Weaving with Wool

Wool is such an interesting fiber, isn't it? It has supernatural powers, like resistance to mold & mildew - not to mention the fact that it will eventually suppress a flame. Amazing! How lucky are we that we get to weave with it?
In today's episode, I'm scratching the surface of the world of wool. Come with me, won't you? Let's do it!
FREE Weaving Resources
Would you look at that? There is an entire list of FREE weaving resources at your fingertips on the Acton Creative website! Everything from Parts of a Loom, to 6 Weaving Patterns, to the Beginner's Guide to Weaving Yarn - there's a little something for everyone. Simply click here to pick which one (or all!) will be helpful for you! actoncreative....

[@richmuzz]

Thank you for an informative video Chris. In the UK farmers don't get paid much for their sheep fleeces, Our local farmer was going to burn them if nobody wanted it so I took some of his hands, scoured them, washed them. dyed them, carded them and then spun them, now I weaving with wool We are weaving a lovely scarf for the farmer to say thank you.

[@ActonCreative]

@@richmuzz Wow! How wonderful!!

[@feltlikeitbydebs]

Hi Chris, l love wool. I spin wool and alpaca, knit it up into a super large hat then felt it. So much fun as l am finding the weaving rabbit hole. Fibre friend from Western Australia. Love and learning lots from your wonderful channel.

[@ActonCreative]

@@feltlikeitbydebs How wonderful!! I love that you incorporate so many different skills in one project! Thank you very much for sharing!

[@robertrobert5583]

I learned some things that I didn't know about wool - thank you! I do enjoy weaving with wool and in fact have a lambswool twill scarf on my loom right now. I am in the UK and am using Uppingham yarn which comes treated with some sort of substance that makes it easier to weave with. I have wool on both warp and weft. When hand washed the substance washes out and the wool blooms beautifully and feels much softer. So far no warp threads have broken 🤞. I always feel a profound sense of personal failure when that happens. I know - it's irrational. 😊

[@ActonCreative]

@@robertrobert5583 Oh nice! I haven't heard of Uppingham yarn! Thank you for sharing that!

[@dianasmith8166]

What I learned from a Navajo weaver: Wool warp threads need to be fairly thick to be sturdy enough to withstand the tension of being warp. It was suggested that warp threads could be strengthened by blending with long human hair, as it is fairly strong. Warp threads should also be of a newer spin, and not worn, older spins. For myself, I usually use a thicker cotton warp and wool weft

[@ActonCreative]

@@dianasmith8166 Diana, this is fascinating!! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@WthrLdy]

Yes, staple length is also a key factor depending on the use of the fiber. And since it is a living protein, the older fiber has far less tensile strength as it ages and dries out - it becomes brittle. I try to work with wool in a neutral environment. Winter and un-airconditioned summer is not that. Wool season just ended for my looms here. Until February, it's all cottons and acrylics.

[@ActonCreative]

@ Fascinating! I never thought of it like that! Very cool!

[@susanrobertson984]

I have some alpaca silk yarn from Brassard that has worked very well and wove into gorgeous fabric in both weft and warp. I used some plain wool from Brassard to make a blanket and the warps all broke along one side before it was done so I learned about replacing warp ends. I am about 1 year into my weaving journey so started with cotton and have experimented with a few different fibres. I am using knitting yarn now to weave a scarf using a textured waffle weave and am a bit nervous to take it off the loom. Got a ways to go but so far it is weaving up well.

[@ActonCreative]

@@susanrobertson984 Susan, thank you so much for sharing your experience! I bet the alpaca/silk yarn is lovely to work with! Sounds like you've doing exactly what you should be - experimenting with different fibers and patterns to learn what you like. Keep up the great work!

[@susanrobertson984]

@ thank you!! I enjoy your channel so thanks to you!!

[@ingagiesbrecht7972]

My only experience with wool is using Knitpicks Palette to make a small blanket on my RHL. I chose it because it was somewhat affordable and also for the array of colors since I was trying out a gamp. It was stretchy in the warp, thus forgiving, and that was a plus, since I didn't break any warp threads. It worked well in the weft, especially because I could split the plys when changing colors.

[@ActonCreative]

That's great! I love hearing your strategy for working with wool. Thank you for sharing!

[@tammihackley4349]

There are different kinds of wool that act differently. For example, alpaca can be very “stretchy” so not good as warp but makes very soft beautiful cloth in the weft

[@ActonCreative]

@@tammihackley4349 Great point!! Thank you so much!!

[@WthrLdy]

I did a 5 meter shawl in all alpaca, warp and weft. OMG, I thought I'd loose my mind ! I used my long staple on the warp and normal staple on the weft, and was VERY careful to not over tension. All my warp snaps were due to a new spinner at the mill, not quite doing a consistent job. In the end, it was/is, glorious, but OH to get there.

[@ActonCreative]

@ Boy, I've definitely had that type of project before! A hassle to get there, but beautiful results.

[@conniepeterson122]

I learned to weave in Australia. There, wool is god! So i learned on wool. Nowadays, I do mostly cotton but special items i do with wool. I use 10 or 12 dent for the warp. As you mentioned, Chris, you need to test the strength of the yarn. When weaving, I beat pretty lightly so the item does not become packed. I don’t have percentages for shrinking but know I will loose inches. I generally wash in the machine on gentle and hang to dry. And ... i have a sweater that WAS Norm's..... he decided to help with laundry. It would now fit a toddler and is hanging in my studio as a reminder.

[@ActonCreative]

@@conniepeterson122 Ha! We all have a version of that story, don't we? That's so interesting about Australia's love of wool! I didn't know that! Connie, you've lived such a fascinating life!!

[@rykbowers1523]

Looking back, I think my first weaving project was linen in both warp and weft. Didn't seem to be any problems working with it, but maybe that was just beginner's luck! Next, moved on to wool and used that for a great deal of weaving from that point on. Love weaving with cotton as well, and once I work my stash down, looking to try cotton/linen blend. I like both cotton and wool, but find wool to be a little more forgiving than cotton, mostly because of its fuzziness! But I am open to using (or trying to use!) just about any fibers. It's all; good!

[@ActonCreative]

@@rykbowers1523 How wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing - this is great! I love how you are checking off the boxes as you play with so many different fibers. Brilliant!

[@juliemulie1805]

Did a wool gamp when I first started weaving. Haven’t put wool on any loom since. Have plenty, process and spin, and even a bunch of Teeswater specifically for weaving with its long thick fibers, but have always gone to cottons when a project called. Thanks for the reminder! I’ve two naked looms right now.

[@ActonCreative]

@@juliemulie1805 I completely understand! By the way, what is Teeswater?

[@juliemulie1805]

@@ActonCreative Teeswater is a breed of sheep with long thick lustrous curly, not kinky, hair. Best combed, not carded. Used for doll hair at one time. Supposed to be good for weaving and doing Rya rugs (Swedish, looks like a hide but is woven and patterned). I'll send you some. (have to enable some rabbit hole adventures)

[@ActonCreative]

@ Wow!! I learn something new every day! That's amazing! Thank you for the information!

[@laurahayden5000]

Hi Chris, Thanks for your video, it’s making me think again about my wool stash. So far my favorite use of wool has been in Krokbragd..a cotton warp and wool weft.

[@ActonCreative]

@@laurahayden5000 How wonderful, Laura!!

[@WthrLdy]

Woolen allergies can be very complex. I'm actually allergic to the protein in the wool fiber itself, not the lanolin - but I am allergic to that too. Then there are the scales on the fiber itself, which is the itchy for the sake of insanity bit. Wools and fleeces are tricky because they are a living product. They react on their own to weather, water, friction, and anything else we throw at it. Think of our own hair. Mine is bone straight in the winter due to lack of humidity. In the summer, I look like Coco the poodle on a humid day. My hair also resists dye, my sister's hair takes it beautifully. Perm mine? Nope. Her's like a dream. The whole reason natural fleeces are difficult, is because they are unpredictable within a frame of predictability. We usually blend one type of fleece or wool with another to add, or counteract, one trait and strengthen another. Many add wool to alpaca, or acrylic to alpaca, as alpaca has no memory. It easily looses shape and doesn't go back to its intended shape after washing or wearing without blocking. Adding another fiber to that yarn corrects that. Great topic!

[@ActonCreative]

@@WthrLdy Caryl, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge here! It's so helpful!!!

[@sonjanordahl3158]

I started spinning before I started weaving. So, I am very comfortable working with wool. It is cheaper to work with wool in weaving if you are a spinner. You get to use the same fiber for two hobbies with one purchase. Wool is very complicated because there are so many breeds and cross breeds. Like the advice in the Prioritize video, pick out a feature and find the type of wool that best suits that choice. Do you want something that is super soft and fuzzy, or do you want something that is super soft but sleek. Ask around, search KZbin, do a little reading, just don't be afraid, have fun.

[@ActonCreative]

@@sonjanordahl3158 How brilliant are you? I hadn't thought of it from the spinner's perspective! It would definitely be less expensive to use if you are spinning the fiber to begin with! So smart. Thank you so much for the feedback! I love comments like this that really add to the conversation!

[@13heylady]

Like you, I have hesitated to weave with wool because of the price...however I actually have plenty of wool yarn I bought for knitting that I could use in weaving. I'm just really fond of cotton for weaving and haven't ventured away from it lol😂

[@ActonCreative]

@@13heylady I hear you!!

[@chrisr8178]

you didn't mention the fact that wool keeps you warm even when wet. that is why fishermen like it.

[@ActonCreative]

@@chrisr8178 Excellent!! Thank you!

[@gemmaluescher-verseckas1243]

My wool processing placemats camels!!! 7 of them as a matter of fact

[@ActonCreative]

@@gemmaluescher-verseckas1243 Wow!! Wonderful!

[@WthrLdy]

Don't the humps get in the way of the dinner plates? HA! - Sorry, I couldn't resist. I bet they're lovely!

[@bettieshea278]

I am planning to make an overshot lap blanket and was thinking of 8\2 cotton warp and a Harrisville wool warp. Would that work, do you think? No idea if the two different fibers would react differently to the final finishing wash?

[@ActonCreative]

@@bettieshea278 Sounds lovely!! I think it can absolutely work! But I would do a small test through the wash first just so you can see how the fibers will react. Have fun!

[@lindamannell1607]

? I have a silly question. I have cones of yarn that have been stored for 25 years. What’s the best way to tell if the yarn is wool or cotton? Thanks for all your vids. I’m still watch from the beginning.

[@ActonCreative]

@@lindamannell1607 Oooh, interesting! First up, yarn can become fragile as it gets older. So I would definitely give it a hard look before incorporating it into a project. If it feels like it'll break easily, just plan to use it in the weft. As for determining the fiber, I would first scour it for a sticker or any identifying label. If there's nothing, you can try a burn test. Here's a little more information to help you kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3mQYomDpredmqM

[@ActonCreative]

@@lindamannell1607 Let me know what you discover!

[@lindamannell1607]

@@ActonCreative thanks so so much. That’s what I needed.

[@ActonCreative]

@ Wonderful! Happy to help!