Combed wool. I excited to finally get this project underway! I had intended to start it in the fall, but the vendor I was hoping to buy fleece from disappeared on me. I found another white Icelandic fleece in December and finally got it washed last week and started combing a portion of it this past weekend.
I am curious to see how different fabric looks when dyed at different stages in the textile creation process. At Coppergate wool was found that was dyed in the fleece with madder (Walton, 1713) and some of the tabbies from the Oseberg ship burial were dyed after the cloth was woven (Ingstad). This got me thinking about how garments that are dyed in the wool, yarn-dyed or dyed after weaving would differ in final appearance and feel.
So now I have a fleece which is cleaned and separated into 3 equal portions (of about 7oz each) which I will process and dye. One sample will be dyed in the fleece, spun and then woven. The next will be spun into yarn, dyed and then woven. The last will be spun, woven and then the resulting fabric swatch will be dyed. All wool will be combed prior to spinning and all samples will be woven on a rigid heddle loom. The dye will be madder and all samples will be dyed at once (with locks, yarn and fabric going into the same dyebath to insure consistency). I hope this goes well as I look forward to seeing how the results compare.
I am curious to see how different fabric looks when dyed at different stages in the textile creation process. At Coppergate wool was found that was dyed in the fleece with madder (Walton, 1713) and some of the tabbies from the Oseberg ship burial were dyed after the cloth was woven (Ingstad). This got me thinking about how garments that are dyed in the wool, yarn-dyed or dyed after weaving would differ in final appearance and feel.
So now I have a fleece which is cleaned and separated into 3 equal portions (of about 7oz each) which I will process and dye. One sample will be dyed in the fleece, spun and then woven. The next will be spun into yarn, dyed and then woven. The last will be spun, woven and then the resulting fabric swatch will be dyed. All wool will be combed prior to spinning and all samples will be woven on a rigid heddle loom. The dye will be madder and all samples will be dyed at once (with locks, yarn and fabric going into the same dyebath to insure consistency). I hope this goes well as I look forward to seeing how the results compare.
White Icelandic ewe's fleece being combed. The puff on the table next to the comb is the 'waste' the short bits of the thel that are too short (1-2 inches) to blend into the rest of the wool. I always save these bits of fine fluff and will eventually either card it or use it to stuff a pillow.
Resources
Ingstad, Anne Stein. "The Textiles in the Oseberg Ship". http://forest.gen.nz/Medieval/articles/Oseberg/textiles/TEXTILE.HTM
Walton, P. "Textile Production at 16-22 Coppergate." The Archaeology of York Volume 17: The Small Finds. 1977.
Ingstad, Anne Stein. "The Textiles in the Oseberg Ship". http://forest.gen.nz/Medieval/articles/Oseberg/textiles/TEXTILE.HTM
Walton, P. "Textile Production at 16-22 Coppergate." The Archaeology of York Volume 17: The Small Finds. 1977.
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