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Sheep to Shawl ( documentary on sheering, spinning and weaving review )

While in Tennessee I had the opportunity to meet and make a wonderful friend,
Anna Webster .
She was so fun and had so many talents and hobbies. I'm going to be sharing about one of those today :).
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Sheep to Shawl by Creative Country Media

Producer/Director: Anna Webster

Genre: documentary/ teaching video. Approximately 73 minutes.


Rating: 5 stars


Buy here: Creative Country Living

Back Cover:
Master the amazing transformation from wool-on-a-sheep to shawl-on-your-back. This entertaining and educational video series shows the strand-by-strand way to create warm and lovely shawls from your own fleece and yarn. Award winning fleece producers and spinning demonstrators Jill Wood and Anna Webster break down the process into 5 do-able stages.

1-Shearing and Sorting.
You'll learn two ways to remove wool from your sheep: On a shearing stand and on the ground. The session also explains how to sort good wool from bad and minimize waste.

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2-Washing and Dyeing.
You'll see the standard cleaning methods: Using a tub or a machine. Then learn how to color wool with either chemical-based or natural dyes.

3-Picking and Carding.
Turn a tangled wad of fiber into downy fluff, ready for spinning. Session 3 demonstrates picking wool by hand or with a picker, and how to use hand cards and a drum carder.

4-The Joy of Spinning.
Learn how to use a drop spindle. And on the spinning wheel, you'll see efficient treadling, drafting and twisting as well as changing bobbins and wool-winding techniques.

5-Weaving.
Complete your wool masterpiece by weaving an exquisite shawl using the easy-to-master triangle loom - including how to change colors, add fringe and bind off a shawl.



My Review:
I've been wanting to learn to spin and maybe even weave for a long time. But I know absolutely nothing about either except that I would need wool and a spinning wheel :D.

Watching this video I feel it contains enough information adequate enough to teach one how to shear sheep, card, spin and weave.

It is divided into 5 episodes, all of which are included in the one DVD. Each episode is interesting and necessary to the subject and thorough. They normally demonstrate in two different methods, one being more old-fashioned and the other more modern.

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It includes websites to buy necessary materials or find other information, recommends helpful books and offers many good tips.

As for the DVD itself, it is well made and has both good sound and coloring.

Definitely worth your money if you are wanting to learn how to shear, spin or weave!


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