Disclaimer: I missed a chapter all those years ago.

Third Batt - 3ply - sport weight

The farmers daughter, we shall call her Maggie for the sake of this narrative, had been poking morosely at the pile of straw. She had briefly tried beating the straw and carding it but had not, as expected, had any luck. The straw was old and dusty, poking around in it had resulted in excessive dust and so she had stopped and opened all the windows she could reach.

There was a scraping noise from underfoot then a bumping and grinding in one of the walls.
Warily Maggie picked up a carding brush* and watched the wall. There was a cranking sound and a muffled expletive then a portion of the wall swung inwards and a pair of faces looked in.
One of them was evidently a servant of the castle by his uniform, the other's outfit shouted 'Scientist!' from chemical stained boots to the white labcoat with iodine spatter on the sleeves.
The servant glanced around the room and nodded cheerfully at her.

"There you are sir. Good luck'n all. I'll leave it unlocked so as you can collect your gear. Good day Miss." With that the hidden door swung closed leaving her with the other person.

He blinked, adjusted his glasses and surveyed the room. "I've heard you are required to turn straw into gold, and in a incredibly limited time span, and have come to offer my services."

"Who are you?" Maggie asked, lowering the carding brush from where she had, somewhat threateningly, been holding it.

"You may call me 'Scruff' for the interim we are in collaboration. It is the name that all my associates, including my mother, tend to refer to me by." The term certainly suited him as his hair wanted cutting and formed tight curls, which he would later pulled back carelessly with a hairband, and his labcoat and pants were shabby and much mended.

"You can spin straw into gold?" She asked incredulously.

"In a manner of speaking. Yes." Was the reply as 'Scruff' poked dubiously at the spinning wheel then turned his attention to the straw, breaking a piece up and scrutinising the plant matter thoroughly.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I've had a experiment in progress for some time but haven't been able to get funding and workspace to elaborate upon it. This way we both achieve our goals." He straightened, brushing of his hands.

"Tell the king that this straw is substandard," Scruff commanded, gesturing to the pile of straw.
"Tell him you cannot start with out better materials, further more you will need three rooms worth of straw, doing only one isn't worth the effort and is inefficient." He pushed up his spectacles and surveyed the room.
"There needs to be extraction fans installed as respiratory health will be an issue and an open vat of tepid water is needed in each room - for humidity don't you know - And we need another… Hmm. Another six of these spinning wheels. When you've told him that then come back and help me with my apparatus."

With that 'Scruff' pulled the wall open and disappeared back from where he had come.

*Board covered in spikes for carding the fleece into the same direction. Get hit by one and you'll know about it.