LMW Preview Show Notes

Show Notes of March 8th, 2023 Instagram Live:
All yarns can be previewed before Friday March 10th at 3pm.

Then all the website will be down for final maintenance and shop update will be at 7pm MST.

Thank you so much for being here to provide your interest, encouragement and support, however that looks for you.

I will be covering the following:

My story and where it began with Crocus Country Shepherdess
Pattern recommendations based on past mill runs and my own hand spun
Budget talk & Shipping
Q&A

Nearly 3 years ago Heidi Bradley, a former Yukoner and now friend through a few channels of people contacted me about a lamb fleece from a sheep called Nora.
She wanted to know if I would like to have it, as she hadn’t learned to spin yet, and I was well on my way in my spinning journey. 
I said yes of course. 
I certainly, could have done a lot more research in hand processing fibre and taken more time to dive into the fleece when it arrived, however, I’m a doer and I learn by just throwing myself in, learning as I go.

See! here is Nora in all her glory. 
The white you see is some other BFL handspun of mine, from the Longway Homestead breed study I participated in.
I didn’t have enough yarn to knit a sweater without it. I used all of the yarn. Every last yard, accept for my sample spin.

After, I completed this sweater I was hooked.
I contacted Sierra and found out that I could reserve Nora’s next fleece. 
But I didn’t stop there.

I also reserved 2 seasons wool clips from about 12 or so different sheep. And I also took on multiple fleeces which I hand processed and launched my Spin A Flock.

This Milled yarn process was over a year long, and it took a while before I had yarn in my hands, and this is because each mill has their own timeline and restraints due to, customer queues, selecting the right batch shifts between fibres, as well as environmental challenges such as higher or lower humidity levels. It all has an impact on production. And most mills are also farming their own land and raising their own sheep. So timelines matter. There are only so many hours in a day. If you get sick production also stops.

This year long timeline was fine by me, as it was an investment I needed to save up for.

So since my first mill run, I have now received a total of 3, and soon my second Spin a Flock (Not hand processed this time tho).
I will be picking that up at Rosebud River Fibre mill in over a week. So the Spin A Flock from select fleeces is not available quite yet. But soon.

I’m at the end of the process line here.

Sierra and her family tend to their flock with incredible dedication and love. They have friends like Heidi Bradley who also help and support them.

After the fleeces get sent to the mill, Donna inspects the fleeces and with my desires and her expertise, she begins the sorting, washing, rinsing, carding/blending, pin drafting, sampling, spinning, plying, settling, skeining and finally shipping.

It’s a huge process.

So when you choose Low Mileage Wool, it’s an investment, yes financially, but also in the lives of regular incredibly inspiring people, their well being and hopes and dreams.

You are also helping contribute to a way of farming and grazing they practice which helps them increase the value and potential of their soils.

And of course you are adding to your own crafting pleasures, here.
I would hope that you feel apart of something bigger than wool and textiles.

I would not be the doing this if I didn’t believe in it and the beautiful, luxurious, and absolutely stunning yarn grown by happy sheep.

Gotland and Blueface Leicester crossbreeds are pure magic.

They shift and change, in colours, shades and the feel.
Each batch has allowed me to live vicariously through Sierra as the flock grows and changes.

Why I don’t have sheep of my own is an entirely different story.

Each time I sell out of this yarn, I reinvest it back into Sierra’s flock.

The flock has grown in numbers each time and continues to grow.

Sierra is expecting somewhere around 30 + lambs this spring.

And I would love to be able to buy the whole wool clip again.

So without further ado, let’s talk about this yarn,

Beginning with what I have crafted with my handspun and the last 2 batches and 1 FO and WIP from the new batch.

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There will be 9 Single Flock Fade sets

Or Create your own fade.

Weights available: Fingering Weight, Sport, DK, Light Worsted.

Patterns featured:

Wild Wood Sweater by the Velvet Acorn - 1420 yards Sport to DK

On my IG: Pink Velvet by Andrea Mowry 3 skeins of fingering weight 1 skein bare Suri.

Find your fade Andrea Mowry - 1600 yards. Fingering weight, Sport, DK, Light Worsted

3 Color Cashmere Cowl - Joji Locatelli 600 yards Fingering to Sport weight

Sophie Scarf - Petite knit - 1 skein Fingering or Sport. Gauge not important. I also use this pattern as a headband.

Squishy Cowl by Hand Knit by Kam - Simple 2 colour Brioche with Latvian braids

Fri Mitts by @missevil on Instagram. She write free recipes to encourage the crafters be creative and explore their own skills.
I used lucky leftover scraps - 25g of DK used

Bolton Pass hat - DK - 42g used.

Sickle Socks by Crux Fibres (Brittany Vogt) -Fingering weight 60g used

Pattern Ideas:
 The smaller the project the lower the budget, the larger the project the higher the budget.

Combine with yarns such as, Unspun, Mohair, Suri Alpaca, BFL 2ply Fingering or BFL DK. Loretta from Knit My Way Home is knitting a cowl with my LMW and combining it with stripes and colourwork with my hand dyed yarn.

Moss Stitch Cardigan design by Sarah Hatton from Simple Knitting #208
Just over 5 Skeins of DK Size 16 to 18

Dinkel Mitten by Simone Bechtold - 1 Skein of with say…“Mic” or “Spark and Emile”

Birds of A Feather by Andrea Mowry- Would work well with 2 skeins of fingering weight “Brohr” or “Vadur and Rose” plus a Mohair

Micaela Shawl & Vanessa Pelissa - DK
Features Fisherman Rib stitching and Garter. 787 yards required.

Julia knit a Naima Pullover by Anka Strick in the Marled DK from the first mill run. She used 4 skeins and knit the size 2.

Musselburgh hat by Ysolda Teague has been knit by a few people in DK

Lento Pullover by Jonna Heitala- Fingering weight held with Mohair or DK
Can get away with a lightweight fabric. Large gauge and use less yarn for a really nice flowing fabric.