The humid summer days are closing and the crisp air of fall is upon us here in Seguin. It's a perfect time for me to try my hand at washing and processing a raw fleece. While I have blamed the summer heat for my procrastination, it was my fear of not knowing what I was doing that was really to blame. In the end, you can only watch so many videos and just have to jump in to trying something new. So, I did.
I learned a few things along the way. First, you don't have to wash a full 8 pound fleece at one time. That requires loads of water and is very heavy. I started my process outside and was hauling hot water to my wash buckets. I'm too old for that stuff. It was then I learned that our grey water leads out to the sluice and not the septic. Well, I immediately hauled that stuff to the tub and scoured smaller amounts at a time.
The fleece was really dirty with burrs and cedar needles throughout. I cleaned as best I could before the wash and decided I would try combing it after I wash to get the rest of the vegetable matter removed. I made a cheap set of hand carders ( thanks google) and dug through my buttons to make a dizz to pull the top through. It works! It's slow but I am enjoying the process of learning and the relaxation of playing with the fibers. Yep, it feeds my happy space.
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