Wool workshop initiation with longvert laurels

Add to favorites list

Our tips 15th October, 2021

4 hectares of pure happiness, in the middle of alpacas and sheep at the Lauriers de Longverts estate in Boussac-Bourg.

Françoise and her husband own guest rooms. Professional distortion requires, they welcome us with a gargantuan breakfast which we would not have the audacity to avoid?
After some fabulous homemade pancakes, we are now ready to meet the residents.

Françoise leads us towards the enclosure of the Alpacas and the sheep. 25 purebred sheep share the 4 ha of the estate. Suffolk, racka, Limousin magpie, Carpathian sheep, tuna and marthod. Sheep shearing takes place in May. The wool will be used to make the skeins.

The visit continues until the cultures of the dye plants which will be used to color the wool.

The initiation workshop

We only have the morning to learn how to work with wool. Françoise presents us the main stages of a workshop.

Sorting

After mowing comes sorting.
We select the most beautiful fleeces to rid them of all its impurities.

Degreasing

The wool will soak in water at 55 ° with Marseille soap (or beef gall). It will need 2 soaks to be degreased before drying in the open air, away from the sun and flat.

Françoise explains to us that you have to handle the wool very carefully so as not to felt it.
The red coloring is obtained with madder root.

The scarf:

If the wool is too dense, as here for our workshop where we use racka wool, it will have to be scarfed. The fibers are separated to make flakes and remove impurities.

Carding:

Carding is the process of making wool into a tablecloth. By painting it, it also helps to remove the last impurities.

Spinning and weaving

Before ending our mini training, Françoise will let us try our hand at the spinner. It's all about timing. Once we get the hang of it, let's go. We will end with a little tour of the loom where again it is a question of synchronizing your movements. In the end, child's play!