Pin Drafter Textile Equipment

All wool and a yard wide

INWOOD - Kim and Joe Streker live near Sandridge, north of Inwood, on a 1,000 acre former cattle operation they purchased in June 2006. There, they raise Merino sheep, a breed known for its exceptionally soft fibre, and breed them with other sheep to obtain a variety of coloured wools for crafting beautiful woven blankets, as well as felted and knitted products.

The couple began with only 10 sheep, some of which they bred, and some which were kept as pets. Since then, the operation has grown to more than 150 sheep; each sheared by hand, and used mainly for their fibre.

Prior to their move the Strekers lived in Binbrook, Ont. They came to Manitoba in search of a new way of life, having left behind careers as college professors; Joe taught industrial automation, and specialized in power plant control systems, while Kim taught computer software courses. However, the couple has always had farming in their blood.

"We had sheep before we came here. I used to farm a lot of acres, from cash crops to hay. Then we had horses," said Joe. "In 2007 we had 300 sheep by then, and we bought all the machines."

A large Quonset hut sits unobtrusively in the yard site, where numerous specialized machines are housed including three looms - three-shafts up to 16-shafts for complex weaving designs - a carding machine, a pin drafter, a spinner, and a cone-winding machine; all satisfying Joe's penchant for machinery.

"We did start with the traditional spinning wheel — bought in 2003," said Kim. Now most of the work is automated, except for hand-dying which is done before the wool is spun.

The carding machine picks up the sheared wool and grabs the fibres up through a series of rollers. Once carded, the wool is put into the pin drafter which makes beautiful coils of soft wool. Some of the coils are set aside for spinners who may purchase the coils for seven cents per gram. Most of the coils, however, are moved along to the next machine, a spinner, which offers a choice of sic spindles for different diameters of wool, from very fine threads to thick yarn. These are formed into skeins for sale to knitters for $9.95 per 100 grams, or the thread/yarn makes its way to the final step at the cone-winding machine.

Joe mastered the loom without difficulty, as well the art of sheep-shearing, which he can now do in six minutes flat. He weaves the blankets, while Kim knits and felts a wide assortment of fashionable clothes and accessories.

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