With all the beautiful rovings (and tops) widely available these days, people sometimes ask me, “Why do you buy raw fleece and prepare it yourself?  Why go to all that trouble when you can buy something ready-to-spin?”  Well, I’ll tell you why!

It’s true, buying a raw fleece and prepping it yourself is a lot of work.  First off, sheep aren’t exactly the cleanest creatures, being that they’re covered in lanolin and other, less pleasant stuff.  You’ve got to wash the fleece, pick out the bits that aren’t worth spinning, and card or comb it–all this before actually sitting down behind the spinning wheel.  So why do I do it, and love it?

- It’s “greener” than buying commercially prepared fibre.  By buying a fleece from a local farm or wool market, you’re not only minimising your carbon footprint and supporting small-scale producers, but you can avoid the caustic chemicals used in conventional wool processing.

- More spinning options.  Most commercial roving and top is densely compacted, meaning you have to thin and loosen it to spin it easily.  You can avoid this by making your own roving and top, as well as rolags and punis and batts and other forms of fibre that you can’t buy in a store and are essentially for making certain types of yarn.

- Access to more types of fibre.  “Heritage” or “heirloom” breeds of sheep rarely have their fleece made into commercial roving because there just aren’t very many of them.  If you know how to prep a raw fleece, however, you can find out what it’s like to spin not just Merino and Corriedale, but Soay, Jacob, and California Red.

- It’s fun!  When I learned how to use handcards and combs, it opened up a whole new side of working with fibre.  Come find out for yourself at Ariadne’s Fibre Prep Workshop on July 19!

Christmas in July, huh? It must be, because it’s so darn cold in here on account of the new AIR CONDITIONING!!!!

(Around my neck: the first scarf I ever knit. On my hands: Fetching. On the needles: Can’t tell you, it’s a secret!)

I confess I’m loving Ariadne’s non-fibrous new arrival. What can I say, I’m a true Canadian girl, I’m just not built for this sun and heat. These days I can’t even sit outside on a cafe terrace and enjoy a cup of coffee without turning pinker than a ball of baby yarn. Witness the above photo. Look closely, that’s not a bra strap. That’s my BURN LINE.

All the more reason to head to Ariadne on this icky July day. And while I’m there I might as well plan my holiday gift knitting, since all that wool is on sale!

A sweater for Dad? He needs a new around-the-house cardigan to replace that Mr. Rogers-y thing he wears now… maybe out of O-Wool Classic?

Three little pigs for my niece, made of durable Cascade 220?

I won’t make the mistake I made a few years back and try to knit mittens for everyone. “Everyone” is an ambitious plan. A lot of people got balls of yarn and excuses from me that year. I must remember to keep the projects simple and my plans realistic. Maybe a few pairs of Fetchings, only for the very deserving. It only takes one dreamy ball of Lang Silk Dream to make a pair!

How many days til Christmas? 197? Ok, I think I’ll get all this done in time…

Hey all! We are having a “Christmas in July” Sale from July 5 - 13. We are offering 15% off the following yarns:

Brown Sheep Worsted + Bulky

Lang Silk Dream

Come on down, enjoy our newly installed air conditioning, and get started on Holiday Knitting!

Have you ever been to a Fibre Festival and seen those enormous bags of fleece, but don’t know what to do with them? Find out at our Fibre Prep Workshop with Leslie, Saturday July 19 from 1 - 4pm!

Learn how to turn a raw fleece into spinnable fibre in this workshop. You’ll learn about choosing and washing a raw fleece, preparing it for spinning using handcards and combs, and how different preparations are suited for different types of spinning. We’ll be working with raw and cleaned wool and a variety of fibre prep tools. If you have your own handcards or wool combs, feel free to bring them to the workshop, as well as your spindle or wheel if you’d like to try spinning your prepared fibre right away! Course fee includes all fibre and notes to take home

The course fee is $55.00 (air conditioning included!) and the class is limited to 6. Sign up online , call us on 514 932 0770 or come on by to sign up!