The Magic of Fiber

“Trowes’ Tracks and Hentilagets” is what we do. “RavenOak” is the name of our home, where it all happens. There are seven steps to most of our adventures. See the pictures below . . .

1. The Fleece Arrives at RavenOak. Either by mail, or we go to pick it up. On average, we process a couple of fleeces a year. Thy come from several places, but our prime supplier is Hidaway Farms in Hendersonville, NC. We specialize in Shetland ad Icelandic fleeces, Shetland in spring, Icelandic in Autumn.
2. Skirting is the first cleaning of the fleece, of dirt, vegetable matter (VM), and sheep poo. Our supplier does most of this, but we do a second skirting on our homemade skirting table.
3. Picking and Carding uses a swing picker to remove more VM, and align the fibers for spinning.
4. Spinning turns the fiber into yarn! We use a Great Wheel (called a Muckle Wheel in Scotland), a Treadle or “Flax” Wheel, and, a wee bit, a Drop Spindle.
5. Dyeing. fleece comes in many colors and shades other than white! Sometimes we leave it the natural color. If the wool is white, or a light shae of gray or brown, we might due the yarn before using it.
6. Where the Magic Happens. Once the yarn is ready, our three main crafts are Weaving (both of us), Knitting (Glyn), and Nalbinding Will). We have 2 primary looms, both made by Schacht. Glyn’s has 8 shafts. Will inherited his 4 shaft loom from Glyn, who bought it decades ago from Pete Seeger’s niece in Woodstock, NY. Nalbinding is an ancient Scandinavian craft using one needle to form fabric through looping and knotting.
7. And finally, here are some finished products!