March 2019 Hi Tilda! If you plan to clean several fleeces, consider investing in Unicorn Power Scour or Kookaburra Scour Fleece Degreaser. Thank you! September 2020 If your wool or yarn feels exceptionally greasy or dirty, use up to 5% WOF. I change the water at least twice after that, allowing the wool to soak for at least a few hours between changes, until the water no longer looks dirty. The raw fleece can handle hot water as long as you don't move it around too much and don't transfer it to water of a different temperature. sending fleece to us as we will re-scour and tease the fibre at the mill. Place 1 to 1.5 lbs of fibre in approximately 4 gallons of clear water, tips first. How to wash fiber to keep the lock structure for worsted prep or dying long locks. Fortuitously, as I was writing a mailchimp newsletter thingy the other day to send to those of you who have signed up, a box arrived from the Ortmann's in Wolf Point, Montana. Close the lid and let the fleece soak for about 45 minutes. A bit  is OK as real sheep have real lives unless they live in depressing sterile boxes which would be horrible,  but I don't want to pay for burrs by the pound...Or hay. Allergy medication (if you're allergic to dander, hay, etc. Read More. Let it soak for about 15-20 minutes. Believe me the water will be brown. scouring product There are specific products made for wool, but they don’t come cheap. Refill you washtub and get ready for more of the same exercise. You can add hotter water, but not colder water to wet wool. One of the many joys of cleaning and processing your own wool is the ability to tailor it to your own need. Do not squish the fleece or attempt to wring the water out. 6+ lbs of wet Targhee/Debouillet and a bit of Grey Cormo. 3. Don’t use a front load washing machine with wool. Raw huacaya alpaca fleece . Make sure the water temperature is as hot as the initial soak. If the raw fleece is really greasy, consider using Wisk instead. Just let those fibers sink down into the bath then gently lift them out of the very brown water. Use a salad spinner or centrifugal laundry spinner to remove excess water. This early shearing keeps the fleeces clean and free from the debris. Just bought kookaburra at NorthEast Fiber in Williston VT. Haven't used it yet so appreciate your comments, Sarah. Processing Wool: Step one, Cleaning raw sheep's fleece The total skirting and washing process takes … Small mesh laundry bags (optional). June 2018 What a wonderful surprise to hear from you. Suds do not equal cleaner wool. Take raw fleece and lay it out on the floor. For alpaca or really water-resistant fleece, you can soak it in a tub of warm water for about 20 minutes (or overnight) to maximize water absorption. 5 Pounds of mohair. Rinse The Wool. Leaving the grease in the wool will make it difficult to dye later, and the grease can also ruin the carding cloth on a drumcarder. Remove all vegetable matter (vm) and large soiling items (pull don’t cut out) 3. I have experimented, and found what works for me to get my raw fleece very clean, and allow me to … Die hard weavers and knitters sometimes prepare and process their own raw wool fleece to make yarn. October 2016 Let your fleece drape back into the water...no need to bunch it up. Just found your blog prompted by a re-discovery of post cards you sent many years ago while searching for knitting inspiration with Hannah! Repeat until the water is clear. One wash in Power Scour Two washes in Power Scour 2 Washes and 2 rinses. Upon leaving each successive bath, the wool gradually becomes cleaner until such time as it is entirely clean with all traces of dirt, vegetable matter and lanolin now removed leaving only the raw fibre remaining. I'm going to order the 2-oz trial size one and give it a shot. I have some Kookaburra scour and will be using it soon. Well, Sarah, you've peaked my curiosity! Take an extra few minutes to preserve the lock while washing to make combing easier when everything is dry. Ruth McGregor gives a good description of the process. It could have been a beautiful thing. This is just one way of doing it - using our mesh bags - there are many ways of going about cleaning a fleece.. 1. February 2017 Let it float for a bit and then a little more up/down, up/down. WHAT YOU WILL NEED. As are we. February 2019 Take an 8 oz to 1 lb section of skirted fleece and place in a tub or mesh laundry bag. storage bins (or any containers for soaking) November 2019 Gentle detergent or Power Scour. Hopefully now you’ve got a big pile of clean, dry fleece, probably including bits of dried up grass and stuff, but generally looking a better for having had a good wash. The water volume should be such that the fleece has plenty of room to expand as it takes up the water. A A raw fleece is very dirty and you should wash it to at least take out the dirt and poo. Linsey Woolsey Tell us about different uses you have for Goop. Let it sit covered for about 10-15 minutes then drain. Plain Weave The yields from raw wool to carded wool, and from carded wool to yarn vary a lot, depending on grease, dirt and vegetable matter, and on fiber type and tip damage. Here’s some of the raw fleece and cold soaked fleece for contrast. Put a dollop of scouring fluid in a container. Freshly washed fleece on a trivet over my gas heater for quick drying because I can hardly wait to get my hands on it! Fill a sink or tub with hot water add Scour and immerse fleece (make sure fiber is completely covered with water and floats freely). You can very gently move fiber in water when there is NO detergent, but do not agitate if there is any detergent or you risk felting it. Follow 222 Handspun. Once washing and preparing the fleece ceases to seem like a big deal, you  are free to explore obscure breeds and crosses and fine out how the qualities of the fleece may effect your work--be it knitting or needlework or tapestry, or ... Oops -- And one more thing: though I am super happy to clean dirt and mud from fleeces, esp range fleeces like these,  I draw the line at gloppy manure tags, burrs and excessive Vegetable Matter. Just need to find it. If the water is milky/cloudy, there may still be grease in it. The next day, the water will be really brown, but that just shows how much dirt you can actually clean out from a raw fleece with just cold water. September 2017 Colors: Clean, clear whites, blacks and greys (called English blue) Dyeing: Takes dyes well and greys are beautiful overdyed. Remove the lid and drain using a large strainer or hang up the mesh bag until most of the water runs out. I can also supply fleece washed and carded for those who prefer an even cleaner product for various hand craft uses. July 2015 Also, my LYS, Yarn Underground, carries it! That is why we must institute separate fees for washing/carding (based on raw weight) vs. drafting/spinning (based on finished weight). If the level of VM contamination is high the wool may have to be carbonised to remove it. Continue to rinse and repeat until the water runs clear. This is a lock taken from the dirty fleece. March 2015 Washing fleece has often been put off because of the multiple buckets and rinses. Skirted raw fleece. Hard to believe these fleeces had all that Montana soil in them isn't it. I discovered it after scouring – which is usually when you discover this particular issue. Squeeze bags of fleece again, unroll and immerse in fresh hot scour water. I never mind a bit of grease in the locks tho December 2019 Yolk on the other hand is wool grease that may discolor to yellow. Ryeland is a fairly dense and sturdy fleece I found. November 2014 Overnight Soak. August 2014 I'm thrilled to know you are all doing well and can't wait to tell Henry that you wrote. If the wool is milky, there is more grease in your fiber. Extremes of water temperature also cause felting. I use a plastic tub lid to cover my entire sink. Shoes It's pretty good here in the summer on a warm sunny day, but those aren't always predictable. Add liquid detergent about a cup. You may gently "plunge" fleece to make sure it is completely saturated. PVC Pipe Loom Back. May 2018 June 2019 The new product says 20ml per 10litres (that's 2 gallons or one big bucketful). This no rinse scour method took  getting used to as the fleece feels different when I spread it out to dry. If you want to scour the wool, now is where we get into the nitty gritty. Rinse and fill the tub/sink again with hot water and add Power Scour. February 2020 If your fleece is very, very, very dirty you can always soak it overnight in cool water before washing. 2. SKIRT. You can already see quite an improvement in your fleece, can't you? If the wool is especially dirty, you may need to use 2 to 3 tablespoons of liquid dish soap. November 2017 I’m rather leery of it until I see it, but if you have a front-loader with a cycle for washing wool clothing, and a little fleece that needs washing which you’re willing to sacrifice, do let me know how it … HOW TO WASH RAW MOHAIR IN A TOP LOADING WASHING MACHINE. 5. Milkweed Strainer (that will no longer be used for food). Add the fleece to another hot water bath without detergent. Plastic basket/s or washing bags. Make sure the there is enough water for the fleece to move freely and absorb the wash solution. How to prep and scour a Rambouillet Fleece. Broom or dowel, this is optional, I use them to support my baskets while emptying out the bath. Scouring will not remove vegetable matter. May 2019 If your fleece has a lot of vegetable matter, it will need additional processing (picking, carding) to become fully clean. Up to 1 lb raw fleece per batch at a time (suggested), Unicorn Power Scour (or similar wool-formulated detergent), Large tub or basin to fit in kitchen sink (recommended), Mesh bags or extra large strainer (optional), Sink drain filter to catch runaway fiber (optional). I became a spinner by accident really. Washed fleece will keep much longer in sealed storage bags – plastic to avoid moth – than a raw June 2015 December 2015 A major proportion of the wools requiring carbonising are from Australia and South Africa. Clothes I agree that in some fleeces, a little grease in the locks feels good, but it drives me nuts when working with very find fleeces which only seem to get stiff and hard to work with. Heating the wool grease and then allowing it to cool on the fiber will bind it to the fiber and make it very difficult to remove. A gentle wash will take some of this out. They'll lose a *lot* of loft once wet I get two bags ready and head on off to the sink. October 2018 The art of spinning yarn - Step-by-step instructions of how to spin wool from washing the fleece to knitting the garment. It is a low-foaming cleaning agent (it’s HE safe). by Community Submission | Jul 24, 2018 | Wash, Prep. Whether you wash more thoroughly (scour) and take out more of the lanolin is a matter of preference. Willow, November 2020 August 2020 January 2016 Take off the very dirty wool around the edge of the fleece and check the rest of the fleece and remove any … Quickly changing water temperatures will shock the fiber and felt it. Dry, bag and repeat until the wool is washed in warm airy space or in sunlight if too... 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