Sheepish Handspun

Sheepish Handspun Beautiful hand spun yarns from fleece purchased iocally. I make beautiful handspun yarns for knitters who want "the real thing".

i prepare raw fleece, washing and carding it, and often blending it with dyed fleece to produce lovely colors. I use a drum carder to blend different fibers, like silk, soy silk, bamboo or alpaca fiber with wool. My yarns reflect the joy and respect I have for sheep and the people who care for them. I try to use fleece from sheep I have met, and who live in New England. The adventure of making yarn in the time-honored way includes visiting farms and buying great fleece for your knitted handwork

LEFT: The newest Romney/Cormo yarn just off the skeiner (called a “niddy-noddy”). You can see that the whole skein is tw...
09/08/2026

LEFT: The newest Romney/Cormo yarn just off the skeiner (called a “niddy-noddy”). You can see that the whole skein is twisted; I always add extra twist. I want a wool yarn that is less likely to “pill”, and added twist does the trick.
RIGHT: The new yarn after a hot soak, and a hang in the sunshine to dry. No more unnecessary twist to the skein.
See the finished skein: www.etsy.com/shop/sheepishhandspunyarn

I am always amazed that with some time and effort; some art, some skill, some science and a little math, raw fleece can...
08/27/2026

I am always amazed that with some time and effort; some art, some skill, some science and a little math, raw fleece can become a lovely, soft, lustrous 2-ply knitting yarn. This is the 4th “Silver Sheep” - from perfect Romney/Cormo fleece once belonging to Sheep #86, Consolati Farms.

The second skein of soft Romney/Cormo worsted sold last night, and will ship to Kansas today.
08/19/2026

The second skein of soft Romney/Cormo worsted sold last night, and will ship to Kansas today.

How do I get such an even, consistent twist and twist angle? By using basic principles of the physics of my spinning whe...
08/15/2026

How do I get such an even, consistent twist and twist angle? By using basic principles of the physics of my spinning wheel, and a bit of algebra, not from hoping and guessing.

I’m wrapping the first skein of Silver Sheep; it sold this morning, and on Monday, it will travel via US Post Office to ...
08/08/2026

I’m wrapping the first skein of Silver Sheep; it sold this morning, and on Monday, it will travel via US Post Office to a new home in Kansas!
The second skein is in progress, as you can see from the nearly full first of 2 bobbins.

Here it is!! The first skein of “Silver Sheep”. This yarn is silky and soft; it has lots of lustre, and it is a bit flop...
08/04/2026

Here it is!! The first skein of “Silver Sheep”. This yarn is silky and soft; it has lots of lustre, and it is a bit floppy. That is because the crimp on the fleece from Sheep #86 is a wide crimp; it tends to be drapey; perfect for a shawl. Thanks again to Mary at Consolati Farms in Lee, MA - home to Sheep #86.
This new yarn is worsted weight, but it is also worsted style: carded first, then combed so that all fibers are parallel, for a smooth yarn.
See very soon my Etsy shop:
www.etsy.com/shop/sheepishhandspunyarn

Finishing the first skein of “Silver Sheep”. Fleece is Romney/Cormo from Consolati Farms, Lee, MA. Thanks to Mary and Sh...
08/03/2026

Finishing the first skein of “Silver Sheep”. Fleece is Romney/Cormo from Consolati Farms, Lee, MA. Thanks to Mary and Sheep #86.
Top Left: tying the freshly skeined yarn still on the niddy-noddy.
Bottom Left: just off the niddy-noddy, and this is the beginning of this yarn’s life. It’s making me happy!
Top Right: new yarn skeined - it’s floppy because it is going to be a drapey yarn.
Bottom Right: this yarn is silky and soft and I just needed to to feel it on my face…. The softest!

The newest skein of “Golden Sheep” is on the left. How do you get 2 skeins with the same number of twists per inch (TPI)...
07/29/2026

The newest skein of “Golden Sheep” is on the left. How do you get 2 skeins with the same number of twists per inch (TPI), the same twist angle, and the same color - dyed separately?
1. Use knowledge of the wheel ratios of your spinning wheel, a little bit of simple math, and a reliable rhythm for both treadling and drafting.
2. Calculate dye amount according to the dry weight (weight of goods) of the skein.
It’s not that difficult (I never liked or was good at math)! Once I learned about spinning wheel physics and math, I changed my attitude, then my yarn got more consistent
These are the final skeins of Romney/Cormo from Sheep #121 of Consolati Farms in Lee, MA. I am grateful to Farmer Mary, and to Sheep #121.

Address

25 Church Street
Hudson, MA
01749

Telephone

(508) 842-9012

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