My own private sheep to shawl

At Lambtown last year we watched some of the Sheep-to-Shawl competition: multiple spinners spinning yarn for a weaver to make a shawl, with fleece from a sheep shorn that morning. My private sheep-to-shawl is a somewhat more leisurely affair (not to mention trans-atlantic!)

Here's is Christina's sister's sheep Columbine being shorn.

Christina then washed and carded the fleece and sent it to me.

I spun the fleece into real yarn! This took me quite a long time (probably 20 hours or so spinning).

I plied the single into a 2-ply yarn, skeined it, and then set the twist by washing the yarn

I now have 380 yards of fingering weight yarn to knit into my shawl. I committed a spinning sin by plying my first 2 bobbins before spinning the second 2, but a) I thought I might have spun enough on 2 bobbins...seemed like miles, and b) I wanted to see if it 'worked' before I spun any more.

The yarn is pretty soft, and a lovely rich brown colour. I managed to spin both lots pretty evenly at 16 wpi, but am not sure how it will knit up - it seems rather weak and I broke the yarn once winding it into cakes

I will cast on once I finish Lamour...gives me an incentive to knit that second sleeve.