Modern Wool

Lydia Christiansen
  • 4.9 (51)
  • HOBBIES

Lydia Christiansen shares the secrets of sustainable, small batch wool straight from her mill on Whidbey Island. Explore modern topics, questions, and techniques affecting fiber farms, cottage mills, and discerning hand crafters.

Episodes

  1. 04/14/2023

    The Trifecta of Sheep Breeds

    Links & HighlightsRomney Lamb - DK - YarnChocolate Romney - DK - YarnOatmeal Romney - DK - YarnGray Romney - DK - YarnRomney Pearl - RovingRomney Rose Gray - RovingRomney Little Black Lamb - Raw WoolRomney Little Brown Lamb - Raw WoolWool Pellets

    23 min

  2. 04/04/2022

    What are we going to do with all this wool?

    In this episode, we'll unpack some of the dilemmas and opportunities with small batch wool, and consider some options for wool that don't involve yarn.

    35 min

  3. 04/13/2020

    The Wide World of Dyes

    Links & HighlightsPlace an order online now through the end of April 2020 to be entered to win one of our weekly Gift Basket Giveaways!Enter Coupon Code COLORFIX at checkout for 25% off all Wool Tincture Color Packs.Get our Verdant DK Weight yarn overdyed in our Spring Palette.Learn more about the research on the effects of color on mood and behavior.Learn more about the treatment of migraines with green light.Pickup a copy of Interaction of Color by Josef Albers.Checkout this free color palette generator and play around with different color combinations.Wool Tincture Color Packs and Jar Kits make it simple and quick to dye wool at home.Learn more about the accidental discovery of mauveine, the first acid dye, by Sir William Henry Perkin.

    38 min

  4. 03/19/2020

    Royal Sheep

    Links & HighlightsVerdant YarnKimberlee Jacobs - Jacobs RanchAmerican Rambouillet Sheep Breeders AssociationWikipedia - Rambouillet Sheep

    25 min

  5. 03/06/2020

    Finnsheep

    Highlights and Links in Today’s EpisodeVogue Knit Live Seattle — Event Postponed! The show has been postponed in response to the evolving situation with COVID-19 coronavirus in Washington.Learn more about some of our local shepherdessesEmily Tzeng of Local Color Farm and FiberSarah Pope aka whistlinggirlknits of San Juan WoolworksBrittany & Devin Boblitt of Fiber & FlameFinnsheep Breeders Association — Official Registry for USA Finnsheep since 1971Winter Isle Mitt Kit — Local Shetland yarn with mitt pattern designed by Sarah PopeFiber Fusion Northwest — Annual 2-day event in October focusing on natural fibers and fiber artsFinnish Shepherd Weeks — Land management program bringing people into manage land by moving sheep between over to under grazed areas

    1h 15m

  6. 02/19/2020

    The Secrets of Josef & Anni

    Highlights and Links in Today’s EpisodeJosef & Anni Yarnhttps://abundantearthfiber.com/products/yarn-josef-anniSpincycle Metamorphichttps://spincycleyarns.com/collections/metamorphicModern Wool - Episode 3: Scouring Woolhttps://abundantearthfiber.com/blogs/modern-wool/wool-scouring-003Josef Albers - Interaction of Colorhttps://albersfoundation.org/Help us name the new yarnhttps://abundantearthfiber.com/pages/survey-play-the-name-gameUS Targhee Sheep Associationhttp://www.ustargheesheep.org/targheestandards/Fleece & Fiber Source BookOklahoma State University Websitehttp://afs.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/targhee/Links to the montana sheep hall of famehttps://www.montana.edu/news/2608/u-s-targhee-sheep-association-names-three-to-hall-of-fameChristine Blog Posts on ‘the montana life’https://www.averbforkeepingwarm.com/blogs/news/15745560-textile-byways-the-ranch-montana-2014Targhee Namesake referenceshttps://tetonvalleymagazine.com/history-stories/the-targhee-enigma/Coast Salish Peoples of the Pacific Northwesthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_Salishhttps://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/culture/contemporary-culture/coast-salish-art

    55 min

  7. 05/21/2019

    Spinning Stories

    Spinning a yarn about spinning yarn, in this episode you’ll find stories about hand spinning that you don’t have to be a spinner to appreciate. I’ll also share some notes on creativity and how it affects us at the mill, plus an opportunity to try out the role of Yarn Designer by creating your own small batch of roving or yarn. Highlights Listener questions on handling wool scouring waste water [2:19] Hand Spinning Story: Letting Go [8:23] Hand Spinning Story: The Broken Wheel [12:33] Exploring the language of creativity [18:56] Wool Apprentice survey results [24:23] Try out the role of Yarn Designer! [27:08] Links Read Hand Spinning: The Art of Letting Go Take the Wool Apprentice Survey Learn more about our Yarn Design- Small Batch Event Signup for our Newsletter Watch a tutorial on assessing Wool Quality Listen to Wool Quality #002 Listen to Wool Scouring #003 Call/Text/Email your wooly questions, comments, and stories to us: 619-516-WOOL (9665) wool@abundantearthfiber.com

    32 min

  8. 04/24/2019

    Wool Scouring

    In this episode we’ll unpack the nuance of one of the greatest barriers to sustainability of small batch yarn, wool scouring. We’ll share the 4 essential requirements for scouring, discuss fermented suint, reveal 3 types of scouring baths we use at our mill and also pro-tips on how to tell whether you’ve washed your wool effectively. Highlights Lydia tells the story of her first time washing a fleece [2:36] Four essential requirements for scouring wool [11:50] Choosing a vessel [12:52] Hot Water [15:08] Soap & pH [19:30] Extraction [24:55] A few cautions for the home scouring setup [28:10] Fermented Suint Method or Cold Wash [32:34] Three type of scouring baths we use at the Abundant Earth Fiber Mill [37:15] Picking as part of the scouring process [40:12] Three tips to tell if you got all the grease out of your fleece [45:18] Links Unicorn Power Scour pH Meter and Test Strips DIY Natural Laundry Soap Laundry Alternative Spin Dryer Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook — More than 200 Fibers from Animal to Spun Yarn Field Guide to Fleece — Compact reference of 100 sheep breeds and how to use their fibers Lavender Essential Oil — Whidbey Island grown and processed Purchase Raw Fiber from AEF! Wenslydale Coopworth Romney Targhee Wool Scouring Videos — Coming Soon!

    49 min

  9. 04/02/2019

    Wool Quality

    Flash primer on sheep [1:50] Learn how to ‘read’ a fleece [7:48] Listen in on a skirting conversation with Sarah Pope [11:11] Dual breed East Friesian [15:22] Discover the interesting history of Romeldale and CVM [17:49] Wool Study [23:42] Links Sarah Pope of WhistlingGirlKnits Ravelry Instagram Glendale Shepherd Signature Blend - Roving Field Guide to Fleece

    26 min

  10. 03/26/2019

    Welcome to Modern Wool

    Thought Experiment on finding our connection to the natural world [4:25] A walk through where yarn comes from [8:06] Examining a fleece is like reading a story that only gets told once [9:20] From spinning wheel to fiber mill [11:15] An answer to the important question: What do I want to do? [14:44] What does local and sustainable mean? [20:37] What’s happening with wool in the United States right now? [24:08] Celebrating the value of our small family farms [25:30] Links About Our Mill About Our Team Field Guide to Fleece A Girl and Her Mill Stonehedge Fiber Milling Equipment Abundant Earth Fiber Online Shop

    29 min
  • 10 Episodes

4.9
out of 5
51 Ratings

About

Lydia Christiansen shares the secrets of sustainable, small batch wool straight from her mill on Whidbey Island. Explore modern topics, questions, and techniques affecting fiber farms, cottage mills, and discerning hand crafters.

Information

  • Creator
    Lydia Christiansen
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2023
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Abundant Earth Fiber
  • Show Website
    Modern Wool