On Dec 21, 2005, at 22:44, suzy wrote:
how common is it that you see wool being used for lace weight thread?
Depends on the lace technique you're using; not common for Bobbin or Needle lace, but fairly standard for Knitted.
what is the finest you have seen wool lace weight sold?
The finest I've seen/bought (and never used, so far <g>) for bobbin lacemaking was a hank of cream-coloured, 2-ply wool I picked up at the Toender Festival in Denmark in 2001 (possibly from a Swedish stand, but I won't swear to it). It's very fine indeed. At the same time, I also bought (and still haven't used) some wool which was just a little bit thicker, but in colours. That wool was also 2 ply, but somewhat more tightly twisted and similiar in weight to the Medici wool used for tapestry and needlepoint
also what is the best way to preshrink wool?
Wool's not like cotton or linen, which you preshrink once/twice and then it stays the same size (more or less); it'll keep shrinking with every washing, until it's felted and stiff as a board, and as impenetrable. When I was a child, in wintertime I used to wear boots which had leather "bottoms" (about like "pumps", or "court shoes"), with felted wool attached on top (total length mid-calf, like Wellingtons). Those were the warmest boots I ever had and pretty much impermeable (unless I stood into a deep puddle for a long time); I was told that the Soviet Army went through WWII wearing those, with never a wet sock :)
http://www.kottke.org/00/01/like-an-idiot-i-threw it says agitation in hot water is really the cause of shrinking, so would i wrap some raw wool in a cloth and tie the ends and middle and throw it in the washing machine for a few washings?
Please note the bit after the last slash (/)... :) Wet heat and agitation will continue to mat/felt the wool fibres until all the little "hooks" on one thread are fully engaged/tangled with all the little "hooks" on the next thead. Using the dryer will speed/solidify the process (more wet heat and agitation). If you throw a hank of wool thread into a washing machine, run it through a few cycles, then toss it in the dryer, be prepared to cut your shapes and applique them to a background of choice for a 3-D composition; forget about making lace with it <g>
Yours, T, who buys mens' wool 3X sweaters (dirt cheap on post-season sale, even in US), tosses them in the washer (run through 2 rinse cycles), dries them flat, and ends up with lovely, thick and warm, size (women's) medium :)
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