seems more appropriate. Yes again, I have been warned that you can overcomb fiber. Spinners have commented the most stating that fiber can be overworked and fracture. Those heavy combs also make sense for double-coated animals.

[@zaimma]

Love this Viking project, and your open minded exploration of combing. Great to see and hear your thought process!

[@BridgetteSharpe-z5s]

At time stamp 13 and forward. Where did you get those lovely curved combs thats you used after the Valkyrie’s?

[@carlaschiesser9390]

I just love your videos and I think you have such a beautiful smile you have such a cute soul and I really hope that you keep doing what you do! You are one of those people that I find no one can not like you! Much love and appreciation

[@CreatingwithWinglessAngel]

I have seen greenland weave before. Its done on gravity looms with stones hanging down.

[@JillianEve]

Yes! We might have to build one for this project!

[@CreatingwithWinglessAngel]

@@JillianEve yes🥰

[@jakrusen]

Love your videos. I’m new to working with fiber so all the info is wonderful. I was given bags of Icelandic fiber so thanks for being breed specific in this video.

[@bernardmaclennan]

I find, that lock flicking seperates the coats the best. While you hold the top coat tighly in your hand, the undercoats gets stuck in the brush. It's probably not as historically acurate though.

[@hayleyhavener5977]

ohhhh yes!! This is a bucket list project of mine, but a little later... very intrigued by how you get into the weaving.

[@robinsnestfarmicelandics]

So happy to see you doing this project! I have been thinking about separating the thel and tog of my Icelandics 😁 I’ll be following along intently 😁Thank you for this!!

[@JillianEve]

I'd love to know how your project goes too! 💖🧶🐏

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

Hi Evie, hope everyone is ok. As someone new yo the Spinning game, but knitter, crocheting & weaving, you take the yarn so much for granted. I'm finding all of the Sheep breeds & fleece in a whole new light. Its fascinating & amazing at the same time. Thankyou for bringing the History of the Spinners of Olde. Into our world. Take care & stay safe. Live to you all. Jen xxxx

[@JillianEve]

You are welcome and I completely agree! I started spinning after I knew how to knit and I had no idea how different the yarn could be just because of the wool breed! I used to think wool was wool! 😳 It's so fascinating to learn all the differences! 🐏🐑💖

[@jenniferbrighty5120]

@@JillianEve Hi Evie, thankyou so much for the Heart Reply ❤. The onky wool thT we knew was Wool was if the label said "Lambs wool or pure wool" !!!🐑🐑🐑 Learning abiut the different ways there are to prepare the fibres and the different ways tgere are to Spin is also fascinating. Hapoy Spinning. Take care & stay safe Love to you all Jen xxxx 💖💖

[@woolywonders5546]

Amazing! Dual coated breed rocks! Thank you for the video!

[@JillianEve]

You are so welcome!

[@AllTheHappySquirrels]

Me, who knows nothing about sheep or yarn making, but who loves yarn: Tell me all the things!

[@tracyirwin103]

This is going to be an exciting journey! Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge :-) It's going to be great seeing the difference between the tog and thel once it's spun up!

[@JillianEve]

I'm so excited to see the visual difference in light reflection! I'm holding back from sampling yet and just working to get everything combed first! Self discipline is hard! 🙈😅🧶💖

[@The_double_ewe]

I wish I could click like on this video more than once :) I’m enjoying your historical videos it’s always amazing to me that at some point in history someone thought to take animal fluff and twist it up . I look forward to seeing the rest of this project

[@JillianEve]

Glad you enjoy it! 💜🧶

[@SauceLadle]

This was very useful for my Camel wool project I'm doing because they have 2 coats.

[@JillianEve]

Camel is a fun spin! 🐫 💖🧶

[@tricours]

I'm working with similar wool (local spælsau wool, and I happen to be in the Vestfold area of Norway where the Oseberg ship is from!), and I've also acquired two pairs of combs to experiment with. I have a rough pair that look similar to your bigger pair, they're from a small company in Sweden and they are pretty awesome, as well as a pair of Louët fine combs, which have one row of tines and are even smaller than your Valkyries. They're honestly quite flimsy. I've so far not combed my wool to separate it, I do that by hand before washing it by just pulling it apart. I've combed the undercoat wool with the Louët combs and then just pulled it free from the combs in a sliver, which works pretty well. I'm going to attack some non separated wool with my larger combs soon and see what happens - if it actually separates or not. Your wool looks WAY more uniform than our spælsau wool though, there's a pretty huge difference between the top hairs and the bottom wool with the spælsau, with the top hairs often being very shiny and very long. If you're interested in historical spinning, I'd recommend the videos from Nasjonalbiblioteket, they show traditional Norwegian spinning techniques. Here's one, using a distaff and some other things: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYjVmX-mmN1loc0

[@JillianEve]

Thank you for the resource, I will absolutely look them up. I would love to try spinning some spælsau wool, but I'm not sure how to get any in the US. I think my Icelandic looks more uniform because it is a lamb's fleece. When they get older they get a bit easier to distinguish between the tog and thel from my experience. Happy spinning! 🐑💜

[@dominiquemichaud7945]

The inner fleece has some purple shine to it! ^_^

[@JillianEve]

It is so pretty! 😍

[@kittylevee4662]

Very interesting‼️ i also thought that the big combs would be harder to use🤔 Have you ever used the multi row combs⁉️ 💜💙💚💛🧡❤

[@JillianEve]

Yes! I have some English combs I will be using in another project. I think they are 4 or 5 rows? One clamps to the table when they get that big. I'm still surprised at the ease of using the bigger combs!

[@micahmilne]

Great stuff! I've had dual coats on my mind since the new edition of Ply Magazine arrived with so much info about how to work with them. Really looking forward to seeing how this weaves up with the separated coats! Do you know what type of loom you're planning to use?

[@JillianEve]

I know! That issue was perfect timing. I'll be getting out the Soay wool I have in my stash soon too!

[@benjamindejonge3624]

The large hair has been used to make sails for their famous boats

[@HirschfeldHandknits]

That was a fun video and I can't wait to watch the rest of the project!

[@spicyfibersfarmstead83]

Thank you soo much for this. I always learn something from your videos!❤ I'm especially loving the fiber prep techniques!

[@JillianEve]

I'm so glad! I'll be doing more prep for sure!

[@carolynalison4997]

I will be interested in hearing if the larger combs are too rough as well. I have a bunch of Merino that I'd like to comb, but my combs are very large.

[@JillianEve]

I would sample a small amount first, and check it for neps to see if the fibers are breaking. 💖

[@knitlovepray]

Love this series! Seriously fascinating.

[@woochles]

There is a review of various valkyrie combs here: www.rhonna.net/reviews/valkyrie-wool-combs The review breaks down comb performance by breed, which can help people choose the right combs for their wool. Valkyrie also makes a viking comb that was not included in the review, but is similar to the indigo hound combs in this video.

[@helenedumoulin9092]

Again thank you for the video! Where do you buy iceland wool?

[@JillianEve]

I would check My Local Wool, it's a website to search for small farms, you can also check Etsy, and there are some Facebook groups that sell fleeces. You can also do a general internet search for farms with Icelandic sheep and contact them directly. 🐏💖🧶

[@dawanariley4183]

I have combs and was wondering how to do dual coated fleece Thank you 😊

[@JillianEve]

I'm going to call this the "diz then pluck" method. It works well though!

[@esmecat]

first time i've seen someone using combs. it's fascinating. i love learning fiber magic.

[@JillianEve]

It does feel like magic! 🔮🐑🧶💖

[@jamessteele8370]

I'm knitting a 30" wide pants, but don't know the length yet

[@JillianEve]

🧶💖

[@astralura]

May I just say you wings are PERFECT 👁️

[@JillianEve]

🥰 Thank you!

[@Ravencall]

I would like to invest in a big pair if Indigo hound combs because I have been wanting to get a Gotland fleece for some time. I have a pair of double row "fine" Valkyrie combs and love them, but after watching you comb I am wondering if heavy single row combs might work better on dual coat wool?

[@JillianEve]

I think the difference is that single row combs will blend the dual coat and double (2 pitch) wool combs will seperate the dual coat. I still have some Gotland to comb too. I think for it I'll be looking at my larger combs, but I haven't experimented with it just yet. 💖🧶

[@groovydiys]

I'm about to be washing two icelandic fleeces I have and this was super helpful! Can't wait to watch the whole series!

[@JillianEve]

Oh, perfect timing! Let me know if you discover any helpful tips too! What color are your fleeces? I love all the variety of natural colors!

[@groovydiys]

@@JillianEve Will do! One of them is grey and one is almost white! I haven't opened them up fully yet!

[@annelong2928]

I have many icelandic fleeces, each one different in texture and color variation. I got a set of 5-row english combs to prepare the fleece exactly as Jillian describes. I fine card the thel and spin for lovely yarn. Be very careful washing Icelandic because it felts with any agitation.

[@lorrie6736]

Thank you for the demo, I can't wait to try mine!

[@JillianEve]

Happy combing!

[@jenniferrich5292]

This is so much fun!!🥰

[@sarabartel4285]

Are the second cuts good for felting or as a nubby add-in for art yarn? I've been promised a whole (luxury breed) fleece from a local farm and have been binging your fiber prep videos. I think I might need a set of combs!

[@micahmilne]

I always save mine for making tweed.

[@sarabartel4285]

@@micahmilne Thanks for the tip! Do you have to do anything to the fiber first? I've never done tweed before.

[@micahmilne]

@@sarabartel4285 I work with a lot of direct from farm wools, so I often end up needing to soak the extra tangled bits to make sure they release any trapped dirt. If they're loosely tangled as opposed to a real hard nep, it can be fun to felt them so that the resulting bits are nice and dense. I imagine you could use a drum carder, but I just use a blending board to suspend them in the main fiber base. I'm sure there's plenty of tutorials out there; I've learned a lot just from feeling out what seems right, so there may be easier ways than my strategies, though.

[@JillianEve]

Sounds right to me!

[@JillianEve]

Experiment and see what effects you can get!

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Great audio too

[@katlady1019]

I have the same large Indigo Hound combs. I bought them at a fiber festival after being given a Cheviot fleece and knowing nothing about processing it. I actually brought some of the fleece with me and the seller (a well known shop but I’m not going to mention the name) recommended the Indigos. I’m happy to have them but I don’t think they were the right combs for the Cheviot! It was great to see how useful they are for the Icelandic. I’ve never heard anyone mention the Indigo Hound combs and don’t know if they are still being made. ( I’ve since added a pair of Valkyrie Extra Fine to my tool stash). I love combing!!!

[@JillianEve]

Yeah, the Valkyrie extra fines would be my choice for that Cheviot! I think people get invested in one tool type and they make it do everything without considering if it is actually the right tool for the job. The Valkyries and Indigo Hounds both combed the fleece, but hands down one was more comfortable and efficient with the dual coat! 💖🐏🧶

[@katlady1019]

@@JillianEve Another cool thing about the Indigos and your project is that they are considered “Viking” style combs ☺️. So appropriate!!!

[@nancyellencozzetti2463]

Ty so informative

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

I am so excited about this project!

[@JillianEve]

Yay! I have learned so much from your channel! You have helped inspire me to think maybe I can sew something with this when it's done, and not mess it up! 😊🐑🧶🧵🪡💖

[@ThimbleAndPlume]

@@JillianEve you can totally sew something! And if you need any help, feel free to hit me up!

[@JillianEve]

@@ThimbleAndPlume 💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@goldensolitude]

the English combs are 4 pitch so no, the fibers won't break when you comband they have stands for the so you don't have to hold two at a time. I also like to use a hackle.

[@JillianEve]

I'll be getting to those soon. I also have English combs and hackles to play with! ❤🧶

[@freakygeak]

you never know a tangent can be enlightening some times 😃